Sabbah Report » Science

Saudi supercomputer

Haitham Sabbah — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 20:56:21 +0000

At last, something worth the money spent:

Saudi supercomputer lures researchers

By Asma Alsharif

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) - A new science and technology university in Saudi Arabia will house one of the world's largest supercomputers and it is helping lure top researchers to the conservative desert state.

The King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) is due to open next year on the Red Sea coast near Jeddah, the most liberal city in a country where religious conservatives have extensive control over society.

Inside the campus, male and female students will be able to mingle freely, contrary to strict gender segregation enforced in most of the country. The university is part of a series of reforms by King Abdullah aiming to open the country up.

"The supercomputer is the cornerstone of this knowledge-based economy that we are seeking," said Majid Al-Ghaslan, in charge of the acquisition, design and development of the "Shaheen" supercomputer.

Named after the peregrine falcon, which reaches speeds of up to 340 kilometers per hour, Shaheen is expected to reach 222 teraflops, a measure equaling a trillion floating point operations per second, Ghaslan said. This will make it sixth most powerful computer in the world.

Shaheen will be able to simulate the Red Sea environment and model oil fields in three dimensions.

Although Saudi Arabia has immense financial resources as the world's biggest oil exporter, the parameters of school and university education are governed by religious strictures and many subjects are even off-limits for women to study.

The new university will offer research in biosciences and bioengineering, material sciences and engineering, applied mathematics and computational sciences.

With a $10 billion donation to its endowment from King Abdullah, it is able to lure experts from around the globe with the promise of almost unlimited funding for research work.

"KAUST is a remarkable addition to the world's resources in high-end computing," said David Keyes, Chair of the Mathematical and Computer Sciences and Engineering Division, who is moving from Columbia University in the United States.

"The machine that is being purchased here is one of the main attractions to me," he said.

The supercomputer will be used by KAUST and its partners including Cornell University, the University of Oxford, Stanford University, and Texas A&M University.

Religion: The Root of All Evil?

Haitham Sabbah — Sat, 08 Apr 2006 06:32:06 +0000

Some interesting readings to start your cyber day:

Via Channel 4: In this two-part Channel 4 series, Professor Richard Dawkins challenges what he describes as 'a process of non-thinking called faith'. Dawkins is well known for bringing to a wide audience the complex scientific concepts that underpin evolution. His first book, The Selfish Gene was an international bestseller.

Truth lies and faith

He describes his astonishment that, at the start of the 21st century, religious faith is gaining ground in the face of rational, scientific truth. Science, based on scepticism, investigation and evidence, must continuously test its own concepts and claims. Faith, by definition, defies evidence: it is untested and unshakeable, and is therefore in direct contradiction with science.

In addition, though religions preach morality, peace and hope, in fact, says Dawkins, they bring intolerance, violence and destruction. The growth of extreme fundamentalism in so many religions across the world not only endangers humanity but, he argues, is in conflict with the trend over thousands of years of history for humanity to progress – to become more enlightened and more tolerant.

At the extremes

He explores the state of the three Abrahamic religions in the world today, from the political influence of rich and powerful Christian fundamentalist institutions in America to the deadly clash of Judaism, Christianity and Islam in the Middle East. He describes the Holy Land as the least enlightened place in the world, a microcosm of the threat to rational values and civilisation posed by religion, whose irrational roots, he says, are nourishing intolerance and murder.

There are plenty of characters to illustrate his thesis. There are fanatics, like the former West Bank settler who has taken the small step of converting from Jewish fundamentalist to Muslim fundamentalist, transferring his hatred from one side of the looking glass to the other. And the frighteningly charismatic leader of America's National Association of Evangelicals, who believes he has been chosen by God to convert Americans through religious gatherings that resemble rock concerts – though to Dawkins they feel more reminiscent of Nuremberg rallies.

Then there are the desperate, like those carrying burdens of disability or disease, who are among the 80,000 people a year who make the pilgrimage to Lourdes. Dawkins does the maths: out of the millions who, over a century, have placed their faith in a miracle restoring them to good health, there have been only 66 authenticated cures. This is hardly a strong record, he says, arguing that it is better for us to embrace truth than false hope.

Download both parts of the documentary via BitTorrent: The Root of All Evil? (1.59 GB)

Today’s Time Waster

Haitham Sabbah — Tue, 17 Jan 2006 13:49:41 +0000

Should you have any to waste, read these:

1. Pigs glow in the dark:

Scientists in Taiwan have used jellyfish genes and created pigs that glow in the dark.

