2 months ago
- Danny Hillis recalls building the Connection Machine with Richard Feynman, who initially dismissed the idea of a million-processor parallel computer but later joined the project.
- Feynman played a key role in analyzing the router design, using unconventional partial differential equations, and his advice proved correct when the chips were manufactured.
- He helped organize the team, drawing on his Los Alamos experience, and initiated a seminar series, inviting John Hopfield to discuss neural networks, which aligned well with the Connection Machine.
- Feynman developed a clever algorithm for computing logarithms on the Connection Machine, showcasing his attention to detail and contribution to computer science.
- He demonstrated the machine's potential for numerical computing by writing a quantum chromodynamics program, showing it could outperform specialized machines despite lacking floating-point hardware.
- Feynman was fascinated by cellular automata as a model of physics and helped simplify explanations, making complex concepts like fluid simulation accessible to others.
- His approach involved asking basic questions to reduce problems to puzzles, and he worked on various applications, from database searches to simulated evolution, often as an amateur alongside others.
- Feynman's charm lay in his ability to explain complex ideas clearly, though he had uncharming traits like sexism, which people forgave due to his enlightening explanations.
- In his final years, he reflected on sharing knowledge, emphasizing that telling 'the good stuff' to others was a significant part of his life, even as he faced cancer.