High performance computing – high performance business?
Demand for high performance computing
Interesting to read about developments in high performance computing – and potential impact for current data centres and demands for future data centres. Is it possible we will see low performance computing performed on-prem and high performance in the cloud? Or is this too much of a simplification? Will corporates design hybrid on prem/ cloud where high computing available across both?
Still hampered with paper
And then you think about organisations still (in 2023) bogged down in lots of paperwork? Unable to leverage computing – not to mind high performance computing.
Vested interests
If the high performance computing is to serve a purpose – be that improved/ speedier decision making (perhaps #AI assisted), better analysis of data, improved customer response times- then the organisation itself – perhaps the industry – needs to change. If we have vested interests sitting in key points fo control – making a very good living – are they holding up true transformation (ultimately to be enabled/ accelerated by high performance computing)?
Innovators and disruption
And that’s why we need the innovators – not going to hang around while vested interests frustrate progress. Lots of new technologies, lots of options for deployment and significant disruption. And high performance computing just an element of this.
Reflections on trip to Guatemala
Loved this trip to Guatemala. Beautiful country. Lovely temperatures for visiting (17 to 27) – in Atitlan area. Food good and varied. Accommodation clean and inexpensive. Travel between bigger centres relatively straightforward – private bus operators between various locations – cost about 2/3 less when booked locally (and we were never let down). Felt reasonably safe for travel – eyes open.
People less engaging than other countries visited – saw this in restaurants, hotels, various activities. However there were notable exceptions e.g. coffee farm tour near San Pedro and 2nd hotel in Antigua.
Big advantage to speak Spanish – I was travelling with daughter who is reasonably fluent (notwithstanding differences between Guatemalan Spanish and Spain Spanish).
Deserves more time. Long trip to get there from Europe. I left out Tikal (the best example of a Mayan temple) and many more places. Transfers can be full days of travel – so you need to allow for this. But I had a fantastic holiday – reminder again that these various land grabs by empires were devastating for local people. Would recommend a visit to anyone looking g for new experiences, some adventure and insights into old and new cultures.
Wandering around Antigua on Saturday evening and early Sunday am – before leaving for airport – what a beautiful setting: surrounded by mountains/ volcanoes, beautiful square, cobbled streets, one and two storey buildings, lots of restaurants, bars, shops. Hope to see it again in person.
Panajachel, Guatemala
Took a ferry across the lake from San Pedro to Panajachel. Not for the faint hearted. Lake was calm but ferry fairly bombs along – the odd jar to the cack difficult to avoid.
Ferry stopped off at various villages and hostels. Most of our fellow travellers were backpacking visitors to Guatemama.
Grabbed a tuc tuc out to our very comfortable accommodation. Then walked back in and had a food look around town. Shop after shop selling much the same as we had seen in San Pedro.
Spent three days in Panajachel. Something disagreed with my constitution which curtailed my activities. One good visit to the Atitlan Nature Reserve.
San Pedro la Laguna, Guatemala
Completed a 4 hour bus transfer to San Pedro la Laguna from Antigua on Sunday. Booked into our very basic, unexciting, accommodation, Casa San Pedro. Good decision not to drive – interesting ascents and descents thtough the mountains.
Monday started with a hike to the Indian Nose. Collected at hotel 4am; up top of Indian Nose c. 5.15am for sunrise. Worth every ounce of effort. Outstanding views.
Visited local Mayan museum later Monday. Great visit and insights. Worth it just for the video going back to 1941 in San Pedro.
Tuesday visited a coffee farm. Learned a lot. Coffee trees good for 45 years – pruned after 15 and 30. German influence. Families working on the plantation. Harvesting Nov. to March. Arabic coffee here ( and throughout Central America). 60% sun, 40% shade. Citrus flavour. 80% for export. Roast 15 mins medium, 20 mins strong. Medium has higher caffeine content.
Looking forward to painting class later.
Food has been good – eggs, fruit, coffee for breakfasts, lots of tacos etc for dinner.