Nobody but Us: A History of Cray Research's Software and the Building of the World's Fastest Supercomputer

Edward W. Barnard

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Table of Contents

Introduction

Introduction

The First Invisible Battlefield (Radio Intelligence)

The Human Cost of Staying First
- Contrasting Fates Determined by Radio Intelligence (1941-1943)
- The Invisible Battlefield Emerges (1903-1905)
- Second Invisible Battleground Emerges (1949)
- Human Cost Induces “Wizard Thinking”
- Connecting the Invisible Threads
- Summary
The Pattern Creators
Decoding the Bootleggers
Decoding the Naval Disarmament Conference
Flying Against the Imperial Japanese Navy
Was Location “AF” Midway, or the Aleutian Islands?
Hedy Lamarr, the Mother of WiFi

The Wizard’s Approach to Pattern Recognition

Profile of the “Real Programmer”
Think Like a Computer
The Basics With a Side of Crypto
Design an Algorithm in Your Head
What Can the NSA Teach Us About Debugging?
- Digital Computers
- Intuition
- Superpowers
- Summary
Problem in a Box
Vacuum Tube Blackjack
Running the Numbers
Problem in a Box Applied

Parallel Technology Shows Invariants

Predictive Mental Model
Invariants
- Three-Step Process
- Modern Frame of Reference
Transcendent Patterns
The Kiev Computer
- A Note on Source Material
- Finding the Right Viewpoint
- The Kiev Computer
Comparing to the CDC 6600
- Comparing to CDC 6600 (1964)
Floating-Point and Simulation
- Floating Point and Simulation
- Cost Per FLOP
- Blocks
Polish Notation
- Polish Notation
- Institute in Physics and Computers
- First Principles
- Additional Reading
- Summary

The Second Invisible Battlefield (Nuclear Deterrence)

Project Whirlwind
Semi-Automatic Ground Environment
Engineering Research Associates
Control Data Corporation
Cray Research
My First CRAY-1
Big Iron
- Fast Forward
- Scalar Logical
- Scalar Shift
- Special Register Values
- Listing One
- Instruction Buffer
- Line Three
- Scalar Merge
- Listing Three
- Functional Unit Segmentation
- Mentoring and Credibility
- Summary

Legacy of the Invisible Battlefield

Software Development
My NSA Mug Shot
It Was Nothing, They Said
Ducky Day
The Transitive Property of Keeping Your Mouth Shut
The Veil
Oil Across the Water
Desert Shield
- Eastern Province
- Notary Public
- Summary

The Invisible Battlefield Develops Mastery

Remembering “Scuzzy”
Gate Keeping
Imposter Syndrome
The Road Less Traveled
The Wizard’s Mirror

Teaching Rocket Science

The Search for Scientists
Lady of the Lake Discovers Bomb Test
Camelot, the German Rocket Scientists at Peenemünde
Mittelwerk Extermination
Sputnik Satellite Becomes Defense Priority

Road Map

Nobody but Us: A History of Cray Research's Software and the Building of the World's Fastest Supercomputer/The Wizard’s Approach to Pattern Recognition/Problem in a Box Applied

Problem in a Box Applied

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Problem in a Box

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Reflecting

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Beyond Blackjack

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Computing History Archives

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Warming Up the LGP-30

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When It Fits

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Summary

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Up next

Predictive Mental Model

In this chapter

Problem in a Box Applied
Problem in a Box
Reflecting
Beyond Blackjack
Computing History Archives
Warming Up the LGP-30
When It Fits
Summary