Daily Archives: February 7, 2017

By Adnan Khaleel

The convergence of high performance computing (HPC) and big data has been under way for years. As I noted in an earlier blog, HPC and big data grew up in different worlds and are now coming togetherdue to necessity. People using HPC applications often work with big data, and people working with big data often need the processing power of HPC systems. This convergence is giving rise to the era of high performance data analytics (HPDA) in the enterprise.

Lets take a step back. For enterprises, data is coming at much faster rates than anyone had expected. Whether its from the Internet of Things, webpages, commercial transactions or other sources, the amount of data pouring into enterprise data centers exceeds current storage capacity. This flood of data creates a new class of data consolidation, data handling and data management challenges. Organizations cant just let the data pile up. They now need to make deliberate decisions about what data to store, what data to analyze and what data to discard.

Above all, enterprises need to find ways to turn the flood of data into meaningful insights. This process increasingly requires HPC capabilities that make applications run as fast as possible. In many cases, enterprises need to generate insights in real timewhether they need to optimize the performance of remote equipment, respond faster to a customers needs or put the brakes on a potentially fraudulent transaction.

Lets take the example of the many enterprises that are getting hit with an ever-growing wave of data from our world of connected devices, the Internet of Things (IoT). To capitalize on this data, whether in real time or over a period of time, enterprises need to apply sophisticated machine learning and deep learning techniques, and these techniques require HPC systems paired with big data platforms and data analytics tools.

With HPDA, enterprises use HPC technologies to analyze big data for rapid insights, real-time results and predictive analytics. One study found that 67 percent of HPC users are already doing HPDA, in addition to or instead of traditional HPC.[1]

While HPDA is needed in traditional research-driven applications of HPC, it is becoming a must-have in enterprise environments. Depending on the industry, an enterprise might need to leverage data-centric HPC platforms for more traditional HPC applications like genomics, financial modeling and signal processing, as well as new and emerging HPDA applications like personalized medicine, fraud detection and machine learning.

The rise of new tools and technologies

For organizations that need HPDA, there is good news on the technology front: The tools and technologies for merging HPC with data analytics are maturing rapidly. Better still, HPC and big data platforms are converging in a manner that reduces the need to move data back and forth between HPC and storage environments. This convergence helps organizations avoid a great deal of overhead and latency that comes with disparate systems.

Today, organizations can choose from a rapidly growing range of tools and technologies like streaming analytics, graph analytics, and exploratory data analysis in HPC environments. Lets take a brief look at these tools.

HPDA in action: case studies

Lets consider a couple of real-life examples of HPDA in action. These examples show how companies are capitalizing on the convergence of technologies for HPC and big data.

To help fight cancer and other diseases, TGen needed extremely scalable, reliable and available HPC nodes to develop personalized medical treatments. To meet this need, TGen optimized its infrastructure, scaling its existing Dell EMC HPC cluster with Dell EMC PowerEdge blades. The system incorporates powerful big data and analytics tools, leveraging a Dell EMC Hadoop platform and Statistica software. The increased performance helps TGen accelerate results, enabling researchers to expand treatments to a larger number of patients. Watch the video.

Another Dell EMC customer, Sensus, needed to increase its data set size to be able to more easily visualize meter sensor performance problems. To meet this need, the company implemented a data cluster and a data lakebased on a Hadoop platform and technologies from Dell EMC and Intelthat consolidates manufacturing, testing and other data streams. With this consolidated platform, Sensus can quickly analyze data from 17 million gas, electric and water meter sensors, and proactively identify device problems, helping to predict and prevent future device failures. Read the case study.

Enabling proactive maintenance with HPDA

On the IoT front, HPDA technologies are enabling predictive maintenance of assets to help prevent equipment failures, extend machine life and help organizations gain a better return on their assets. These technologies go beyond condition monitoring to enable condition understanding. On its own, condition monitoring provides time to act, but when data is dynamically provided to a device-specific predictive model you can achieve condition understanding. That means your users will have time to act on maintenance events and have a clear understanding of the actions they need to take.

