DISQUS

So, he's a fan of Heather Wilson! Reason enough to vote for Obama. Keep Heather out of government, the further the better.

So, he's a fan of Heather Wilson! Reason enough to vote for Obama. Keep Heather out of government, the further the better.

Comments
By Chris Mechels

This piece should be taken as hype, which is what it is. The "sustained" performance will turn out to be LINPAC runs which demonstrate that LINPAC will run fast and continue to be used for such things. As for running "real" LANL weapons codes at a reasonable portion of these peak speeds, don't hold your breath. The last big, and expensive, machine at LANL, called Q, was an absolute, unreliable DOG, and they swept the whole thing under the rug.

Lest you believe that I am just blowing smoke; although I have a long history in "super" computers at LANL, going back to 1976, here's a bit from a LANL weapons code person, Jim Hill, which I found over at "Slashdot" on the web;

"As a software developer who's worked on the Lab's previous ASC machines (Blue Mountain, Q, Lightning) I can say that once the calculation is run to get a machine atop Jack Dongarra's gee-golly list, it's partitioned, segmented, divided, and subjected to such crappy resource management that if I could trade the entire machine for a pair of coupled 8-core Mac Pros I'd do it in a heartbeat."

Dongarra is the guy who built LINPAC, the code I mentioned earlier.

The real problem with this machine is HOW it was acquired. As Domenici's web site brags; it was done with EARMARKS. Domenici, and LANL, bypassed the normal planning and funding process at the DOE and forced this machine on DOE. This is no way to run a railroad.

Why such an endrun? Perhaps because the previous LANL "super" computers were losers, and the DOE was tired of LANL lies and mismanagement. Well, they have done it again, so we look forward to more lies and mismanagement.

One of the least competent managers of super computers, LANL, has, with the help of Domenici picked our pockets once again. We will get the hype, as usual, and the bad news will be buried. The same old game.

Comments
By Chris Mechels

This piece should be taken as hype, which is what it is. The "sustained" performance will turn out to be LINPAC runs which demonstrate that LINPAC will run fast and continue to be used for such things. As for running "real" LANL weapons codes at a reasonable portion of these peak speeds, don't hold your breath. The last big, and expensive, machine at LANL, called Q, was an absolute, unreliable DOG, and they swept the whole thing under the rug.

Lest you believe that I am just blowing smoke; although I have a long history in "super" computers at LANL, going back to 1976, here's a bit from a LANL weapons code person, Jim Hill, which I found over at "Slashdot" on the web;

"As a software developer who's worked on the Lab's previous ASC machines (Blue Mountain, Q, Lightning) I can say that once the calculation is run to get a machine atop Jack Dongarra's gee-golly list, it's partitioned, segmented, divided, and subjected to such crappy resource management that if I could trade the entire machine for a pair of coupled 8-core Mac Pros I'd do it in a heartbeat."

Dongarra is the guy who built LINPAC, the code I mentioned earlier.

The real problem with this machine is HOW it was acquired. As Domenici's web site brags; it was done with EARMARKS. Domenici, and LANL, bypassed the normal planning and funding process at the DOE and forced this machine on DOE. This is no way to run a railroad.

Why such an endrun? Perhaps because the previous LANL "super" computers were losers, and the DOE was tired of LANL lies and mismanagement. Well, they have done it again, so we look forward to more lies and mismanagement.

One of the least competent managers of super computers, LANL, has, with the help of Domenici picked our pockets once again. We will get the hype, as usual, and the bad news will be buried. The same old game.

It is a sad commentary that Lujan is the best we could do. His father has a lot of clout, and this also is sad, because he is too often exposed as a weak servant of the special interests. Sadly, he is my Representative.

We are left to hope, in spite of ourselves, that somehow BR Lujan can be an honest and effective servant of our interests, unlike his father.

God help us...

It is a sad commentary that Lujan is the best we could do. His father has a lot of clout, and this also is sad, because he is too often exposed as a weak servant of the special interests. Sadly, he is my Representative.

We are left to hope, in spite of ourselves, that somehow BR Lujan can be an honest and effective servant of our interests, unlike his father.

God help us...

Let us hope we have seen the last of this incompetent self promoter.

As a Presiding Judge in elections, I found the material provided by her office to be poorly written, inaccurate, and is some cases in violation of NM Law. When I raised these issues they were not addressed. I was, no surprise, not asked to serve on later elections.

She is NOT to be trusted, or given further political roles. Further we should question our history of using the SOS office to groom women for politics. Competence, and honesty, should come first.

Let us hope we have seen the last of this incompetent self promoter.

As a Presiding Judge in elections, I found the material provided by her office to be poorly written, inaccurate, and is some cases in violation of NM Law. When I raised these issues they were not addressed. I was, no surprise, not asked to serve on later elections.

She is NOT to be trusted, or given further political roles. Further we should question our history of using the SOS office to groom women for politics. Competence, and honesty, should come first.

Let us HOPE that Domenici's retirement means less pork for LANL. In many areas, like pit production and LANS he has heaped money on failing Lab programs and PREVENTED effective oversight of the DOE.

This worked in large part because, until the 2006 elections, he chaired the Energy Committee and the Sub Committee on Energy Appropiations. Following upon those positions he generated a huge number of "earmarks, and as frequent chair of the Conference Committee which "reconciled" the differing House and Senate bills, cut huge slices of pork to LANL, in exchange for huge slices going to others on the Conference Committee. This is corruption, huge corruption, and this process diverted money to LANL's mismanaged programs, and prevented reforms.

Pete is hugely corrupt, as is LANL. I am delighted to see him gone. Still needed is reform of Congress, with the end of "earmarks", and a reduced role, with more transparency, of the Conference Committees. LANL needs to become a "servant" of the DOE, subject to oversight by the Federal Government. They have too long been the MASTER of the DOE, because Domenici controlled the DOE budget.

For those worried about nuclear weapons, don't!!! The best thing for our country, and the world, is to eliminate these weapons. In the short term we should want them to ROT, and become LESS reliable. Unreliable weapons would deter BOTH those who would be targets, AND those who would use them. This in an obvious good thing.

Let us HOPE that Domenici's retirement means less pork for LANL. In many areas, like pit production and LANS he has heaped money on failing Lab programs and PREVENTED effective oversight of the DOE.

This worked in large part because, until the 2006 elections, he chaired the Energy Committee and the Sub Committee on Energy Appropiations. Following upon those positions he generated a huge number of "earmarks, and as frequent chair of the Conference Committee which "reconciled" the differing House and Senate bills, cut huge slices of pork to LANL, in exchange for huge slices going to others on the Conference Committee. This is corruption, huge corruption, and this process diverted money to LANL's mismanaged programs, and prevented reforms.

Pete is hugely corrupt, as is LANL. I am delighted to see him gone. Still needed is reform of Congress, with the end of "earmarks", and a reduced role, with more transparency, of the Conference Committees. LANL needs to become a "servant" of the DOE, subject to oversight by the Federal Government. They have too long been the MASTER of the DOE, because Domenici controlled the DOE budget.

For those worried about nuclear weapons, don't!!! The best thing for our country, and the world, is to eliminate these weapons. In the short term we should want them to ROT, and become LESS reliable. Unreliable weapons would deter BOTH those who would be targets, AND those who would use them. This in an obvious good thing.