Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!cmcl2!rutgers!att!cbnews!jef@helios.ee.lbl.gov
From: jef@helios.ee.lbl.gov (Jef Poskanzer)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Intelligent Pebbles and Teller
Message-ID: <3339@cbnews.ATT.COM>
Date: 21 Jan 89 02:09:08 GMT
References: <2910@cbnews.ATT.COM>
Sender: military@cbnews.ATT.COM
Organization: Paratheo-Anametamystikhood Of Eris Esoteric, Ada Lovelace Cabal
Lines: 24
Approved: military@att.att.com

In the referenced message, cthombor@luke.d.umn.edu (Clark Thomborson) wrote:
>                                                           It seems that
>Teller carries around a box, the size of a deck of cards, which he claims
>is "equivalent to a Cray-1 in computing power".

This part sounds like the S-1 Mark V described in _Star_Warriors_ by
William Broad.  In 1985 when the book was written, the O Boys were
playing with a new approach to wafer-scale integration.  Instead of the
Trilogy approach of using conventional fab techniques with added
redundancy, they were etching the circuits with a laser and testing
each circuit as it was completed.  They hoped to achieve an etching
rate of 1000 transistors / second.

>	According to Cooper, the Cray-1-in-a-box is made from commercial
>components and costs less than $10K.  Radio Shack was mentioned as a possible
>parts vendor!

This part sounds like bull.
---
Jef

             Jef Poskanzer   jef@rtsg.ee.lbl.gov   ...well!pokey
           "...for we have Vim... for we have Vigor... for we have
                        Advanced Nuclear Weaponry!"