Ayo Deathstar

For serial crystrallography experiments we always pick a theme and go in strict alphabetical order, and it makes the whole process both cleaner and more fun. Each chip gets one of these names (Anakin, Battlestar, Chewie or Ayo, Bet, Chopped), and it works as a reference point, a kind of mental anchor, for objects that are otherwise visually identical. The long-range order of the alphabet lets us perceive the experiment moving forward in real time, and it gives future-us an immediate sense of the exact sequence the chips followed on the day. 

But no diagram teaches you more about HPC pipelines than working at the beamline and actually needing one. An experiment only works when everything works in concert, and that goes from nodes handing off tasks cleanly to robots, motors and detectors doing the same. 

Speed is irrelevant if the system is messy and mysterious. Clean naming and decision points matter. Clarity matters as much as anything and predictability is priceless. Beamline experiments tend to succeed through clear coordination, adaptability and steady operational discipline, and that same mindset is what will make distributed HPC pipelines work in practice.