The folks at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications are experimenting with the use of the Sony Playstation 2 as a computing platform. They've gone as far as creating a cluster of PS2s. While this may sound weird, it actually makes a lot of sense. The PS2 contains a custom CPU that is optimized for vector calculations (which are used quite a bit in graphics programming). Further, a Linux kit is available for the PS2 that allows it to be used as a general purpose computing node. The price-to-performance ratio makes it quite attractive, if the full potential of the chip can be obtained.
Besides, this is the sort of thing appeals to a geek on a deep level. There's something about taking something and doing something useful with it that it was never intended to do that brings a real sense of accomplishment.
Link via Slashdot.
Posted by Aubrey at May 23, 2003 09:20 PM | TrackBackWasn't a shipment of PS/2's bound for Iraq intercepted a few years ago? They were attempting such a cluster for, ahem, WMD development purposes?
http://www.fredosite.com/todayarchives/da-20001220.shtml#000739
which takes one to a 404'd link at WorldNetDaily.
Bumr.
Followup: Here's the WND story. And BTW the PS/2's weren't intercepted.
http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=21118