Seven Wonders of the IT World

C.G. Lynch writes "The computer closest to the North Pole. The most intriguing data center. The biggest scientific computing grid. The little kernel that rocked the world. CIO.com has compiled a list of Seven Wonders of the IT World, some of the most impressive and unusual systems on the planet (and beyond)."

More than you might suspect...

From the linked list:Secrecy level: High. Two reporters from the local newspaper are the only media who've been inside the compound and written about it (See "Inside the World of Google"): Google treats any and all details as though they belong to the National Security Agency.

Well.... I know they were trying to be funny, but the authors could be more correct that they might have known given the history of Google (startup partially funded by CIA $$s) and how tight they are with NGIA [nga.mil] (Google Earth [google.com] projects), CIA [cia.gov] etc..., it would not surprise me to see Google working intimately with NSA [nsa.gov]. After all, Google has been competing with NSA for PhD mathematicians for some time now (and winning) and it seems like a natural fit. Of course such a "hypothetical" collaboration would raise all sorts of ethical questions, but assuming one could appropriately compartmentalize those concerns, it could certainly be mutually beneficial.

Personally, I'd like to think that this little project [utah.edu] (when complete) will certainly contribute to the creation of one or more of the Seven Wonders of the IT world. After all, we all have little wetware parallel supercomputers sitting in the backs of our eyes that can process massive amounts of data, pre-encode it, filter it and more all while dealing with a certain level of data corruption, particularly in disease.

Re:More than you might suspect...

"After all, Google has been competing with NSA for PhD mathematicians for some time now (and winning) and it seems like a natural fit."

If only the NSA would offer stock options and a splashy IPO, I'll bet they could get some of those candidates back.

Re:

On google being top secret about some things; Aren't they required to disclose everything, and I mean EVERYTHING down to how much they spent on every light bulb in the bathroom on the 3rd floor as a part of the SEC filings?

Isn't this exactly the reason that a lot of companies are taking themselves private again lately, disclosing everything is a HUGE hassle.

Re:More than you might suspect...

Google has in the past had jobs available that required national security clearance.

Sure, but a security clearance can apply to lots of types of data and a diverse group of companies and government agencies. Everything from a basic collateral "secret" clearance (relatively easy to obtain) to "top secret" and compartmentalized programs are being worked on and participated in by people from not just government, but also a number of private companies. No big deal and I would certainly expect Google to have a significant number of folks possessing those clearances.

Re:

"Google (startup partially funded by CIA $$s)" is extremely different from "has continued to fund Google's spin offs and start ups like Google Earth".

You can't claim Google was funded by the CIA in its start up days without some kind of source. Seriously. You're just mongering. If you can't back up sensational claims like "Google was funded by the CIA", then don't make them. You're cheapening Slashdot.

Re:More than you might suspect...

So, in other words you're still not able to back up anything you said.

I don't know much about the history of Google, but Keyhole was a company independent of Google for quite years. I worked for a company that subscribed to its service. Google bought Keyhole years later.

Your original post is completely worthless, with a bunch of home page links pretending to be citations. Lemme take a shot at your style of online journalism:

Google is a company owned by the Dairy Queen [dairyqueen.com] corporation with the stated goal of infiltrating homes worldwide Radio Shack microphones and transmitters. They are carrying out this nefarious deed at the behest of the Queen of England [royal.gov.uk], and the president of Mexico [www.gob.mx].

There. I'm just as factual as you are. And my references are just as good.

People like you are the reason smart people don't trust the internet.

Re:More than you might suspect...

take it easy on calling people out who likely *do* know a fair bit more about certain subject matter than you do and let them inform the community.

I'm still waiting for you to inform the community. All you've done so far is make baseless accusations with no proof. That's not information, that's rumor. If the proof is so easy to find, why won't you show it to us? Your assertions imply that posting the proof would have taken less time and effort than posting your previous reply.

Also, don't assume that having an ID number of 871695 makes me a Slashdot rookie. I've been here almost since the beginning, but under a different ID that I abandoned years ago. Further, the claim (again unsubstantiated) that you have a doctorate doesn't impress me or anyone else.

Re:More than you might suspect...

Oh, for the love of.... Use Google to find out. A quick search reveals information from In-Q-Tel's own site [in-q-tel.com] and from Google's own site [google.com] of course these investments are all part of In-Q-Tel's mission [in-q-tel.com] and there is nothing secret about it. They are quite open about their investments and why they make those investments, so what is the big deal? Also, note that there are other companies initially invested in by In-Q-Tel that Google has acquired [in-q-tel.com].

Further, the claim (again unsubstantiated) that you have a doctorate

Oh, come on now.... using Google is not all that hard, nor is clicking the links that I so thoughtfully already have provided for you. But, so you don't have to click twice, here it is [utah.edu].