For organizations new to IoT, the challenges are numerous, spanning both hardware and software. For example, they need to:

And this is where expertise comes in extremely handy. With that thought in mind, Dell EMC has joined forces with Software AG and Kepware to produce an end-to-end solution for proactive maintenance. It offers the complete hardware-software stack that easily allows for the management of IoT sensors, the data produced, and the analysis of that data in real timeultimately easing the deployment of a comprehensive IoT based solution for infrastructure maintenance.

Thats just one of countless advances made possible by the rise of technologies and solutions for high performance data analytics. For a look at more of these technologies and solutions, visit Dell.com/HPC.

Adnan Khaleel is a Global Sales Strategist for Dell EMC.

[1] HPCwire, IDC 2015. The Changing Face of HPC.

Originally posted here:

The Evolution and Maturation of HPC in the Enterprise - CIO

Claim: Evolution Fresh brand cold-pressed juices and smoothies are 'poison.'

Origin:In late February, an apparent hoax began circulating via Facebook claiming that Evolution Fresh brand cold-pressed juices and smoothies, commonly founds at Starbucks outlets, are "poison":

We found no evidence that Evolution Fresh drinks are "poison," nor that they are vended or produced "in Nigeria." According to the brand's official web site, most of the produce used in their manufacture is grown in California (and some of it in Arizona), and the product doesn't appear to be sold beyond the borders of the United States. Evolution Fresh products doe not appear in the FDA's database of food recalls.

It's unclear if the hoax was based on a 2013 news story about a Bay Area woman named Ramineh Behbehanian, who was accused of placing rubbing alcohol into two bottles Evolution Fresh drink, then switching the tainted bottles with others in a refrigerator at a San Jose Starbucks store. Behbehanian, a chemist, was initially charged with attempted murder and poisoning after tests by the San Jose Fire Department indicated the liquid in the bottles contained a lethal dose of rubbing alcohol.

However, subsequent lab tests ordered by the Santa Clara County District Attorneys Office found that the orange juice bottles allegedly dropped off by Behbehanian contained vinegar (a non-harmful substance), so the district attorney's office declined to file charges against her.

We haven't yet heard back from Starbucks, but we could find no reports of recalls or instances of people being poisoned by the brand's drinks.

Originally published: 06 February 2017

Featured Image: FLICKR

Lee, Henry. "Arrest in Attempted Starbucks Poisoning." SFGate. 30 April 2013.

KPIX-TV [San Francisco]. "No Charges for Woman in San Jose Starbucks Alleged Poisoning Case." 24 May 2013.

Bethania Palma Markus is a journalist from the Los Angeles area who started her career as a daily newspaper reporter and has covered everything from crime to government to national politics. She has written for a variety of publications as a staffer and freelancer, including the Los Angeles News Group, the LAist, LA School Report, the OC Weekly and Raw Story. She is a huge fan of the X Files, because while she's not saying it was aliens, it was aliens.

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Are Evolution Fresh Drinks 'Poison'? - snopes.com

A species of carnivorous pitcher plant

AYImages / iStock

Meat-eating plants the world over, separated by thousands of miles and millions of year of evolution, share the same sneaky flesh-grabbing tricks down to a molecular level, a study has found.

By comparing the genomes of Australian, American and Asian pitcher plants the carnivorous flowering plants that entice insects into their tube-like leaves and drown them in a sticky liquid biologists could study how this deadly liquid trap evolved. In particular, the research team, headed up by evolutionary biology and plant genomics expert Victor Albert of the University of Buffalo, New York, sequenced the plants DNA to study the genetic differences between the Australian pitcher plants insect-trapping leaves, and its ordinary leaves used solely for photosynthesis. This revealed specific genes were only switched on in the tube-like leaves that generate the deadly serum, and those genes are used in the production of starches and sugars.

