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alansill.mast.hpc.social.ap.brid.gy
Alan Sill
@alansill.mast.hpc.social.ap.brid.gy
40 followers 3 following 98 posts
Physics/cloud/data centers/HPC. This one's for personal viewpoints/tech stuff I find cool. For official work look elsewhere, for example at the metadata links […]

[bridged from https://mast.hpc.social/@AlanSill on the fediverse by https://fed.brid.gy/ ]
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alansill.mast.hpc.social.ap.brid.gy
Unexpected surprise visit from a former student. He dropped by after 10 years to say that I had inspired him and given him the confidence to pursue what he wanted to do, that he and his wife are both doing well and that after several years of growing salaries […]

[Original post on mast.hpc.social]
A large flower pot filled with yellow roses and ferns sitting on a desk.
October 14, 2025 at 12:14 AM
alansill.mast.hpc.social.ap.brid.gy
Dear Web Programmers:

I will never, ever, ever click on either of these options or anything like them that you force onto a page. I will stubbornly scroll content under it to read past it, or just nope out of the whole web page entirely if that's the only […]

[Original post on mast.hpc.social]
Web pop-up box saying "Subscribe to our notifications for the latest news and updates. You can disable anytime." and giving the options "Later" and "Subscribe" (the latter selected by default).
July 23, 2025 at 10:50 PM
alansill.mast.hpc.social.ap.brid.gy
Sorry to see this Kickstarter fail. It was an effort with noble ambitions!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cerebrocluster/cerebro-the-next-generation-clusterboard
Cerebro; the next generation clusterboard (Canceled) Use Pi CM4 & CM5, NVIDIA Jetson or Radxa CM5 modules for your project. Internal HDMI and 10Gbs USB multiplexer and up to 3x M2 per node $13,699 @ pledged of $1,232,717 goal Funding Canceled: Funding for this project was canceled by the project - | creator on Jun 6 2025 Last updated June 6, 2025 @ Hardware Q Zeewolde, Netheriands
June 8, 2025 at 7:03 PM
alansill.mast.hpc.social.ap.brid.gy
Turns out if we had just asked the professionals, there was no need to worry about the trolley problem all this time. (Hat tip: @vaurora)

(This is a message about science funding and decision-making.)
IWW IU 520 (Railroad Workers) PRESENTS: TROLLEY PROBLEM SOLUTION "Slip the switch" by flipping it while the trolley's front wheels have passed through, but before the back wheels do. This will cause a controlled derailment bringing the trolley to a safe halt.
June 1, 2025 at 2:13 AM
alansill.mast.hpc.social.ap.brid.gy
Here are some photos of our new project, along with some of the High Performance Computing Center staff and one of the students who are helping the co-PIs and research team at the Department of Computer Science at Texas Tech to put it into use. Iʻll say more […]

[Original post on mast.hpc.social]
Four people stand in front of a computer cluster enclosed in a see-through metal and plexiglas enclosure. Four people wearing sunglasses stand near the edge f a large solar power array. An outdoor view of three wind turbines and some meteorological towers. An outdoor view of large solar array, power lines, and some steel buildings.
May 4, 2025 at 4:03 PM
alansill.mast.hpc.social.ap.brid.gy
Believe in yourself! You can move the earth - even if just a little at a time.
Mud flaps on the back of a dirt-moving truck saying 'R&R Ditching - Moving the Earth A Little At A Time.)
April 25, 2025 at 2:11 AM
alansill.mast.hpc.social.ap.brid.gy
Those of you who know me know what this is. It’s midway through its initial qualification test runs now.
A row of computers in an enclosure.
April 11, 2025 at 4:19 AM
alansill.mast.hpc.social.ap.brid.gy
This is a lie.
Screen shot of a dialogue window from Microsoft asking "Stay signed in? Do this to reduce the number of times you are asked to sign in." with a checkbox labeled "Don't show this again." and a Yes/No response option.
March 25, 2025 at 12:22 AM
alansill.mast.hpc.social.ap.brid.gy
Completed Power-over-Ethernet powered Radxa X2L 4-node mini-training-cluster build. The goal for this one was to build something inexpensive, self-contained, compact, and in a robust enclosure for better transportability and handling. The PoE adapters shown […]

[Original post on mast.hpc.social]
A view form the top left corner of the mini-cluster described in the post.
March 7, 2025 at 11:23 PM
alansill.mast.hpc.social.ap.brid.gy
New test cluster in progress. It will be four PoE-powered Radxa X2Ls. The extra boxes on top next to the switch are the PoE to 12V PD splitters.

