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Why We Need a Second Moore's Law
Roland Piquepaille writes "In its April issue, Wired Magazine argues that we need a second Moore's law, this time about overall efficiencies of our computers and other electronic devices. The subtitle of the article summarizes it: "If we don't do something about increasing battery life, we're toast." Michael S. Malone, the author, says that the first Moore's law is endangered, not because the semiconductor industry cannot build new generation of chips, but because we will not be able to provide them with enough power. And he contends that the problem arises from the fact that we are using more and more wireless devices, which obviously are not connected to a plug. This overview contains selected excerpts of this eye-opening article."
Which is why my powerbook battery lasts so damn long. One of the many reasons I am using it now more often than any windows-based laptop I have ever owned and/or used.
Don't bother arguing speed, saying that the powerbook is years behind in MHz, etc. The powerbook is just better optimized to use less power and run longer.
All the author is saying is we need to reapply Moore's law to another aspect of electronic manufacturing. Specifically to the creation of better, more efficient, power supplies for our wireless devices.
This is hardly ground breaking. Companies like to permutate Moore's laws all of the time. I've even heard marketing guys try to use it as a model for deciding a schedule to promote the next product.
Focusing on more efficient power supplies is indeed a worthy cause. And there are already attempts out there to use things such as fuel cell technology to help rectify this problem. So the author of the article shouldn't feel as if the issue is being ignored.
Seppuku: Your solution to my problems!
I've thought about that. The problem is...well, there are several.
1) The energy produced by pedaling a bicycle with idle resistance is relatively low. And the resistance required to produce real power makes the pedaling uncomfortably difficult. Ever ridden the "light cycle" at a kid's museum -- the bike attached to a lightbulb? To get the equivalent glow of a 40W bulb, you have to pedal like a madman. Your processor alone expects up to 2 times that.
2) You'd have to connect the pedal portion to the chair, or it wouldn't be stable. Which means you've got a chair with a 4 foot extension on the front of it, plus pedals. Not many people want that in their computer room.
3) Sweat is inevitable, and that leads to smelly, sticky keyboards, chairs, and rooms in general.
If you want to work out while computing, get yourself a dumbbell. There's a lot of evidence that shows a good lifting session is more effective at burning calories and of course building muscle than a low impact cardio workout. Of course, the best solution of all is both...so spend a half hour in front of the PC, working on your arms, shoulders, back and chest, then take a nice half hour jog. I guarantee you'll solve some of your computer problems while you're running, too.
Hey freaks: now you're ju
Thats a Uk cash Sterling Pound to a genuine pinch of shit (poo, crap, jobbies, turd).
/.ers
Its a quality old North East England expression meaning 'a surefire bet'. i.e. you are inviting bets of a pinch of shit - for which you are willing to pay out a . Which is a bet I'd take - if it werent for the fact that in the act of pinching the shit I'd get shit in my fingernails. That said - a is worth about 1.9 of your american $s these days - so it might be an attractive deal to some of you unemployed
Google for 'Active-Passive Trainer'.
Such devices have been available for decades, litterally. This one is way fancier than the one that was at home during my childhood, but for 59.90 (VAT incl.) that's just a steal.