<s>
Flash	B-Device
mob	I-Device
computing	I-Device
or	O
flash	B-Device
mob	I-Device
computer	I-Device
is	O
a	O
temporary	O
ad	O
hoc	O
computer	B-Architecture
cluster	I-Architecture
running	O
specific	O
software	O
to	O
coordinate	O
the	O
individual	O
computers	O
into	O
one	O
single	O
supercomputer	B-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
flash	B-Device
mob	I-Device
computer	I-Device
is	O
distinct	O
from	O
other	O
types	O
of	O
computer	B-Architecture
clusters	I-Architecture
in	O
that	O
it	O
is	O
set	O
up	O
and	O
broken	O
down	O
on	O
the	O
same	O
day	O
or	O
during	O
a	O
similar	O
brief	O
amount	O
of	O
time	O
and	O
involves	O
many	O
independent	O
owners	O
of	O
computers	O
coming	O
together	O
at	O
a	O
central	O
physical	O
location	O
to	O
work	O
on	O
a	O
specific	O
problem	O
and/or	O
social	O
event	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Flash	B-Device
mob	I-Device
computer	I-Device
derives	O
its	O
name	O
from	O
the	O
more	O
general	O
term	O
flash	O
mob	O
which	O
can	O
mean	O
any	O
activity	O
involving	O
many	O
people	O
co-ordinated	O
through	O
virtual	O
communities	O
coming	O
together	O
for	O
brief	O
periods	O
of	O
time	O
for	O
a	O
specific	O
task	O
or	O
event	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Flash	B-Device
mob	I-Device
computing	I-Device
is	O
a	O
more	O
specific	O
type	O
of	O
flash	O
mob	O
for	O
the	O
purpose	O
of	O
bringing	O
people	O
and	O
their	O
computers	O
together	O
to	O
work	O
on	O
a	O
single	O
task	O
or	O
event	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
flash	B-Device
mob	I-Device
computer	I-Device
was	O
created	O
on	O
April	O
3	O
,	O
2004	O
at	O
the	O
University	O
of	O
San	O
Francisco	O
using	O
software	O
written	O
at	O
USF	O
called	O
FlashMob	O
(	O
not	O
to	O
be	O
confused	O
with	O
the	O
more	O
general	O
term	O
flash	O
mob	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
More	O
than	O
700	O
computers	O
were	O
brought	O
to	O
the	O
gym	O
at	O
the	O
University	O
of	O
San	O
Francisco	O
,	O
and	O
were	O
wired	O
to	O
a	O
network	B-Architecture
donated	O
by	O
Foundry	O
Networks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
FlashMob	O
I	O
was	O
run	O
off	O
a	O
bootable	O
CD-ROM	O
that	O
ran	O
a	O
copy	O
of	O
Morphix	O
Linux	B-Application
,	O
which	O
was	O
only	O
available	O
for	O
the	O
x86	B-Operating_System
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Despite	O
these	O
efforts	O
,	O
the	O
project	O
was	O
unable	O
to	O
achieve	O
its	O
original	O
goal	O
of	O
running	O
a	O
cluster	O
momentarily	O
fast	O
enough	O
to	O
enter	O
the	O
(	O
November	O
2003	O
)	O
Top	B-Operating_System
500	I-Operating_System
list	B-Operating_System
of	I-Operating_System
supercomputers	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
system	O
would	O
have	O
had	O
to	O
provide	O
at	O
least	O
402.5	O
Gflops	O
to	O
match	O
a	O
Chinese	O
cluster	O
of	O
256	O
Intel	B-Device
Xeon	I-Device
nodes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
comparison	O
,	O
the	O
fastest	O
super	B-Architecture
computer	I-Architecture
at	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
Earth	B-Device
Simulator	I-Device
,	O
provided	O
35,860	O
Gflops	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
His	O
class	O
on	O
Do-It-Yourself	O
Supercomputers	B-Architecture
evolved	O
into	O
FlashMob	O
I	O
from	O
the	O
original	O
idea	O
of	O
every	O
student	O
bringing	O
a	O
commodity	O
CPU	O
or	O
an	O
Xbox	O
to	O
class	O
to	O
make	O
an	O
evanescent	O
cluster	O
at	O
each	O
meeting	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Greg	O
Benson	O
,	O
USF	O
Associate	O
Professor	O
of	O
Computer	O
Science	O
,	O
invented	O
the	O
name	O
"	O
flash	B-Device
mob	I-Device
computing	I-Device
"	O
,	O
and	O
proposed	O
the	O
first	O
idea	O
of	O
wireless	O
flash	B-Device
mob	I-Device
computers	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
talking	O
to	O
Greg	O
about	O
the	O
issues	O
of	O
networking	O
a	O
stadium	O
of	O
wireless	O
computers	O
and	O
listening	O
to	O
Pat	O
lecture	O
on	O
what	O
it	O
takes	O
to	O
break	O
the	O
Top	B-Operating_System
500	I-Operating_System
,	O
John	O
asked	O
the	O
simple	O
question	O
:	O
"	O
Could	O
n't	O
we	O
just	O
invite	O
people	O
off	O
the	O
street	O
and	O
get	O
enough	O
power	O
to	O
break	O
the	O
Top	B-Operating_System
500	I-Operating_System
?	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
And	O
flash	O
mob	O
supercomputing	B-Architecture
was	O
born	O
.	O
</s>
