jaguar

A supercomputer known as Jaguar has finally bested IBM's Roadrunner supercomputer in the biannual TOP500 list, but researchers have already begun looking into exascale supercomputers that consist of 100 million cores and run 1,000 times faster than Jaguar. Computerworld reports that the U.S. Department of Energy has begun holding workshops on the new supercomputers to run high-res climate models, develop smart grids and aid fusion energy design.

It's difficult to dispute the notion that in winemaking, handcrafted artisanal production tends to yield a finer, more complex wine. Similarly, when one gets behind the wheel of the 2010 Jaguar XKR, the craftsmanship and care are more than apparent.

I invoke the wine analogy because I was fortunate enough to be flown to the South of France to test-drive the new 510-horsepower supercharged 5.0-liter V8 Jaguar XKR.

It sounds like something out of a Bond flick: a car with a hood that´s launched open by a pair of explosive charges. But Jaguar´s Pedestrian Deployable Bonnet System (PDBS) isn´t intended to thwart bad guys. Its purpose is to soften the impact on the unfortunate soul who gets hit by the European version of the 2007 Jaguar XK. PDBS is Jaguar´s response to new European Union legislation that requires automobiles to be gentler on pedestrians in the event of a collision (exploding hoods have not been greenlighted in the U.S.).