Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

NVIDIA releases new Quadro Plex D CUDA desktop rigs

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/363022979/

NVIDIA's really pushing the GPU-as-CPU angle at SIGGRAPH this year -- we've already seen the PhysX and CUDA-powered GeForce Power Pack for consumers, and the company is also updating the Quadro Plex series of visual co-processors for workstation customers. The new Quadro Plex 2200 D2, designed for large datasets and models, crunches data through two Quadro FX 5800 GPUs (totalling 480 CUDA cores) and 8GB of RAM, while the Quadro Plex 2100 D2 is optimized for large multidisplay rigs with four Quadro FX 4700 GPUs and support for up to eight monitors. Sounds fun -- and we're guessing the people who can justify the $10,500 starting price for these rigs think so too.

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Alienware debuts Radeon HD 4870 X2-equipped gaming rigs

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/363255888/

Filed under: Desktops, Gaming

Alienware has already stuffed NVIDIA's top-end GTX 280 graphics card into its Area-51 desktop, but if that's not your thing, you can rest assured that company is now offering the high-end comforts of ATI's Radeon HD 4870 X2 as well. That option, which Alienware helpfully reminds us offers 2.4 teraflops of graphics power, is available in the company's Area-51, Area-51 ALX, and Aurora desktops, each of which also offer the even pricier option of dual HD 4870 X2 cards in a CrossFireX configuration. To go for that latter bit of excess, however, you'll also have to bump the power supply up to a full 1,200 watts, although we're guessing that won't be too much of a concern for anyone considering going this route.

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littleBits are like Legos for circuit boards

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/363340131/

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Here's a fun, not-completely-original, but still-pretty-neat idea: littleBits. Tiny, pre-assembled circuit boards that create a library of mix-and-match electronic components for building that next amazing wonder widget. Oh, and they're open source. The "blocks" snap together via magnets, and there's an ever-growing selection of modules to choose from. The project is still in its infancy, but we're expecting to see some good work from Joe Hacker Guy on the DIY scene, or anybody else too afraid to pick up a soldering iron, once these arrive at some sort of retail availability. An intro video is after the break.

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Microsoft Surface checks into Sheraton Hotels

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/363452219/

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Alright, Microsoft: we take it all back. It was wrong, just wrong of us to impugn your promotional filmmaking skills. That Bruce Springsteen parody? Spot on. Awkward Vegas flirtations? True pathos. And now, to promote the launch of your latest version of the Surface table for Sheraton Hotels, you've crafted the touching story of a curious kid, a smug photo-twirler, her tardy date and a loving asian family. We don't want to spoil anything, but complications ensue, folks, and this is one nail-biter worthy of a sequel. Do they all end up going to dinner together? Or are they destined to troll Craigslist that evening, seeking their missed connection...

You: Cute family.
Me: Sultry Surface spokeswoman.
My date was a disaster, and now I'm all alone for the weekend, let me teach you how to pair your phones with the table over Bluetooth, and then we can all go get ice cream together!

Heartbreaking, simply heartbreaking. Video is after the break.

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If this is Earth, what's Heaven like?

Cherry Blossoms Japan

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Tundra

Autumn in Germany

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The beauty of Antarctica

Saltzburg Austria - the most beautiful city we have ever seen.

Neuschwannstein, King Ludwig's Castle in Bavaria , Germany

Windmills of Holland

Beauty of Tibet

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Disney Castle

Golden Maple Leaf

Edge of Glacier

Lavender Farm and Tree

Lavender Farm

The Night Scene of Eiffel Tower

Blue Sea

Earthbound Rainbow

MirrorLake

Lavender at the Foot of the Mountain

Comet (Make a wish)

The Purple Romance

Breithorn Peak ( Switzerland )

Deep Autumn

The Moon and Star on Earth

You only pass this way Once...