The serum was also compared to the insect-trapping juice of the plants distant relatives in Asia and America, and the liquid of a separate carnivorous plant. Despite evolving on different continents, the liquid in each plant had similar characteristics including enzymes used to break down bugs. The enzymes were not always destined to create bug soup, however. In non-carnivorous plants, they are used to break down a polymer called chitin as a defence mechanism against fungi that have chitin in their cell walls. Chitin is also found in the exoskeletons of insects, so it appears the carnivorous plant has a great deal in common with its relations - it has simply repurposed the enzymes to create a homegrown insecticide.

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Were really looking at a classic case of convergent evolution, said Albert, lead author on a paper describing the find, published in Nature Ecology and Evolution.

The study, though still leaving gaps in our knowledge relating to how certain mutations enable the enzymes to do their work, presents a leap forward in understanding how plants could have evolved from "ordinary", to meat-eating when habitats demand it and nutrients are scarce.

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How evolution turned ordinary plants into ravenous meat-eaters - Wired.co.uk

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Slide: 1 / of 7. Caption: Caption: 1963-1973: The original. Designed by Alexander Ferdinand Porsche, the 911 was the automaker's second production car, but the first that really mattered. Its basic design has evolved over the years, without losing its distinctive look.Porsche Archiv/Porsche-Werkfoto

Slide: 2 / of 7. Caption: Caption: 1974-1989: The G Model. A decade after its debut, the 911 had built its reputation, and there wasn't much sense in changing the car. The "G Model" hardly touched the proportions or interior, and skipped frills for elegant simplicity. Porsche Archiv/Porsche-Werkfoto

Slide: 3 / of 7. Caption: Caption: 1988-1994: The 964. The late 1980s weren't so good for Porsche, which was dealing with a sluggish German economy as well as heated competition from cars like Acura's NSX. And so it overhauled the 911, adding four-wheel drive, power steering, ABS, and a rear spoiler that deployed above 50 mph. Porsche Archiv/Porsche-Werkfoto

Slide: 4 / of 7. Caption: Caption: 1993-1996: The 993. Porsche boss Heinz Branitzky had hoped the 964 would serve for 25 years. Expensive to produce and beaten by the competition, it came nowhere close. So in 1993, the Germans brought out the 993. The last hurrah of the air-cooled Porsche, the 285-hp sports car offered improved, and more comfortable, handling. Porsche Archiv/Porsche-Werkfoto

Slide: 5 / of 7. Caption: Caption: 1997-2006: The 996. Heading into the new millennium, Porsche shocked traditionalists with the 996, the biggest break from the original look in more than 30 years of 911s. One 993 owner dismissed it as "a managerial limousine." It was a good car, Poschardt writes. Just not that good for a 911. And dropping the air-cooled engine for a water-based system still makes the old-school angry. Porsche Archiv/Porsche-Werkfoto

Slide: 6 / of 7. Caption: Caption: 2004-2013: The 997. The successor to the troublesome 996 didn't bring things all the way back to the original look, but it came close enough to calm the nerves of those happier in the past. The 997 added some of the athleticism missing from its predecessor, and was soon deemed a potential classic. Porsche Archiv/Porsche-Werkfoto

Slide: 7 / of 7. Caption: Caption: 2011- : The 991. Sitting alongside the car Ferdinand Alexander Porsche designed nearly 50 years earlier, the seventh generation of the 911 has clearly taken on modernity. The water-cooled engine stuck around, the edges softened, the nose extended. But anyone who spots it will recognize it as the Porsche 911. Porsche Archiv/Porsche-Werkfoto

The Porsche 911, like the Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Corvette, has pulled off the neat trick of remaining thoroughly modern yet utterly timeless. The latest models look a lot like the car that rolled into the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1963, making it instantly recognizable even to people with no interest in cars.

You could fill a small library with the books written about the venerable sports car from Stuttgart, and the newest is Porsche 911: The Ultimate Sportscar as Culture Icon by the almost perfectly named Ulf Poschardt. It details, in beautiful detail, the evolution of the 911.

