Cray, that maker of supercomputers from days of yore, has decided to jump into the biggest superschlong computer contest, creating a machine it has given the prosaic name of “Baker.” The company expects it to be the first computer to break the petaflop barrier. That is, unless IBM beats Cray to the punch with its newest honking monster, Blue Gene.

Baker will be up to the challenge, with 24,000 quad-core 2.6GHz AMD Opteron processors. It’ll be no slouch with memory, either, where its makers are considering using between 187TB or 400TB of RAM, and have settled for just 11 petabytes of disk space. All this hardware squeezes into a mere 187 cabinets. But can it play Doom?

24,000 quad core Opteron system slated [The Inquirer]

From Gizmodo

Plextor helpfully tries to save you from yourself with its PX-SP portable hard drives, swathed in cushy silicone to protect them from life’s little accidents. They’re bus-powered via USB 2.0, and available in capacities of 80GB and 120GB.

Comparable to slip covers on a vinyl couch, the drive’s protective silicone surface is protected with a little black carrying case. Hey, anything to save that precious data.

Plextor’s portable drive with silicon skin [Tech Digest]

From Gizmodo

This RC speedboat can hit the open seas at up to 35 mph and can run for about 40 minutes on one tiny tank of gas. It’s 54 inches long and its unique design will probably everyone out of the water with a quickness. Price? A holy-crap-inducing $1,499.95.

The Aquacraft V24 [RedFerret]

From Gizmodo

Even though most of the world has already fallen pray to the horrific events of Z-Day, some are using their pre-apocalyptic skill set to survive—and even thrive—in this new hell on earth. Jeremiah Sullivan has found unrivaled demand for his Neptunic full-body anti-bite sharksuits that not only keep the wearer free from the piercing fangs of their reanimated loved ones, but also keep the majority of purported ‘infection’ away from the skin. (Gizombo does not necessarily endorse the ‘blood-of-the-damned-borne’ theory, but still.)Unfortunately for consumers (or the consumed), Sullivan’s Neptunic suits were previous built-to-order. Here’s hoping they’ll ramp up production as soon as possible, because we’d love to be able to wear a Neptunic while fighting our way to the corner pharmacy for more ‘medicine.’ Or perhaps a pink model suitable (ha ha!) for this year’s previous home to drool-covered shamblers, the prom.

Product Page [Neptunic]

From Gizmodo

Developed by Aethlon Medical (conveniently located in San Diego), the Hemopurifier is a “rolling-pin-size” unit designed initially to be used as a dialysis unit. After shunting the unit into your veins, the force of your circulation will push your blood through the device.

Fortunately for you and your loved ones, there is a small, but tantalizing chance that the Hemopurifier’s plant-derived antibody filters could also be used to screen out the evil bits of RNA floating in the blood of the infected. (That is presuming, of course, that the scourge is medical in nature. We’ve heard rumors that the curse began as an touchscreen iPod announcement.)

If nothing else, the Hemopurifier would be a handy unit to have around to keep your blood clean of other diseases. There’s nothing more disheartening than discovering you’ve survived Z-Day only to contract Ebola.

The Blood Cleaner [PopSci]

From Gizmodo

 

It’s been a while since we last heard from M-Bird, but it looks like maybe, just maybe, they’ve shed their egregiously awful stylings for a milder, more Cingular 8125-ish looking enclosure. Their XZ-22 media player features 2.2-inch 260k color display, USB On-The-Go, and 512MB / 1 / 2GB capacities in 1.9 x 3.5 x 0.6-inch body. Nothing mind blowing, but it’s an aesthetic step forward for one of the worst habitual offenders of taste in the audio player world, that’s for sure.

More info

From Engadget

 

It’s not as if these displays haven’t gotten plenty of attention, with Apple’s 30-inch Cinema Display showing up in a category of its own in 2004, and Dell’s UltraSharp 3007WFP causing quite a bit of excitement at CES this year, but CNET figured they’d face off these two displays just to show they still care. Hate to spoil it for you, but Apple’s offering does win by a slim margin, due to its more accurate and vivid color, along with its better grayscale differentiation. But the $300 cheaper 3007WFP held its own, with more input options and better text performance. We guess it all comes down to whether you’re going to be scanning Excel spreadsheets or scanning for headshots, but it looks like both displays have plenty to offer.

Reviews here.

From Engadget