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ssidman
See for example the work of Steve Furber at University of Manchester (UK) with ...
BrianBailey
Based on this article, I received an email from TODpix that have a film coming ...
What were they thinking: If Alan Turing had lived to be 100…
Brian Bailey
10/12/2012 10:44 AM EDT
If Alan Turing were still alive, he would now be 100 years old (June 23rd 1912). Unfortunately he died in 1954, before he could really see the legacy of what he had created. I wonder what he would have thought given that he could now be blamed for sending the whole industry into a corner from which it seems to be incapable of escaping. Please don’t think I mean any disrespect to an incredible thinker, without who we may not have advanced as much as we have. But what he created, the simplification that enabled us to tame the whole sphere of computing in general has almost become the enigma of hardware design. I am talking about the notion of synchronous design.
It was in 1931 that he first described he simple hypothetical device known as the Turing machine which was a machine capable of performing the task of any other machine. This directly led Von Neumann to his concept of the computer as we know it today and both cemented the role of sequential logic as the way in which digital hardware was constructed.
Today, we all know the problems related to synchronous design including critical paths, clock distribution networks, the power and current spikes created by clocks and the power integrity issues that result from those clock edges.
We can but wonder if Turing may have been able to produce a general purpose machine that was untimed and saved us from the singular path that we have gone down. Will we ever escape the confines of the clock and truly get to asynchronous design?
As we talk about this, there is another side to Turing’s life. He came out as gay long before the world was willing to accept it. He was chemically castrated in order to avoid going to prison but within 2 years committed suicide. Two years ago he received an apology from the Prime Minister of Britain for the way he was treated and there is a Bill before Parliament to give him a full pardon. We can but wonder what else he may have accomplished if people had been more tolerant.Other What were they thinking articles:
What were they thinking: Apple crazy?
What were they thinking: relief for inebriated guys?
What were they thinking: do you know your Rapunzel Number?
Brian Bailey – keeping you covered
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JCarlson
10/12/2012 11:59 AM EDT
In the 1960's I represented Dyad Systems of Columbia, MD.
They were designing source data acquisition systems based on asynchronous
circuits using "Dyad's". Their technology had been patented by Carlo Fuastini of Silver Spring, MD. I believe I got the first and only order they ever received (from NSA). The CMOS Dyad ICs used were built by Solid State Scientific of Montgomeryville, PA
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willb
10/13/2012 1:16 AM EDT
Alan Turing was a bright star indeed. We are all poorer for the way he was treated. He applied his formidable intellect to help his government win a war, and look how he was rewarded. This crazy world -- yes, pretty much the whole world -- still struggles to value humanity when it doesn't exactly fit some rigid, antiquated notion. It makes me sad and angry that such a gentle soul would be driven to end his own life by the very country he served. Thank you, Mr. Bailey, for reminding us.
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jbusco
10/13/2012 9:58 AM EDT
It's good to remember Alan Turing for his genius and contribution, and for the sad way he was treated. And, interesting to reflect on how the vast majority of designers are trapped in the synchronous design box. That's the only way I learned about in school!
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WireMan
10/13/2012 11:20 AM EDT
Turing would have his own blog, which he world write with a Macintosh.
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WKetel
10/13/2012 9:18 PM EDT
It is true that asynchronous logic can be much faster than clocked logic, but my experience is that it is a lot harder to design for a number of reasons. Component variability is one very real and obvious obstacle, and the variability with temperature is a very real pain.
One useful option is using "blocks", each asynchronous internally, but with clocking to keep all the paths in step. It really does work, and has the added advantage of leveling the power draw quite a bit. Unfortunately those who paid for those designs are quite secretive about what they do.
But picture an elaborate software flow chart, with the different boxes working nearly instantly, but with a clock to tell the system to pass data. That is a gross simplification, but a valid explanation.
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ABMorley
10/15/2012 6:16 AM EDT
The "block" you peak of is a D-type flip-flop. They're async, internally.
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WKetel
10/13/2012 9:24 PM EDT
In this world it is often a fact that people are treated according to how well they fit in. If one chooses a lifestyle that others find offensive, the others may be offended, and most folks choose to seek their friends from among those people who don't offend them. It just works that way. The trite truism, "Birds of a feather flock together" is an example. So if an individual acts in a manner that offends most people, they will probably not be treated as well.
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BrianBailey
10/16/2012 7:09 PM EDT
Based on this article, I received an email from TODpix that have a film coming out about Turing titled Codebreaker. A trailer for it can be found here http://www.websandbox.co/codebreaker/index.html
Additionally, TODpix's new crowdsourcing "Theater-on-Demand" platform allows individuals and groups to sign up their local theater for a viewing of select premiere movies, like Codebreaker (25+ seats will guarantee each new screen).
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ssidman
10/17/2012 9:03 AM EDT
See for example the work of Steve Furber at University of Manchester (UK) with Amulet async ARM. There is also Prof Hava Siegelmann's work in computing "beyond the Turing limit", so-called analog field computing. Other examples of clock-free computing exist. These days, the asynchronous emphasis seems to be on minimizing EMI, rather than just average power consumption. I suppose if you had a low/scrambled noise asynchronous uC running your hot beverage maker, you could have a TEMPEST in a teapot.
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