The cars iconic status belies its humble origins with the VW Beetle, which Ferdinand Porsche designed. The Beetle begat the Porsche 956, which Poschardt describes asa functionalist manifesto. It emphasized aerodynamics, minimal weight, and practicalitycharacteristics his grandson, Ferdinand Butzi Porsche, emphasized when he set out to build a more comfortable, more powerful vehicle. That car, the 911, featuredtwo doors, four seats, and a roof that sloped from the windshield to the taillights, nearly covering the engine out back.

The 911 didnt get much attention at the Frankfurt Motor Show, according to Poschardt, but the design proved a winner. The details have changed in the five decades since, but the fundamental lines are just as beautiful today as they were then.

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See the Evolution of the Famed Porsche 911 in 7 Photos - WIRED

Forbes

Blockchain: Investment (R)Evolution For Developing Markets Forbes Allegedly a revolution is taking place on Wall street and the City of Londona financial revolution. The true action might be taking place somewhere else. Predicting revolutions almost always goes wrong, partly at least. When Marx and Engels worked on ...

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Blockchain: Investment (R)Evolution For Developing Markets - Forbes

February 7, 2017 by Lynne O'donnell Animatronic baby London 2016, a mechanical human baby with an electronic umbilical cord is displayed, during a press preview for the Robot exhibition held at the Science Museum in London, Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2017. The exhibition which shows 500 years of mechanical and robotic advances is open to the public form Feb. 8 through to Sept. 3. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Inspired by his belief that human beings are essentially terrified of robots, Ben Russell set about charting the evolution of automatons for an exhibition he hopes will force people to think about how androids and other robotic forms can enhance their lives.

Robots, says Russell, have been with us for centuriesas "Robots," his exhibit opening Wednesday at London's Science Museum, shows.

From a 15th century Spanish clockwork monk who kisses his rosary and beats his breast in contrition, to a Japanese "childoid" newsreader, created in 2014 with lifelike facial expressions, the exhibition tracks the development of robotics and mankind's obsession with replicating itself.

Arnold Schwarzenegger's unstoppable Terminator cyborg is there, as is Robby the Robot, star of the 1956 film "Forbidden Planet," representing the horror and the fantasy of robots with minds of their own.

There are also examples of factory production-line machines blamed for taking people's jobs in recent decades; a "telenoid communications android" for hugging during long-distance phone calls to ease loneliness; and Kaspar, a "minimally expressive social robot" built like a small boy and designed to help ease social interactions for children with autism.

"When you take a long view, as we have done with 500 years of robots, robots haven't been these terrifying things, they've been magical, fascinating, useful, and they generally tend to do what we want them to do," said Russell, who works at the science museum and was the lead curator of the exhibition.

And while it's human nature to be worried in the face of change, Russell said, the exhibit should help people "think about what we are as humans" and realize that if robots are "going to come along, you've got a stake in how they develop."

A total of 100 robots are set in five different historic periods in a show that explores how religion, industrialization, pop culture and visions of the future have shaped society.

For Rich Walker, managing director of Shadow Robot Company in London, robotics is about what these increasingly sophisticated machines can do for humans to make life easier, particularly for the elderly or the impaired.

"I'm naturally lazy and got involved so that I could get robots to do things for me," Walker said. His company has developed a robotic hand that can replicate 24 of the 27 natural movements of the human hand.

As humans have a 1 percent failure rate at repetitive tasks, committing errors about once every two hours, the hand could replace humans on production lines, he said.

Walker concedes further erosion of certain types of jobs if inventions such as his are successful, but says having repetitive tasks performed by automatons would free up people to adopt value-added roles.

"The issue is to rebuild the economy so that it has a holistic approach to employment," he said.

This in turn leads to questions, raised at the exhibition as well as by the European Union, of whether or not robots should pay taxes on the value of their output as part of the new industrial revolution.

Explore further: Humans must overcome distrust of robots, say researchers

2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Social pedestrian navigation, such as walking down a crowded sidewalk, is something humans take for granted, but the actual process is quite sophisticated especially if you're a robot.

Remembering robots from film portrayals may help ease some of the anxiety that older adults have about using a robot, according to Penn State researchers.