Polar Photography

Semi-off-topic, but Webcam #1 at the north pole reminded me: on Friday the Astronomy Picture of the Day posted a multiple-exposure image of last month's lunar eclipse [nasa.gov] as seen from the south pole. Not an IT-specific wonder, but still seriously impressive, when you think about it, that we've actually got people near the south pole who are in a position to take photos like this.

And hey, for once I can use the term "polar opposite" and know that it's literally true!

120 degrees F

Operating temperature: From a chilly minus 40 degrees F to a balmy 120 degrees F.

That was the most impressive thing to me. I had no idea that it gets up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit at the north pole. And I thought our string of 100+ degree F days this summer was bad!

Re:

that is the operating temperature for the camera, not the actual temperature at the north pole...at least i hope....maybe i need to start riding my bike to work!

Slightly Dissapointed

I dont know about other slashdotters but I was rather unimpressed with the 7 wonders of the IT world. Not much on there in the way of impressive other than my boy blue. What about impressive symbolic marvels like The Teapot [computerhistory.org] which were the icons of modern Graphics shaping science and technology. Or code that drives technology like C++ or Perl, or dare I even say it, BASIC. These current wonders are very temporary whereas the original wonders are a bit more timeless, more representative of human innovation than just something that looks cool.

Agreed

The lamest one was "small computer that runs Vista".

Forgotten Wonder

The lamest one was "small computer that runs Vista".

I agree as well, although a better wonder, and slightly more in touch with reality, would have been "any computer that runs Vista well"

Re:Forgotten Wonder

I'd imagine there are computers inside Microsoft running Windows Vista Internal Edition well. Windows Vista IE is like normal Vista, with one small change [gpf-comics.com].

Storm brewing?

Disappointed, too.

But only because they missed something I think should apply - the Storm Trojan network. I mean, come on! Arguably the world's most powerful centrally-controlled computing resource, and it's all comprised of horked computers? How is that not a wonder?

You should hate its existence. But it's still quite amazing.

Re:Slightly Dissapointed

I dont know about other slashdotters but I was rather unimpressed with the 7 wonders of the IT world

I agree. My name isn't on the list ANYWHERE!!! Geez, come on, people!

Re:

I was amazed the internet wasn't on the list. Maybe I misunderstood what the rules of the list?

Re:

It might outlast Earth.

Agreed:

Considering that both Voyagers each carry a mechanical device and a gold disk that bears lots of rich data about Earth and Humanity, I'd say that the best damned Backup/DR data storage effort we've made so far in the history of mankind.

/P

Re:

And, taking into account some of the concepts of RFC 1149 [wikipedia.org], we can reasonably assume that Voyager's data transfer to whoever/whatever/if anything receives it should be infinitely faster and higher-volume than anything we can even imagine.

Small computer running Vista

WOW! A small really small computer runs Vista! This is groundbreaking!

Seriously, though, the only "wonderous" things on there were the Voyager and the supercomputer. Most of the other stuff is not the most groundbreaking or superlative for its kind out there. I thought the idea of a "wonder" was something that we can only try and imagine how they managed to do it or how they came up with the idea.

Re:

Seriously, though, the only "wonderous" things on there were the Voyager and the supercomputer.

I agree although I wouldn't even class the supercomputer as that impressive. Its not like any number of large companies/organisations couldn't build something bigger/faster/better if they really wanted to (the NSA probably has). The Voyager computer is the only one that will still be impressive in 5 years.

I would think wonders of the world would be something that would still be considered impressive to a later

Re:Small computer running Vista

The Voyager computer is the only one that will still be impressive in 5 years.

Just wait. In ~250 years when it comes back home [wikipedia.org] it will be even more impressive!

New list needed

The 7 Wonders of 7 Wonders Lists

Really- is there any more tired and lame excuse to grab eyeballs out there? Please, lets end these.

Re:

I agree...

So I'm compiling a top ten list of reasons to stop making 7 Wonders of the world lists

1. Wasted bandwidth
2. They're only for pageview whores
3. Most of the items are only 'wondrous' because people wonder why the hell its on the list.
4. If anything really is that wondrous, humans will probably destroy it.
5. Google will sell the #1 spot to someone else.
6. I.T. is moving so fast that in a few months, most will be obsolete.

thats as far as I got.

Re:

I agree...

So I'm compiling a top ten list of reasons to stop making 7 Wonders of the world lists

1. Wasted bandwidth
2. They're only for pageview whores
3. Most of the items are only 'wondrous' because people wonder why the hell its on the list.
4. If anything really is that wondrous, humans will probably destroy it.
5. Google will sell the #1 spot to someone else.
6. I.T. is moving so fast that in a few months, most will be obsolete.

thats as far as I got.

Ok, I'll finish it for you:

7. It will suffer from the Slashdot effect.
8. Most Slashdot posters won't read it anyway.
9. ???
10. Profit!

Not impressed

For the most part, the list is unimpressive. Voyager is hardly "IT," wonder that it is. The whole story reeks of that article from Copyblogger about which headlines get the most Diggs.

