5 replies to this topic

[maestro949]

Sure, why not...

Computation: A Byproduct of Home Water Heaters

[chungenhung]

Sure, why not...

Computation: A Byproduct of Home Water Heaters

that kind of idea has been floating around for a while. I doubt we'll see any of that in the next 10 yrs.

[maestro949]

It's funny, I've been wasting a few brain cycles on this lately. i.e., the notion of micro-algorithms, where instead of massively resource intensive computational alogorithms like those that behind f@h clients, create much smaller ones, or perhaps, timeslices of work units that are subdivided even further such that they can run at extremely low wattage and could be embedded into just about anything that is consuming electricity. With the wireless capabilities we now have, IPv6 and the mass production of fairly powerful chips for handhelds, it's not all that ridiculous to see an inflection point where a "scientific progress tax" could be levied on every electronic or heat producing device sold. Perhaps even google could have some javascript that does a little bit of science in the browser for every search done.

[kismet]

Perhaps even google could have some javascript that does a little bit of science in the browser for every search done.

Some guy on the mfoundation board said he was working on a javascript (or java app) which could do some folding. I'm not sure what happened to the project, but I'd imagine that writing it in javascript is not worth the trouble.

[maestro949]

Sadly, for client development, Javascript is becoming what English has become for the spoken/written word.

Javascript is the new bytecode

For embedded science where is done automatically (without users opting in) I could see javascript providing a decent amount of computing cycles given the large # of clients. For clients where the users opt in (a significantly smaller population) I'd definitely suggest they be developed in a compiled language.

I think the bigger issue with this concept is that people are not going to be happy knowing that their searches/web browsing would be killing their battery or driving up their electric bill without their permission thus the impact here would need to be rather subtle and spread out sufficiently.

[Heliotrope]

yeah how about folding on your cellphone, TI calculator, PSP , etc