I was asked an odd question today at work, “Terry, can you help us buy a supercomputer”.  Not sure if they were looking at a high-end workstation or Beowulf cluster  I nodded my head yes knowing that even if I failed they probably wouldn’t notice and I started checking our preferred vendors for supercomputers which were somewhat pathetic for the budget range I was given so I offered to build one.  I was told I could if I asked the project coordinator.

I talked with the coordinator and did a needs inventory and found that a dual or quad CPU would do best and rounded out the interview with “anything else you want the box to do?”

His reply: Water cooling.
Me: Really?
Him:  Preferably something with tubes.  I can’t stand most computer fans and I need this sucker to be quiet or I’m going to go nuts with it in the lab.

I did some checking and the best multi-CPU system uses a UV reactive fluid, the lab that’ll house this unit uses full spectrum lighting with UV filters to stop mold.  This think is going to look like Paul Bunyon’s glow stick.   I found a way to get out of scanning… I just had to sacrifice my sense of tact.