Voyager 1 is not IT

Voyager 1 launched in 1977, about a dozen years prior to the coining of the term "information technology".

There is a deeper, underlying beef here. IT is about boring business data and came to dominate an industry that previously was the domain of science (often but obviously not always for military purposes). CIO is trying to make its readers feel good about themselves by co-opting non-business domains of computer use.

The list

1. Webcam #1
2. Voyager 1
3. Google's Datacenter
4. EGEE-II
5. Blue Gene/L
6. OQO
7. Linux kernel

Re:

Some of those, especially Voyager, are quite impressive.

I'm I the only one that thinks the OQO is really out of place?

Re:The list

No; I for one thought CueCat belonged in that slot.

Re:The list

I would have put "The Internet" on the list, personally.

It gives you a research lab in all your cities too :-)

Juniper

Voyager 1: "Places it's dropped by: Juniper and Saturn"

Re:

Hey, if the Voyager's the first one there, it can call it whatever it wants!

(I noticed that too, though.)

Wonder #8

Why anyone pays money for anything from IBM, Microsoft. Oracle or MySQL AB.

Link to one-page "printable" version

http://www.cio.com/article/print/135700 [cio.com]

Biggest Paradigm Change

Biggest Paradigm Change in Enterprise Software: Linux kernel

Don't get me wrong: I love Linus and I love Linux. But don't forget what RMS likes to remind us at every opportunity: Linux is part of the GNU system. And GNU predated Linux by a long shot.

Stallman started the GNU project in 1983 and founded the Free Software Foundation in 1985. The Linux kernel appeared in 1991. Where did Torvalds get his compiler? Where did Torvalds get his editor? Where did Torvalds find people to work on his kernel? I understand that it can be pedantic to argue about big, abstract ideas like ``When did the paradigm shift really happen?'' Maybe the paradigm didn't ``shift'' until the Linux kernel came out. But Torvalds wasn't out to change paradigms. Stallman was. If we're going to hail the concept of free software, we should acknowledge the alphabet soup of RMS, the FSF, GNU, ETC. that gave it legs to stand on.

Re:Biggest Paradigm Change

Maybe the paradigm didn't ``shift'' until the Linux kernel came out. But Torvalds wasn't out to change paradigms. Stallman was.

Community development was Torvalds' innovation, not Stallman's. Prior to Linux, the FSF was a GPL cathedral cranking out utilities to run on Sun OS.

Re:

The straw that breaks the camel's back may just be one straw. It may not even be the heaviest or biggest straw. It may owe it's entire fame to all the straws that came before it.

But it's still the straw that broke the camel's back. The first straw didn't, the straw just before the last straw didn't, just the one straw. The last straw.

Thats the straw that gets remembered.

How many people attempted to fly solo transatlantic before Charles? Can you name any, and if so, do you consider it an acheivement or a mat

the biggest wonder

is that IT works at all considering that the stakeholders and implementers have little common ground or understanding or sympathy for the other.

-I'm just sayin...

Google at the "end of the Oregon Trail"?

TFA: "Pioneers knew The Dalles as the end of the Oregon trail."

I was just in Seaside this weekend, and they had a big sign next to a statue of Lewis and Clark proclaiming that that was the end of the Oregon Trail... The oceanside makes more sense IMO.

DNS Servers missing?

I woulda thought that the core DNS servers.... the ones that keep the internet going, would have made the list. Without them, everyone would have to resort to numbers (which a lot of us here can do, but not the general public). Ya figure they do massive amounts of work, replying to millions of requests per minute, keep the internet going [which is critical to most developed nations economies]... yet didn't receive any attention here :( I'm all for NASA with the Voyager probe... but in all reality, its a sa

What about the web?

How can you possibly put together a list of the IT wonders of the world with out including the world wide web - especially when you put the article on a website!

"Google's mum"

"Number of servers: Google's mum."

The correct phrase is "keeping mum".

"Google's mum" is what you would say when implying intimate knowledge of Mrs Google, or perhaps her tendency to wear sturdy footwear.

Re:

Webcam's rated temperature, not the temperature at the North Pole. I'm also quite sad it get's "disposed" of every year by letting it sink to the bottom. That kind of sucks.

Re:

That's when Chuck Norris tracks fugitives there.

Re:

It can't be 120F in North Pole, it is outside US. If something it would be 49C.

Re:#8...

Steve "Monkeyboy" Ballmer and his Flying Chair Routine.

The article said WONDERS, not HORRORS.

Re:

in fact the story on /. was probably from a shill for them in the first place

In fact, it absolutely was. Check the guy's email address on the linked submission; it goes to @cio.com; and the article was written by the same user. Please. I know it's was a fad and is now passe to complain about the editors on /., but can we have some more review of the articles that are posted than this? Not linking to the same domain as the submitter's email address would be start, especially if that's coupled with a