VirginiaTech has completed installation, stabilization and validation test for the new cluster BigMac composed of 1100 xServeG5 Dual 2.3 GHz (thanks you Sylvain). Its raw computering performance now reaches 12.25 TFlops against 10.28 for the previous version. this cluster will enter the TOP 500 classification beginning of November.
VirginiaTech has also announced that Apple has produced those XserveG5 on demand especially for the BigMac cluster, and such XserveG5 dual model is not available yet.
QuickTime has been updated probably to work properly with iTunes 4.7:
QuickTime 6.5.2 new features
Messages in iTunes report that QuickTime 6.5.2 is required to use music purchased from ITMS in other applications such as iPhoto or iMovie.
QuickTime 6.5.2 includes security and bug fixes. I also includes improved Apple Lossless and AAC Encoder, as well as a better management of iTunes and other QuickTime-related applications.
www.apple.com/quicktime/download/index.html
Griffin has just released, few hours after the official launch of the iPod U2 Special Edition, a black version of its iTrip.
It perfectly fits!
Warning: In Belgium and in Switzerland, Belkin's iTrip is not really appreciated by local authority.
Over at
GeekPatrol, a rather interesting project might materialize in a few weeks. Those guys plan to release a benchmarking application, that would work on the Mac. "There is already XBench", you'll say. But where this app seems promising, is that it will be SMP-aware, run on OSX and Windows (eventually GNU/Linux at a later date), therefore cross-platform. Though not perfect, this might help comparing apples and oranges :)