They are the only ones that are green from the inside out. Even their heart and internal organs are green. Although the pigs glow, they are otherwise no different from any others, the researchers say.

In daylight, the researchers say the pigs' eyes, teeth and trotters look green. Their skin has a greenish tinge. In the dark, shine a blue light on them and they glow torch-light bright.

The scientists will use the transgenic pigs to study human disease. Because the pig's genetic material encodes a protein that shows up as green, it is easy to spot. So if, for instance, some of its stem cells are injected into another animal, scientists can track how they develop without the need for a biopsy or invasive test.

2. Women's armpits sexy:

Women's armpits are sexy, according to researchers.

The findings, published in the journal Ethology, follow a study at Charles University in Prague.

Samples of armpit sweat were collected from women on pads and sniffed by 42 men.

They were asked to rate them for attractiveness and intensity reports The Sun.

Men were found to be attracted to the smell during the most fertile stage of the menstrual cycle.

Any odour is at its least intense during this time.

But it becomes repellent during periods - when the chances of conception are lowest.

Weird news of today

Haitham Sabbah — Wed, 04 Jan 2006 11:01:57 +0000

Nasa team sees explosion on Moon and two-headed snake 'up for auction' then Yahoo shapes up online video project Reality TV on the Internet and finally a British woman marries Dolphin.

Physics Professor Explores Explosion Demolition Hypothesis on 9/11

Haitham Sabbah — Wed, 16 Nov 2005 08:31:16 +0000

Why Indeed Did the WTC Buildings Collapse?

I've got this alert today by email. Honestly, when I first read the title "Why Indeed Did the WTC Buildings Collapse?" I said to myself; not again! But then went on to explore what's in the research. And to be honest with you, the guy caught my attention.

As he says in his own words, "Likewise, the notion that the ï¿½explosive demolitionï¿½ hypothesis should not be debated since it would imply a ï¿½conspiracy theoryï¿½ departs from good science as well as from numerous historical precedents of empirical conspiracies. Scientific inquiry is not or should not be dictated by politics."

Therefore, I'm not going to go through his detailed, simplified, scientific, rational research. I'll just quote his conclusion and leave it for you to read the details of his findings if you like. In fact, I think reading the conclusion will be fair enough to give you and idea that this research still confirms that 9/11 is not only what we saw on TV, and it uncovers some of the lies that politicians used and still use all the time to accuse Muslims and Arabs for something that they might have never done, or if they did, then it is a part of a bigger plan that goes beyond any religion or ethnic. This group of so called Arab ~~Muslim~~ terrorist stand for their own believes, which unfortunately happens to be inline with otherï¿½s plan.

So here we go...

Why Indeed Did the WTC Buildings Collapse?
By Steven E. Jones
Department of Physics and Astronomy
Brigham Young University
Provo, UT 84604

ABSTRACT

In writing this paper, I call for a serious investigation of the hypothesis that WTC 7 and the Twin Towers were brought down, not just by damage and fires, but through the use of pre-positioned explosives. I consider the official FEMA, NIST, and 9-11 Commission reports that fires plus damage alone caused complete collapses of all three buildings. And I present evidence for the explosive-demolition hypothesis, which is suggested by the available data, testable and falsifiable, and yet has not been analyzed in any of the reports funded by the US government....

Detailed research here...

CONCLUSIONS

I have called attention to glaring weaknesses in the ï¿½finalï¿½ reports funded by the US government and shown evidences for a likely alternative hypothesis. In particular, the official theory lacks repeatability in that no actual models or buildings (before or since 9-11-01) have been observed to completely collapse due to the proposed fire-based mechanisms. On the other hand, dozens of buildings have been completely and symmetrically demolished through the use of pre-positioned explosives. The ï¿½explosive demolitionï¿½ hypothesis better satisfies tests of repeatability and parsimony and therefore is not ï¿½junk science.ï¿½ It ought to be seriously, scientifically investigated and debated.

A truly independent, international panel would consider all viable hypotheses, including the pre-positioned-explosives theory, guided not by politicized notions and constraints, but rather by observations and calculations, to reach a scientific conclusion. Questioning (preferably under oath) of officials who approved the rapid removal and destruction of the WTC steel beams and columns before they could be properly analyzed ï¿½ and others as outlined above ï¿½ should proceed in the United States.

None of the government-funded studies have provided serious analyses of the explosive demolition hypothesis at all. Until the above steps are taken, the case for accusing ill-trained Muslims of causing all the destruction on 9-11-01 is far from compelling. It just does not add up.

