Richard Feynman and The Connection Machine - The Long Now

The Nugget

Richard Feynman's skeptical yet hands-on approach to the Connection Machine project led to pivotal contributions in parallel computing, emphasizing the importance of understanding technical details over theoretical abstractions.

Make it stick

💪 Feynman transformed skepticism into innovation by directly analyzing the router's circuits through simulation.
💡 Feynman's algorithm for logarithms leveraged binary shifts and subtractions for efficiency.
🧠 Connection Machines utilized 64,000 processors in a hypercube configuration, validating parallel processing potential.
🚀 Feynman’s pragmatic approach even included fetching supplies and soldering circuits, reflecting his all-in commitment.

Initially dismissive of the idea, Feynman agreed to join the project after understanding its scope.
His initial assignment involved analyzing the message router of the Connection Machine, ensuring efficient communication between processors.

Feynman preferred tactile engagement with problems, simulating circuits with pencil and paper.
He developed a logarithm algorithm on the machine leveraging precomputed values of fractional shifts, applicable in computational efficiency endeavors.

Drawing from his Los Alamos experience, Feynman emphasized clear leadership in technical areas and encouraged seminars with innovators, like John Hopfield, to explore unconventional applications.

Feynman's exploration turned the Connection Machine into a formidable tool for numerical simulations, outperforming contemporary systems even without specialized hardware.
His work on quantum chromodynamics leveraged the machine’s parallel processing capabilities, showing its strength in numerical computation.

Feynman was critical of overly complex explanations, advocating for simplicity in communication.
His involvement extended beyond technical contributions to mentoring and educating, ensuring comprehension of complex topics across the team.

Fascinated by the potential of cellular automata, Feynman explored their application in simulating physical systems.
He proposed a solution for isotropy issues in cellular automata by using random connections.

Feynman’s pragmatic contributions and continuous learning attitude, even in areas outside his claimed expertise, left a lasting impact on Thinking Machines Corporation.
His philosophy of teaching and simplifying complex ideas resonated deeply with his peers and followers.

"Richard Feynman reporting for duty. OK, boss, what's my assignment?"
"That's not my department."
"Hey Danny, you're not going to believe this, but that machine of yours can actually do something useful!"
"When you get as old as I am, you start to realize that you've told most of the good stuff you know to other people anyway."
"Don't say 'reflected acoustic wave.' Say 'echo.'"

This summary contains AI-generated information and may be misleading or incorrect.