World's Fastest Supercomputer' Crowned in US

In the clash of the world's supercomputing titans, a new U.S. supercomputer named "Titan" is king.

The $100-million Titan seized the No. 1 supercomputer ranking on the Top500 List with a performance record of 17.59 petaflops per second (quadrillions of calculations per second). The supercomputer, a Cray XK7 system based at Tennessee's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, leaped past the former champion, the Sequoia supercomputer at California's Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

The top five supercomputers in the world are:

Toyota FT-Bh Concept – the hybrid car of tomorrow

This is the Toyota FT-Bh, a hybrid concept that gets 134.5 mpg, that is approximately 57 kilometre per litre. The Concept was conceived to show how to build a Toyota Yaris-sized hybrid for maximum efficiency without using exotic materials that would drive up prices. Weighing a scant 1,700 lbs., and sculpted for aerodynamics, the FT-Bh's power comes from a 1-liter, two-cylinder engine -- a smaller mill than what you find in large motorcycles.

Toyota’s new FT-Bh concept is a vehicle designed to take the efficiency of full hybrid vehicles to new heights. Making its debut at the Geneva motor show, it is an ultra-light concept, weighing less than 800kg, which demonstrates what can be achieved in terms of fuel consumption and CO2 emissions in an affordable family supermini.

Jaguar F-TYPE Unveiled in Paris

 

A front-engined, rear-wheel drive convertible, the F-TYPE is engineered to deliver pure dynamic driving reward and stunning performance. Three models will be available - F-TYPE, F-TYPE S and the F-TYPE V8 S. They are powered respectively by Jaguar's new 3.0-litre V6 supercharged petrol engine in 340PS and 380PS outputs and its 5.0-litre V8 supercharged petrol producing 495PS. The range-topping F-TYPE V8S will reach 60mph in 4.2 seconds and has a top speed of 186mph. The 380PS V6 F-TYPE S will reach 60mph in 4.8 seconds and 171mph, the equivalent figures for the F-TYPE are 5.1 seconds and 161mph. All engines drive through an eight-speed 'Quickshift' transmission, a centrally mounted SportShift selector offering full manual sequential control, as do the steering wheel-mounted paddles.  Torsional and lateral stiffness have been prioritised to maximise handling agility. Around that rigid aluminium structure, every system - steering, brakes, powertrain - has been optimised for immediacy of response to driver inputs.

Top 10 cars from 2013 under $100,000

There is a parlor game popular among the inebriated wherein an individual conjures a trio of people—actors, athletes, random men in the bar—and participants have to chose, absolutely, which one they would sleep with, which they would wed, and which they would murder. When automotive writers congregate, and get drunk enough, a similar game ensues, though it goes along the lines of: borrow, buy, dream.

This week we’re going to play a version of that latter game, in which we focus solely on the buy part. To celebrate the official start of the 2013 car-shopping season and the release of the 2013 models, we posed to ten of the top car writers the question of what new car they would purchase for under $100,000. The only rule was that it had to act as their day-to-day vehicle, and thus fit their real-life needs—messy kids, demanding friends, and potholed streets included. They were also required to provide some brief explanation for their choice. Click through the slide show to view their utterly fabulous array. (Prices, and images, reflect how the writers optioned “their” cars.)