In the film 2001: A Space Odyssey, the supercomputer HAL
9000 was built here at the University of Illinois. After seeing the Blue Waters
facility for the first time, that random fact was one of the first things in my
mind. Housed in a building one block west from Assembly Hall is the National
Center for Supercomputing Applications, or NCSA.
From the
moment you walk in the door of the NCSA you are surrounded by technology, the
easiest to notice is the high-tech security that protects the entrance. To gain
access to the lobby, you have to first swipe a keycard, next you have to scan
your iris, and finally you have to stand on a weight sensor so they can be sure
that you are alone. My description of this tight security might make the NCSA
sound like a place that seemed uninviting, but my first impression was quite
the opposite.
The lobby
of the building gave me a terrific first impression, with one wall being
entirely glass windows to allow lots of sunlight to fill the open room. There
was nothing between the floor of the lobby and the ceiling of the building, it
was a room so open I almost felt like I was still outside.
As
impressed as I was by this lobby, the real reason for our trip was to see Blue
waters, and it dwarfed whatever feelings I had about the lobby. On the second
floor of the building there was a loud, cold room that was the supercomputer’s
home. Row after row of what looked like black cabinets lined the room that
housed the supercomputer, capable of completing trillions of calculations per
second. Blue Waters is made up of 49,000 processors all working together. This
impressive feat was accomplished thanks to a 280 million dollar grant bid that
the University won. The
computer will be available for researchers all over the country to use, and
luckily for us 7 percent is saved for us here at the University of Illinois.
Garrett, your descriptions of the building were very clear and it was easy to picture exactly what you were talking about! I like how you described the building first, then gave the facts about the supercomputer. It really grasped my attention, rather than just stating the facts.
ReplyDelete-Abigail
Garret, I really liked the detail you used to describe Blue Waters and the facility in which it's held. Your writing encompasses both the impressiveness of the place as a whole, as well as of the actual super computer. You combine facts with vivid descriptions that make your audience want to continue reading.
ReplyDelete-Alyssa
Garrett, your descriptions were great, I could envision them myself. However, there was something I liked even more, the fact that you mentioned the supercomputer from 2001: Space Odyssey. Good job, it made for an entertaining, informative read.
ReplyDeleteBest,
Austin
Garret-
ReplyDeleteI thought your reference to 2001 as the lead really drew the reader in. I remember this being similar to something Trish Barker said, which just goes to show what a memorable statement it makes. Your use of descriptions throughout the article kept it interesting, even without being tied to a person.
Gwendolyn