curious. How big is it? Any chance I can get that app from you?

Wait, it doesn't seem to have any way of setting the sleep function.

Odd.

This page [link]

Seems to indicate that it's all handled by the sleep function of OSX after you've installed the software.

I can still get you my copy of the sw, tho, it's 25 MB

if you could send it to me, that would be great. The Seagate site keeps popping me to the top level instead of to a download level, and I can't seem to find what I need. Ah the joys of being interrupted every 2 seconds with adjusting sound cues. Thanks DCJ. email insent.

Started when I came back from the store. Done. "mac installer.dmg"

Clever name, wot?

from that page:

Follow these steps to troubleshoot:

1. Install the software as indicated in the above table.
2. Confirm that your drive is connected directly and correctly.
The drive must be connected directly to the Mac's USB or Firewire port to ensure that the spin-down command is sent to the drive. Do not connect the drive to a USB or Firewire port on the computer monitor or on the keyboard.
3. Click on the Apple > Choose System Preferences.
4. Click on the Energy Saver Icon.
5. There is Check box that says Put the hard disk(s) to sleep when possible. Check the box here to set the drive(s) to sleep after 10 min of inactivity. (Removing the check mark will disable disk sleep.)
6. Check what the disk sleep settings are now (if desired).
7. Click on the Apple > About this Mac.
8. Open the System Profiler.
9. Click on More Info.
10. Click on Power in the left column. The current Disk Sleep time is displayed in minutes on the right.

I don't think I've ever gone to the system profiler to check disk sleep before.

Plus? my version of OSX (10.4.11) doesn't have hard disk sleep as a separate selection from system sleep.

Thanks DCJ! I downloaded it, but haven't installed yet, as one has to reboot, and we are at places to start a run through.

I do have the box UNchecked for "put drive(s) asleep when idle". And in system profiler, it lists "0 minutes" for time to put drives to sleep. I'm guessing that 0 is a "never" marker. Alas, the external still spins down.

Maybe it needs some driver from the installer. I hope it works for you.

Heh. Sony still subsidizing US military supercomputer efforts

The PlayStation 3's price drop was a boon for more than just consumers. The US military is now snapping up a few thousand more of the consoles to add to its (Sony-subsidized) supercomputer.

Consumers aren't the only ones enjoying the PlayStation 3's recent price drop. The US military has announced plans to buy 2,200 more of the game consoles, so that they can massively beef up the processing power of an existing, PS3-based supercomputer. A "Justification Review Document," which has oddly been deleted from Google since I found it but is still available at this cache link, explains that, "the new PS3s will be placed in a cluster environment with an existing cluster of 336 PS3s by connecting each of the units' one gigabit Ethernet port to a common 24 port gigabit hub."

...

With respect to cell processors, a single 1U server configured with two 3.2GHz cell processors can cost up to $8K while two Sony PS3s cost approximately $600. Though a single 3.2 GHz cell processor can deliver over 200 GFLOPS, whereas the Sony PS3 configuration delivers approximately 150 GFLOPS, the approximately tenfold cost difference per GFLOP makes the Sony PS3 the only viable technology for HPC applications.