Widmore's Supercomputer

[Jeph]

In an interview with DJDan, Rachel Blake mentioned a "very, very Hillis teraflop machine, badass computer in the basement of the Widmore Corporation Building." Emphasizing, "Seriously, it was badass."
Transcript here - http://lostpedia.com/wiki/DJ_Dan_September_24,_2006_Live_Podcast_Transcript/Part_2

A Hillis teraflop machine?

Danny Hillis' company, "Thinking Machines" was contracted by the Department of Defence to build a system that would operate at teraflop speeds. But this wasn't about sheer number-crunching power...
This was a very real attempt to create an intelligent system, which attracted experts in the field of AI from all over the world.

"We're building a machine that will be proud of us." was their motto.
"I'd like to find a way for consciousness to transcend human flesh. Building a thinking machine is really a search for a kind of earthly immortality. Something much more intelligent than we can exist. Making a thinking machine is my way to reach out to that.", Hillis said.

In reality, Thinking Machines never shipped a system capable of teraflop speeds, they declared bankruptcy and for the most part were dissolved by competitors.
In the Lost universe however, Widmore has something akin to one of these systems in his basement.

Why a Hillis like machine? Is this connected to Alvar's history with high-tech armaments?
Anyhow, thought it was worth posting... :)

[LostEmissary]

Thanks for posting :) That's pretty interesting. And while the Lost Experience isn't canon per se, still could shed some light on what Widmore does (other than the "public" stuff). This might hint at some reasons why he's interested in the island - or perhaps even things like the true nature of Smokey (AI supercomputer?).

[yung23]

this little rumour sure gives credence to my theory of the island being a plasma based supercomputer.

ie : a quantum computer.


this is widmores interest imo.

he knows what the island is capable of..

think of it, a cloaked military base to attack or take over the world from.
an invisible island with a supercomputer capable of breaking all encryptions...

and time travel too.. maybe thats how widmore had such technology..

[snakey]

ancient supercomputer from the Atlantean days of earth?

[yung23]

the greeks did invent the first computers, and our island definetly has some greek undertones... like the way dharma named the stations etc..

[silver]

the greeks did invent the first computers, and our island definetly has some greek undertones... like the way dharma named the stations etc..


but it (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antikythera_mechanism) looked like this:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/NAMA_Machine_d%27Anticyth%C3%A8re_1.jpg

and tracked star movement.

It probably didn't have solitaire or a keypad to type the numbers. ;)

[yung23]

yep, thats it alright !

its mostly made from GEARS...
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/NAMA_Machine_d%27Anticyth%C3%A8re_1.jpg

and it charted the stars.. just like this may have..
http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:BbKnB9omfzIGoM:http://www.lostisagame.com/photos/black_rock_hole.jpe (http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.lostisagame.com/photos/black_rock_hole.jpe&imgrefurl=http://www.lostisagame.com/duplicates.htm&h=275&w=468&sz=17&hl=en&start=15&um=1&tbnid=BbKnB9omfzIGoM:&tbnh=75&tbnw=128&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dlost,%2Bhole%2Bin%2Brock%26um%3D1%26h l%3Den%26sa%3DN)
......


here are some more gears...
(from the room 23 video)
http://img258.imageshack.us/img258/9519/image1aw0.png (http://imageshack.us/)


and...
http://www.jeff-fischer.net/images/images_lost/s4/frozen_wheel_resize.jpg