Most Dutch people feel that the ideal social robot should not resemble a human being too much, as is the case with robots currently being produced in Japan. People do expect a robot to have certain human traits, but the distinction ...

Assembly line workers won't be swapping stories with their robotic counterparts any time soon, but future robots will be more aware of the humans they're working alongside.

Empathy is a basic human ability. We often feel empathy toward and console others in distress. Is it possible for us to emphasize with humanoid robots? Since robots are becoming increasingly popular and common in our daily ...

(Tech Xplore)Roboticists working on a robot's hardware and software can brag a lot. They have made robots which can flip pancakes, make sandwiches, ask children and adults questions, and generate expressions of happiness, ...

As the planet warms due to climate change and hot days become more common, the US electrical grid could be unable to meet peak energy needs by century's end, researchers warned Monday.

Researchers at MIT and Brigham and Women's Hospital have designed and demonstrated a small voltaic cell that is sustained by the acidic fluids in the stomach. The system can generate enough power to run small sensors or drug ...

Unlock them with an app, drop them off anywhere, and nip past lanes of stationary car traffic: the humble bicycle is seeing a revival in China as a new generation of start-ups help tackle urban congestion and pollution with ...

Bats have long captured the imaginations of scientists and engineers with their unrivaled agility and maneuvering characteristics, achieved by functionally versatile dynamic wing conformations as well as more than forty active ...

Engineers at MIT have fabricated transparent, gel-based robots that move when water is pumped in and out of them. The bots can perform a number of fast, forceful tasks, including kicking a ball underwater, and grabbing and ...

Self-driving car prototypes appear to be getting better at negotiating California streets and highways without a human backup driver intervening, according to data made public Wednesday by California transportation regulators.

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Exhibition charts 500 years of evolution of robots - Phys.Org

Trevor Noah: Trump has the impressive ability to take a bad situation and make it worse. Photograph: YouTube

Late-night hosts took aim at the latest developments within Trumps government, saying the president has gone from dickish to dictator.

On The Daily Show, Trevor Noah spoke of Trumps attack on James Robart, the federal judge who put a temporary halt to the controversial travel ban implemented last week. Noah compared judges to referees and criticized Trumps treatment of him.

You cant claim that the ref is not a ref unless you work at Foot Locker and thats different, he said. Noah then detailed Robarts unlikely popularity with both parties.

The Senate confirmed him unanimously and the Senate never agrees on anything, he said. Even when they all watched La La Land, even then they didnt agree. Ted Cruz and Chuck Schumer they both loved it. But Bernie was like its sentimental garbage, jazz doesnt belong to white people.

He then took apart Trumps tactics, suggesting that they show that a worrying future could lie ahead.

If theres one thing you should know about Trump, its that he has the impressive ability to take a bad situation and make it worse, he said. Alternative words. Disrespecting and delegitimizing a judge as just the start because then Trump took it from being dickish to dictatorish.

He also criticized Trumps tweet suggesting that Robart will be to blame if any terrorist attacks occur on US shores soon.

They use the fear of the people to convince people to surrender their rights and if you dont think the Trump administration would exploit a terror attack in that way, dont take my word for it, just ask the survivors of the Bowling Green Massacre, he said.

On The Late Show, Stephen Colbert discussed Trumps recent assertion that the media is failing to report on many terror attacks.

The president is accusing the media of refusing to cover major terrorist attacks, he said. Why? Reasons. It makes perfect sense. You know the old news adage: if it bleeds, dont talk about it.

He referred to Kellyanne Conway as White House spokeswoman and person who has not slept since the Carter administration and went on to ridicule her much-publicized Bowling Green Massacre gaffe.

Yes, it didnt get covered, on the flimsy excuse that there was no Bowling Green Massacre, he said. But I think we all remember where we werent were when we didnt hear that nothing had happened.

Colbert then insisted the media finally give the bogus event the coverage it deserves: I demand the media not release the reports they did not do on the attacks that did not occur and I will not rest until they dont.