And that fact should be of great concern to Americans and to all those threatened by American military and security units in the wake of the 9-11 events (Ryan, 2004). Use of powerful, pre-positioned explosives in the WTC buildings would imply an ï¿½inside jobï¿½ (Griffin, 2004, chapter 2). Clearly, we must find out what really caused the WTC skyscrapers to collapse as they did.

To this end, NIST must release the 6,899 photographs and over 300 hours of video recordings ï¿½ acquired mostly by private parties ï¿½ which it admits to holding (NIST, 2005, p. 81). In particular, photos and analyses of the molten metal (probably not molten steel) observed in the basements of both Towers and WTC7 need to be brought forth to the international community of scientists and engineers immediately. Therefore, along with others, I call for the release of these and all relevant data for scrutiny by a cross-disciplinary, international team of researchers. The explosive-demolition hypothesis will be considered: all options will be on the table.

AFTERWARD

In writing this paper, I call for a serious investigation of the hypothesis that WTC7 and the Twin Towers were brought down, not just by damage and fires, but through the carefully planned use of explosives. I have presented ample evidence for the explosive-demolition hypothesis, which is testable and falsifiable and yet has not been seriously considered in any of the studies funded by the US government.

At the same time, I acknowledge that other notions have sprung up in the near vacuum of official consideration of this very plausible hypothesis. These notions must be subjected to careful scrutiny. I by no means endorse all such ideas. For example, the video ï¿½In Plane Siteï¿½ promotes the theory that a ï¿½podï¿½ holds a missile under the wing of the 757 which hit WTC 2 (see Hoffman, 2005; Chertoff, 2005). Careful inspection of the undercarriage of a standard 757 leads to the explanation that the so-called ï¿½podï¿½ was merely a reflection from the bulged undercarriage (Hoffman, 2005; Chertoff, 2005). I find that the ï¿½pod theoryï¿½ is very weak and distracts from central issues.

Again, there is a notion that something other than Boeing jetliners hit the WTC Towers (see Hoffman, 2005; Chertoff, 2005). Scrutiny of photographs and videos provides compelling evidence that jets did in fact hit these buildings (Hoffman, 2005; Chertoff, 2005). A March 2005 article in Popular Mechanics focuses on poorly-supported claims and proceeds to ridicule the whole ï¿½9-11 truth movementï¿½ (Chertoff, 2005). Serious replies to this article have already been written (Hoffman, 2005; Baker, 2005; serendipity.li/wot/pop_mech/reply_to_popular_mechanics.htm).

Those espousing weak or untestable claims should realize that they may be damaging the effort to achieve a rational debate of important issues by poisoning the process with ï¿½junk scienceï¿½. Likewise, the notion that the ï¿½explosive demolitionï¿½ hypothesis should not be debated since it would imply a ï¿½conspiracy theoryï¿½ departs from good science as well as from numerous historical precedents of empirical conspiracies (Jones, 2005). Scientific inquiry is not or should not be dictated by politics (Mooney, 2005).

Two Hits; Earthquake and Oil Prices

Haitham Sabbah — Mon, 03 Oct 2005 11:52:46 +0000

I was not in Jordan when the rumors started about earthquake hits Jordan. But following up the news from Jordan, and small poll at JP, I came to the conclusion that this Earthquake thing is nothing more than a rumor (following the majority of the vote, which I presume are living in Jordan).

However, it was reported earlier today that an earthquake did hit the area. Luckily it was a minor quake, measuring 4.3 on the Richter Scale, and was centered in the Karama region in the Jordan valley, 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) underground.

Now, actually this toke me back to JP poll, and I was wondering? Is it by chance incident that Jordan was talking about earthquake less than a month ago before it happened?

Let me explain my doubts. Looking at JP poll results (although small) gives some indications:

Out of 38 people, 31 believed that the earthquake rumor has nothing to do with reality, while the other 7 believed that it is luckily.
Now the question is. A month ago, was there an official announcement about the earthquake or not? And if so, then why did or did not the majority heard of it? or if they heard of it, why they didn't believe in it?
Then was it really a rumor? or people lost trust in what they hear from officials (if they did)? And if they did not, then where did the rumor come from?
Of course I'm keeping in mind that earthquake prediction is a science that is not yet reached a level to be 100% trusted world wide, so even if there was warnings, it could have not been confirmed.
Finally, they both hit Jordan now. Minor earthquake, and major oil price increase.

