Date:         Fri, 16 Apr 2010 15:20:37 -0700
Reply-To:     Peter DiFalco <peter.difalco@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Peter DiFalco <peter.difalco@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Phrydae: Super-computer soon to use water-cooled system for
              heating occupants
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8

http://www.livescience.com/technology/Water-Cooled-Supercomputers-Internet-100415.html

FTA: "Since water and electronics don't mix, the coolant water in Aquasar
does not ever directly touch the silicon computer chips themselves. If a
leak should occur, internal sensors would shut the machine down before
causing a short circuit."

Hey, I wonder why they don't just let it set off a buzzer and make white
smoke...

"The tubes interspersed in Aquasar will link back to the primary water
transportation network where some of the collected heat will then be
passively released back into the heating system of ETH Zurich."

....Which implies that the building's occupants will need to wear their
earmuffs and overcoats until the programmers have had a chance to drive the
supercomputer around the block for half an hour.

The real question is whether they'll still have toasty feet even while the
air conditioning's on in the summer.

Happy Friday!