The title of the fastest in the world was awarded to the American computer
According to reports on November 15, 2012, the Cray supercomputer at the US government’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory was an IBM supercomputer at another US research center. The Titan, Oak Ridge’s proven Cray XK7 system, achieved 17.59 peta flops (quadrillion calculations per second). The system is funded by the US Department of Energy, and is used for research on energy, climate change, engines, active materials, and other advanced scientific research.
The titan IBM Sequoia at Lawrence Lever National Laboratory, California, has beaten to second place. Sequoia, which was declared the world’s fastest system in June 2012, can only manage 16.32 beta flops in the competition. In the top five, the others were a Fujitsu K computer in Kobe, Japan; Mira IBM Blue Gene / Q system in Chicago, USA; And another IBM Blue Gene/Q system named Queen in Germany. The survey found that 251 of the world’s 500 fastest systems were in the USA, 105 in Europe and 123 in Asia, including 72 in China.
Scientists discover how to change the color of gold
Scientists have discovered for the first time a way to change the color of gold, the world’s most famous precious metal. Researchers from the University of Southampton, USA, have discovered that by etching small raised or overlapping patterns into the surface of a mineral, they can change the way it absorbs and reflects light. The result is that the human eye does not see it as “golden” at all.
This breakthrough discovery is applicable to other metals such as aluminum and silver. It opens up prospects for coloring minerals without the need to coat or chemically treat them, providing valuable economic, environmental and other benefits.
This technology can be harnessed in a wide range of industries that include jewelry manufacturing. It can also be used to make banknotes and documents that are difficult to counterfeit. It can be used to produce a wide range of colors on a particular mineral.
The glove that allows the hands to function as a wireless keyboard
Researchers from the University of Alabama, USA, have designed a new glove that allows users to transform into a wireless keyboard. Instead of tapping keys on a keyboard, the user simply touches their thumb to specific points on their fingers that are assigned a letter or other keyboard functions. The conductive thread carries the command to a matchbox-sized printed circuit board (PCB) affixed to the back of the glove. The PCB transmits it to the target device via Bluetooth.
The gauntlet’s name is Gauntlet, which is short for a low-power, publicly accessible electronic stamp. It features a honeycomb of conductive threads that run through the fingers and palm.