On Late Night with Seth Meyers, the host first took a quick swipe at the modest pro-Trump protest that took place over the weekend in New York.

Fifty to 100 people in New York City is not a rally, he said. Its a Times Square corner. Its the line to get into Dave and Busters.

Meyers critiqued a common tactic used by the administration to lie as a distraction to cover up an even worse lie. Thats like telling everyone you have a girlfriend in Canada when actually, you have a dead body in the basement, he said.

He also jokes about the reality TV star turned presidents inability to be reserved. Trying to strike a moderate tone with Trump as president is a little like trying to coyly seduce a woman with a bullhorn, he said.

He also took some time to joke about Chris Christies recent defense of Trump: Chris Christie cannot take a hint. How can I put this to you in a way that youll understand? The bridge to Trumps heart is closed bro.

Finally, he spoke about Trumps worrying interview with Bill OReilly where he defended Vladimir Putin, despite OReilly referring to him as a killer. It sounds like hes defending Putin because hes about to get caught for the exact same thing, he said.

Continued here:

Late-night hosts on the evolution of Trump: 'Dickish to dictatorish' - The Guardian

Published on: February 7, 2017 | Last Updated: February 7, 2017 4:01 PM CST

Skye Kaiss, left, owner of Evolution Fitness, and Korena Lafayette, director of operations, pose with the new signage at Evolution Fitness in Regina. The gym is formally known as Gold's Gym. TROY FLEECE / Regina Leader-Post

Following years of evolving from a bodybuilding imageto a health and fitness-focused facility, Golds Gym Regina has ended its franchise with Golds Gym and will now be known as Evolution Fitness.

Weve been Golds Gym now for 12 years in the city and well were proud of where we came from and how we developed this business. We found that the Golds Gym brand is no longer what we align ourselves with, saidSkye Kaiss, owner of Evolution Fitness.

The gym officially ended its franchise agreement with Golds on Friday at midnight and announced the rebranding Monday.

Golds Gym originally came to Regina 12 years ago withthe local company Family Fitness Incorporated.Eleven years ago the first gym was opened in north Regina. Over the years it has expanded to include three other locations in east, south and downtown Regina.

Golds Gym as a brand was founded in 1965 in Venice, Calif.In 1977, Golds received international attention when Pumping Iron a bodybuilding documentary starringArnold Schwarzenegger and Lou Ferrigno was shot there. The gym brand quickly became synonymous with bodybuilding.

According to Kaiss, one of the reasons for the rebranding was due to the bodybuilding image of Golds. Over the years Golds Gym Regina has transitioned to more of a health and fitness image.

The stigma is still out there that this is only a bodybuilder gym, which its not. But its been a difficult to go all these years trying to change that image, or that perception, in peoples minds and its something that a lot of Golds Gyms currently still have challenges with, Kaiss said.

For current Evolution Fitness member Daniel Broussard, the bodybuilding image of Golds is what drew him to join the club three years ago when he moved to Regina from Nova Scotia.

Its always been a dream of mine since I was young (to train at a Golds Gym). Ive lifted weights since I was 12 years old,Broussard said.

Broussard and his son, Bryden, are both members and train at the east location. With the rebranding, Broussard said his family may look into changing gyms to a cheaper one.

With it no longer being a Golds Gym and becoming a fitness club to be honest, I think theyll lose members and theyll lose a part of it that was attractive to a certain group of individuals that wanted the Golds atmosphere,Broussard said.

Almost everything will stay the same at Evolution Fitness locations in Regina Kaiss said. Rebranding and changing of signs will be complete by Feb. 18.

However the partnerships with other gyms internationally will change.Under the Golds name members at the Regina club were able to use any other Golds location up to 14 times a year. Since the franchise agreementhas ended, the partnership is gone. Evolution Fitness however is currently working out the details on partnerships with Motion Fitness in Saskatoon and World Health in Calgary and Edmonton.

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Gold's Gym Regina rebrands to become Evolution Fitness - Regina Leader-Post