Among the many impressive stories to be heard at the Ohio Supercomputer Center booth here in Reno is that of its Blue Collar Computing initiative. And how it saved Big Bird. But first things first

Blue Collar Computing was launched in 2004 to give small- and medium-sized companies access to the kind of virtual modeling and simulation that would ordinarily be available only to Fortune 500-type behemoths. They describe their efforts as “democratizing supercomputing” by providing hardware, software, and training that would be out of reach to us mere mortals who can’t put a high-performance server on the VISA card, spend thousands on software licenses, and hire a squadron of programmers.

In industrial Ohio, virtual welding simulations have helped manufacturers identify best practices and eliminate waste. The auto industry and its legions of suppliers reap the benefits of not having to build and then crash/ stress/ burn/ sledgehammer physical parts. And a polymer manufacturer used a simulation of its diaper-lining production line to save Big Bird or his picture, anyway. Apparently, the linings of disposable diapers are thin sheets of polymer material that is extruded between rollers, stamped with a design, perforated for absorption, and then cut into the correctly-sized sections. Except that these elements weren’t aligning correctly, and all of the sheets with decapitated Big Birds had to go to waste, lest they terrify innocent tots – and potentially prompt legal action from whoever owns Big Bird rights. They accessed the resources of Blue Collar Computing to calibrate the steps and cut out waste in less time than physical tinkering would have taken and give rugrats nationwide a complete image of a beloved cartoon character to wear. Save money, keep kids from being traumatized, avoid lawsuits – all real world benefits from supercomputing….good stuff..