There are already motion detectors and orientation arrays (for example the clasic ball in a cage). Why would one that creates electricity be of any use? Not to mention what would it be useful for since any vibration would set it off (maybe nice for blinking lights or letting the computer know you are moving the drawing pen for you digital drawing pad, but what else?)
That comment about putting them under roads is great, but how about IN cars and busses? Line the frame and they could create a load of energy. These can be used in addition to any current way of getting energy (coal-burnning plants have huge turbines that create both a lot of sound and shaking, perfect for these).
You could even go so far as to line walls with them and sell it as a light energy saver and noice reducer. Hook it into the main and it will help to reduce energy useage, heck if it makes enough you could even sell off the extrea to the power company:)
The only problem is making them efficent and durable enough to be worth the price and produce large enough amounts of electricity to be worth using.
The reduction of size means less friction, less heat, and quicker speeds. However Many idiots go "Hey, it's half the size now, we can double it up" meaning instead of being half the size of the old 128 it's now the same size and is 256, not only that but if the heat was reduced by lets say 30%, that still leaves 70% double that and you get 140%, which is hotter than the original.
So until people are happy with the size of everything and only worry about speed upgrading, we're going to keep getting hotter componets.
Slashdot Mirror
There are already motion detectors and orientation arrays (for example the clasic ball in a cage). Why would one that creates electricity be of any use? Not to mention what would it be useful for since any vibration would set it off (maybe nice for blinking lights or letting the computer know you are moving the drawing pen for you digital drawing pad, but what else?) That comment about putting them under roads is great, but how about IN cars and busses? Line the frame and they could create a load of energy. These can be used in addition to any current way of getting energy (coal-burnning plants have huge turbines that create both a lot of sound and shaking, perfect for these). You could even go so far as to line walls with them and sell it as a light energy saver and noice reducer. Hook it into the main and it will help to reduce energy useage, heck if it makes enough you could even sell off the extrea to the power company :)
The only problem is making them efficent and durable enough to be worth the price and produce large enough amounts of electricity to be worth using.
Imagine a Beowolf cluster of Beowolf clusters of these :-)
Then again that's be to kick ass to be allowed to be public knowledge.
No they are the computers being used to make and test the next in the quake series, not being used as a server for them, how stupid would that be?
The reduction of size means less friction, less heat, and quicker speeds. However Many idiots go "Hey, it's half the size now, we can double it up" meaning instead of being half the size of the old 128 it's now the same size and is 256, not only that but if the heat was reduced by lets say 30%, that still leaves 70% double that and you get 140%, which is hotter than the original.
So until people are happy with the size of everything and only worry about speed upgrading, we're going to keep getting hotter componets.