March 07, 2012
Quad Core, Schmad Core
Good morning! I dropped the girls off at their schools. I went to Cafe on the Oval for a hearty breakfast. I got to do more catch up with my dad on the commute into work. Looks like my plans for a gym class tonight might get preempted by a couple of conference calls.
Have I mentioned that I still think Yahoo Pipes is a really cool thing? Especially for information/news junkies. While you could do many of the same things if you're an experienced script-er, Yahoo Pipes brings information filtering to the masses. I have several pipes that I've used for years now. I just tweaked one. Easy peasy.
Interesting. Apple calls their new iPad3 chip the A5X. This is also the same internal name for our next generation GPU. At Qualcomm it's an abbreviation of Adreno 5xx series. Sure to cause a bit of internal confusion. Apple's new chip has two CPU cores and “quad core graphics”. As someone who has been designing graphics processors for years, I can say that “quad core graphics” is an absolutely meaningless term. Graphics processors(GPUs) are not CPUs. It's marketing hype. There is no definition of what constitutes a GPU “core”. Unlike CPUs, GPUs are implicitly massively parallel computing machines, even beyond the vector processing Cray supercomputers of yesteryear. It's as silly as comparing a 1.5GHz ARM core (used in smart phones) to a 1.5GHz Intel i7 (used in PCs). Apples and Oranges. (pun intended)
After some reflection, I decided to buy the Divine Office app and iMissal app for my Kindle. I had considered getting them on my phone, but they look better on the Kindle's more readable screen.
Left work a bit early. My conference calls this afternoon are cancelled. Listened to This Week in Google #136 on my commute north. I went straight to Golds Gym for tonight's Cardio Muscle/Core Training class. Claire is working tonight so it'll be another night waiting for her call.
My friend Jeff Miller writes: “Rather ironic that a hacker group that uses the Guy Fawkes mask brought down the Vatican's site.” A little Guy Fawkes history if you don't see the irony. Back in 1605 Guy Fawkes was a Catholic rebel who was involved a in group that tried to kill the Protestant monarch of England, King James, and replace him with his Catholic descendant, Princess Elizabeth of Bohemia.
Got the boys tucked in bed with their prayers. Dawdled a bit with the laptop and then picked up Claire from Subway. Good night all!
Speaker exposes dark side of modeling: 'America's Next Top Model' contestant shares her story.
YouTube Video(s): “Interrupted Lives” — a documentary on Catholic sisters living under Eastern European Communism. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4. Most were nuns working as teachers or in hospitals. The government didn't agree with the way they served the community. It didn't fit their paradigm of what should be taught or how health care should be administrated. Hmm. Sounds familiar. Current Catholic hospitals and universities don't face jail or the Gulag, just millions of dollars in fines and penalties.
“Whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant;
whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave.
Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many.” — Matthew 20