Cadence – enabling global learning? Would tens or hundreds of millions work collaboratively for free to learn for free?

https://www.cadence.com/en_US/home/tools/system-analysis/computational-fluid-dynamics/pre-processing-meshing.html

Is there an “intro to Cadence computational fluid dynamics” that tells the hardware requirements as a function of mesh size, time step size, precision?

I wanted to teach basic properties of vertical flight through the atmosphere up to orbital velocities. I wanted to start with classical shapes, then add more complexity. Then let the students run optimizations for different constraints (mass, volume, shape, fuel cost, surfaces).

Over the years I keep seeing Cadence but never had an application where I thought it would be worthwhile. I am in the Nvidia developer network and they sent some notes about recent capabilities, which made me look at some old problems again. There are about 20,000 colleges and universities now. About 2 billion kids in school, and about 5 billion people using the Internet. I set standards for online education. I wanted to get a better handle on commercial tools. Simple things like flight optimization and earth to orbit are things that most people are familiar with these days, but most people do not have a grasp of what is involved. They could use a guide that tells them what it cost for different levels of problems.

I do not suppose you have been using GPT yet? I was chatting with with OpenAIs GPT 4 about earth to orbit optimizations, and that is something simple enough for most people to understand. GPT type AIs have no symbolic mathematical or computer capability of their own, nor current access to the Internet and knowledge. They can be tasked and trained to run software packages like Cadence (perhaps), but I do not have a comprehensive model of Cadence capabilities and future directions.

Richard Collins, The Internet Foundation


Colinda,

Your answer was pretty much what I expected, but I feel obligated to write down “what might be”.

I am a bit discouraged today.  I have spent more than half a century of really hard work to make things easier for others.  I started college before we went to the Moon the first time, then 50 years with nothing happening.  Do we blame the movies, and the media and schools for false expectations?  My brother says it, “Where are our flying cars?”

“computational fluid dynamics” has 14.3 Million entry points today.  CFD is presented almost everywhere as exciting and interesting. But anyone who learns it in school has spent tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars to complete their degree, to learn how to do it.  They have no incentive to teach others, or to make it available in a simple form.

I really wanted to have an EEG machine when I was in high school about 55 years ago.  I thought that they would get cheaper, better, faster, easier to use.  I am smart enough to design one from scratch now, but I don’t want to have to make a whole company just to have some interesting data to play with.  If I could put the design where it would always help others, that would be OK, but “someone” will just steal it to make money for themselves.

Movies show people eating nice dinners, and driving nice cars, but in the real world people are starving and barely have a place to live.  Is CFD  just a pipe dream, an enticement that no one can afford?

Is it the high cost of education?  My kids were really expensive to get them a decent education.  And the colleges teach a few textbooks worth of material.

Earth to orbit takes millions of small steps. A company finds the answer to one step and says, “We did our one step, where is our fame and fortune?”.  False expectation?  Should we not make any promises at all?

Something really fundamental is missing.  Is CFD only for making pretty pictures?  Maybe the allure of having a computer do things, is it lets people pretend they can do things that bring fame and fortune to others.  So what if they can run simulations, it is not going to give them control over real processes. That will cost them hundreds of thousand of dollars and years of study at some college where they memorize a few books worth of obsolete methods that are incomplete to begin with.  Then tens of billions of dollars in investments.

Do you know what I am missing?  Is all this technology just a pipe dream.  If you want to do CFD, you have to pay a lot of money, buy a supercomputer, and even then everyone will hoard their one piece of every million piece puzzle? So the dream of everyone having powerful tools to create a new future will always be just a dream?

Sorry.  It just does not seem fair.  Maybe I am just tired today. I was thinking about the EEG because there are ways now to use GPT to monitor whether students are learning, so they can learn in a few days what takes years by current methods.  I might as well give up. Rest a few days, then plan to work hard for another 25 years. There are 2 billion kids, if only 1 in a 10,000 needs CFD in their life, that is still 200,000.  If the benefit is earth to orbit, would that be worth it?

Kids pay tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars to learn useless stuff. Would tens of millions of them, world-wide, work collaboratively for free to learn the same things?  Solve earth to orbit, create flying cars, cure cancer, solve climate change, design real starships, colonize Mars and Moon?

Richard Collins, The Internet Foundation


[ The WorkSite could verify they did the work, that they have specific experience with certain software, hardware, topics, worked on real problems.  GitHub type activity reports.  GPT AIs can follow and look to be sure each person gets good skills and background.  The whole of all AIs and humans can map out future priorities and count the requirements.  Prepare, in near real time, to meet upcoming needs and requirements for global projects. Open verifiable.  Everyone has $Thanks and $Support, Comment, Suggestions, Collaborate. The Worksite can verify they did the work, and can do a good job, while they were learning.  Full complete work can be granted real degrees and certifications.  By demonstrated effort and verified work.  Anyone who is doing a good job and shows potential will likely get financial help to at least live.  Cities, countries, organizations can sponsor their local people.  Computer companies, software and systems companies can put their tools and systems in the workplace so people use their methods.  Supercomputer scale tools for all Worksite members.  Current best AI assisted and monitored methods. Every country can make sure their kids and people are served and benefit.  Many brick and mortar schools can grant credit for verifiable work, because the WorkSite methods are global and standard and verifiable.

Global issues groups:  “We need solutions for homelessness”.  So set up a HomeLess WorkSite, have the AIs help gather and curate what is found, who is working on it, what needs to be done.  People pitch in, and get certified in helping.  Real local groups apply the best practeice and verify they work, what happens and what needs to be done.  PovertyFarming.  Emergencies like storms, floods.  Lots of jobs that need to be done.  Work at them for free, for real, and get paid by certification, and verified work effort and successes.   Welding, 3D printing, CNC, circuit design, plasma cutting, robotics, pick and place, process design.

GitHub only needs verification (universal / global login) Apps to certify members did the work.  One system for work verification, ALL experience of each person together in one seamless way.  Authors, writer, bloggers, analysts, workers of any kind.  LinkedIn does not verify, but they could, if their verification method is itself verified.  Medical degrees, engineering degrees – a range of skills. Why hire a fully medical doctor to get specific skills and background?  Test and verify a person for jobs. But lots of people could work for free, if their basic living expenses are covered, because of their contributions on current or future projects.

]

Richard K Collins

About: Richard K Collins

Director, The Internet Foundation Studying formation and optimized collaboration of global communities. Applying the Internet to solve global problems and build sustainable communities. Internet policies, standards and best practices.


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