Pretty proud of this one!
A black metal case holding one of a planned four Radxa X2L nodes, with a power over Ethernet switch and the four splitters mentioned in the post mounted on the top.
March 2, 2025 at 1:34 AM
alansill.mast.hpc.social.ap.brid.gy
This is just fucking awful.
February 27, 2025 at 11:36 PM
alansill.mast.hpc.social.ap.brid.gy
I'm with you, https://ssa.gov
I'd like to report DOGE.
(Social Security logo) National Slam the Scam Day March 6, 2025 On National Slam the Scam Day and throughout the year, we give you the tools to recognize Social Security-related scams and stop scammers from stealing your money and personal information. Help protect your loved ones and people in your community this Slam the Scam Day by: o Learning about the latest scams. Information can empower you to quickly recognize a scam. Signs of a scam include: o An unexpected problem or offer of a prize or benefit increase, o Pressure to act immediately, and o A request for an unusual payment like cryptocurrency, gift cards, gold bars, and wire transfers, even with the promise of keeping your money “safe.” « Reporting scams as soon as possible. Victims shouldn’t be embarrassed if they shared personal information or suffered a financial loss. We are all vulnerable. « Sharing our fact sheet and helping educate others about how to protect themselves. Report Social Security-related scams to the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General (OIG). Report a Scam Visit for more information and follow SSA OIG on . X, and to stay up to date on the latest scam tactics. Repost #SlamtheScam information on social media to keep your friends and family safe.
February 22, 2025 at 12:34 AM
alansill.mast.hpc.social.ap.brid.gy
Finally had time to build a decent back door for the 20-node Radxa X4 mini-cluster 10-inch rack. It's not perfect but it's much better than our previous placeholder.
Quarter view from the right back corner of a 16-inch tall 10-inch rack showing a hinged door with a magnet strip latch that holds two 140-millimeter computer fans to take warm exhaust air out of the rack.
February 16, 2025 at 12:55 AM
alansill.mast.hpc.social.ap.brid.gy
Mini-cluster with DIN rail mount, nearly complete. Palmshell (Radxa X4L) head node connected to four X4 worker nodes by 2.5 GbE, Jetson Orin Nano gets connected at its maximum 1 GbE by a USB to Ethernet adapter, 1 GbE to the outside world. Each of the X4s […]

[Original post on mast.hpc.social]
Front view of the mini-cluster described in the post showing GPU node to the left, flat wide power over Ethernet switch at the bottom with only the power supply connector in view, four Radxa X4 worker nodes at the middle level, and a Palmshell SlimX4L (Radxa X4L) head node at the top of the stack. View from the front left corner of the mini-cluster described in the post showing GPU node to the left, flat wide power over Ethernet switch at the bottom with only the power supply connector in view, four Radxa X4 worker nodes at the middle level, and a Palmshell SlimX4L (Radxa X4L) head node at the top of the stack. View from the back right corner of the mini-cluster described in the post showing GPU node to the right, flat wide power over Ethernet switch at the bottom with all Ethernet connections in view, four Radxa X4 worker nodes at the middle level and a Palmshell SlimX4L (Radxa X4L) head node at the top of the stack, all connected to the switch, and two USB to Ethernet converters, one connected to the GPU node and one left free for a connection to the outside world. Back view of the mini-cluster described in the post showing GPU node to the right, flat wide power over Ethernet switch at the bottom with all Ethernet connections in view, four Radxa X4 worker nodes at the middle level and a Palmshell SlimX4L (Radxa X4L) head node at the top of the stack, all connected to the switch, and two USB to Ethernet converters, one connected to the GPU node and one left free for a connection to the outside world.
February 3, 2025 at 7:55 AM
alansill.mast.hpc.social.ap.brid.gy
Here's the DIN rail mount mini-cluster idea in progress. I'm using standard metal DIN adapter clips and a small aluminum piece to attach them to the Radxa X4 standard heat sink and fan. The Jetson Orin Nano Super development kit gets mounted on a standard […]

[Original post on mast.hpc.social]
3 out of 4 Radxa X4 worker nodes for a test cluster assembly showing a small aluminum plate with threaded holes used to clamp the X4 heat sink housing to a standard aluminum DIN rail. Close-up of the attachment point between a standard DIN rail and a Radxa X4 heat sink with stand showing the aluminum backer plate that is screwed to the DIN adapter clip to clamp the stand in place. The PoE HAT for the X4 is visible in the upper portion of the photo. A standard DIN clip used as a portion of the X4 clamp described in the other pictures. The worker node components of a small mini-cluster consisting of four Radxa X4 nodes with power over ethernet HATs mounted to a DIN rail along with a Jetson Orin Nano Super development kit attached to its own commercially available DIN rail adapter plate.
February 3, 2025 at 2:21 AM
alansill.mast.hpc.social.ap.brid.gy
In progress— parts for 16 nodes plus a head node so far. Intended target: a classroom cluster. Stay tuned! #sbc #hpc #cluster #education
Seventeen 30-watt USB-C power adapters plugged in to a multi-outlet AC power block. Back view of a ten-inch rack showing power cables entering the rack and a rear exhaust fan. Front view of a ten-inch rack showing heat sinks installed for fifteen nodes, one node not yet installed, a larger head node, and a 24-port 2.5 gigabit Ethernet switch Another view of a ten-inch rack and a 24-port Ethernet switch, with no nodes installed yet.
January 2, 2025 at 11:25 PM
alansill.mast.hpc.social.ap.brid.gy
2025 starting out looking like the opening scene from a GhostBusters film. I’m not sure this is a good sign.
A Home 0 P WeatherMatrix (Jesse Ferrell) ® 9m L—z @weathermatrix@mastodon.wor... Lightning has struck the Empire State Buildings in NYC during the New Years Eve celebrations. VERY loud thunder on CNN live! twitter.com/DanTVusa/status/18... Also, the Washington Monument got hit earlier. (T Do Martons ST The @EmpireStateBldg getting pummeled with lighting bolts on New Year’s Eve. It’s non stop. Crazy light show and it’s not even midnight. #NewyorkCity #NYC #lightning #weather 1 LT AT
January 1, 2025 at 3:59 AM
alansill.mast.hpc.social.ap.brid.gy
Meme for my next university IT internal management meeting. Feedback welcome!
“Choppers” argument meme: Person 1: HPC and Al are needed by all portions of the university Person 2: Make the researchers pay for it! Person 1 (more angrily):They already pay for their dedicated use! Person 2 (throwing chair): But the computers are really expensive Person 1 (points and shouts): So are buildings and classrooms!
December 31, 2024 at 5:51 AM