It might all be just coincidence. Jordanians, please don't spread rumors, they come true, and if it was not a rumor, then maybe we should trust our officials, or at least those who work in Earthquake field. See, they predicted it nearly a month ago (more advanced that Japanese) :-D

God bless Jordan (and the world)!

SALT & PEPPER

Haitham Sabbah — Sun, 02 Oct 2005 06:50:23 +0000

Winner, Visions of Science Photographic Awards. (BBC; official site)

Science is cool (not really, but that's what we tell ourselves to make ourselves feel better). The coolest science pictures you're going to see all day. Check out the Top 10 Winners of the Visions of Science Photographic Awards. I'm partial to 6 and 7, for some reason.

Scientists do(n’t) Mix God and Science

Haitham Sabbah — Wed, 24 Aug 2005 11:52:54 +0000

Should Scientists Mix God and Science?

At a recent scientific conference at City College of New York, a student in the audience rose to ask the panelists an unexpected question: "Can you be a good scientist and believe in God?"
The answer was quick and sharp. "No!" declared Herbert A. Hauptman, a Nobel laureates who shared the chemistry prize in 1985 for his work on the structure of crystals.

Mauritania gets its first science ministry

Haitham Sabbah — Mon, 22 Aug 2005 15:31:28 +0000

In the wake of this month's military coup, Mauritania has established its first ministry for education and scientific research. Can you believe that?

When meat is not murder

Haitham Sabbah — Sat, 13 Aug 2005 23:02:49 +0000

Guardian suggests that it may soon be possible to produce meat without the need to kill animals. Scientists have adapted the cutting-edge medical technique of tissue engineering, where individual cells are multiplied into whole tissues, and applied them to food production. With a single cell, you could theoretically produce the world's annual meat supply. Yaaakhh!!!

Warming hits ‘tipping point’

Haitham Sabbah — Fri, 12 Aug 2005 23:16:23 +0000

Siberia feels the heat It's a frozen peat bog the size of France and Germany combined, contains billions of tonnes of greenhouse gas and, for the first time since the ice age, it is melting.

Human-brained monkeys

Haitham Sabbah — Thu, 14 Jul 2005 15:43:20 +0000

In cutting-edge experiments, scientists have injected human brain cells into monkey fetuses to study the effects.

Scientists have been warned that their latest experiments may accidently produce monkeys with brains more human than animal.

An eminent committee of American scientists will call for restrictions into the research, saying the outcome of such studies cannot be predicted and may in fact produce subjects with a 'super-animal' intelligence.

France gets nuclear fusion plant

Haitham Sabbah — Tue, 28 Jun 2005 18:45:34 +0000

A Star on Earth: France build a 10bn-euro nuclear fusion reactor. The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (Iter) will be the most expensive joint scientific project after the International Space Station. Nuclear fusion is seen as a cleaner approach to power production than nuclear fission and fossil fuels.

In the name of science, zombie dogs walk on earth!

Haitham Sabbah — Tue, 28 Jun 2005 18:08:54 +0000

Did you read this story? Scientists Raise The Dead In Dog Experiments:

US SCIENTISTS have created eerie zombie dogs, reanimating the canines after several hours of clinical death in attempts to develop suspended animation for humans.

Pittsburgh's Safar Centre for Resuscitation Research has developed a technique in which subject's veins are drained of blood and filled with an ice-cold salt solution.

The animals are considered scientifically dead, as they stop breathing and have no heartbeat or brain activity.

But three hours later, their blood is replaced and the zombie dogs are brought back to life with an electric shock.

Plans to test the technique on humans should be realised within a year, according to the Safar Centre.

And there's a military application:

But even this should be enough to save lives such as battlefield casualties and victims of stabbings or gunshot wounds, who have suffered huge blood loss.

Yes, it sounds like science fiction, and to be entirely honest about it, this is pretty cool. At the very least, this is short-term suspended animation, which could prove very helpful in handling trauma cases.

So, Zombie is no longer a myth!

Matrix and Brain Downloads

Haitham Sabbah — Tue, 07 Jun 2005 19:02:18 +0000

A couple of months ago, the Japanese entertainment giant Sony has patented an idea for transmitting data directly into the brain, with the goal of enabling a person to see movies and play video games in which they smell, taste and perhaps even feel things, it was reported today.

That sounded science fiction? Today I came across this article that says that by the middle of the 21st century it will be possible to download your brain to a supercomputer. If you're rich enough then by 2050 it's feasible. If you're poor you'll probably have to wait until 2075 or 2080 when it's routine.