I had the same initial reaction (see my blog post of 23rd September, but as I later noted, and as stated above, I think the SN1987A result kills this idea.
Specifically the energy/time version of the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle. At the limit of observability, if you reduce the energy, then you increase the time. So, measurable low-energy operations are going to take a relatively long time to complete.
NOx emissions would definitely be an issue if the operation of injection system depends on having a "lean mixture", as the article half-implies. Emission requirements are what killed the 80s concept of a "lean burn" engine. The three-way catalyst required to meet most western emissions regulations, requires a stoichiometric engine, i.e. one that takes in just enough air to oxidise all the fuel, but no more.
The current best estimate seems to be that aircraft emissions cause around twice the warming than you would get if the equivalent amount of CO2 was released at ground level, not including the affects of the resulting clouds (which probably makes it significantly worse).
RSI and similar problems are widely believed to be much more likely to occur when working at a laptop for extended periods. In my opinion, any institution that is mandating the use of laptops, should be seriously considering what advice and facilities it is providing to its students. For more info see
relevant advice to students at MIT and Is your laptop a pain in the neck?.
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Sounds like she is partial author of the current turmoil.
In no particular order:
Yes!
I had the same initial reaction (see my blog post of 23rd September, but as I later noted, and as stated above, I think the SN1987A result kills this idea.
I see no mention of CPU speed. I'm guessing it wouldn't be that great.
Yes, there are other limits to computing.
Specifically the energy/time version of the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle. At the limit of observability, if you reduce the energy, then you increase the time. So, measurable low-energy operations are going to take a relatively long time to complete.
NOx emissions would definitely be an issue if the operation of injection system depends on having a "lean mixture", as the article half-implies. Emission requirements are what killed the 80s concept of a "lean burn" engine. The three-way catalyst required to meet most western emissions regulations, requires a stoichiometric engine, i.e. one that takes in just enough air to oxidise all the fuel, but no more.
Chemical reactions have a sort of random-ness to them that electricity through a wire can't duplicate.
I think the word you might be actually looking for is "chaos". Apparently, disorder is essential to the brain's ability to transmit information and solve problems.
The current best estimate seems to be that aircraft emissions cause around twice the warming than you would get if the equivalent amount of CO2 was released at ground level, not including the affects of the resulting clouds (which probably makes it significantly worse).
http://ipcc-wg1.ucar.edu/wg1/Report/AR4WG1_Print_Ch02.pdf, as interpreted at http://www.tricoronagreen.com/tricorona/page.php?p=climateimpact
If so, I guess that invalidates the whole approach described in the article.
RSI and similar problems are widely believed to be much more likely to occur when working at a laptop for extended periods. In my opinion, any institution that is mandating the use of laptops, should be seriously considering what advice and facilities it is providing to its students. For more info see relevant advice to students at MIT and Is your laptop a pain in the neck?.