My Brain Hertz
I was thinking today, as I was trying to do about four different tasks at the same time, that it would be really great if there were some kind of distributed computing system that could network all of our brains together for extra mind power.
If you’re familiar with projects like SETI@home or grid.org, then you can probably guess what I’m talking about. For the uninitiated, distributed computing works on the idea that not all computers are using their full computing capability at all times. For example, while I’m writing this entry, my computer is not terribly busy. All it has to do is keep critical systems up and pay attention to my typing. Even while I’m browsing three or four Web pages at the same time, my PC is still well under maximum load. Distributed computing applications use this unused capacity on multiple machines simultaneously in order to make calculations or interpret raw data in the background. If I were to start playing a video game, the application would adjust itself accordingly and use up less of my resources, or none at all.
If only there were such a network for human brains, I could get so much more accomplished. At any given time there must be millions of people who are barely using their brains at all. Just look around next time you’re at the mall, or the grocery store, or sitting in traffic. Everyone around you is probably just floating around on auto-pilot - their minds spinning up just enough to keep those critical systems running and their feet landing one in front of the other. While I was nearing my cranial capacity this afternoon, someone somewhere was daydreaming and burning up precious synaptic discharges. I am absolutely convinced that for every one of us struggling to muster up enough grey matter to get through the day, there is some high school student daydreaming in chemistry class. That is prime processor time being completely wasted on sexual fantasy.
If there was a distributed mental network, I could have tapped all kinds of unused brain power. Just thinking of how many people sit at home in the afternoon watching soap operas, makes me lament the lack of such a network all the more. The unused 99.99% of some General Hospital viewer’s mind could have made all the difference for me today. And likewise, while I’m stuck in traffic, or Web surfing, or watching Spongebob Squarepants, some poor soul in need of a few extra synapses could benefit from my low CPU usage.
Anyway, I’m done for the evening. If anyone needs my brain for anything, go ahead and log on. There’s no password.
Bye for now.
January 15th, 2004 at 7:34 am
Thanks to you most of my brain power is going towards fantasizing about Alyson Hannigan! Ahhhhh so sweet!
January 15th, 2004 at 8:29 am
Millions?
Try billions.
January 16th, 2004 at 11:26 pm
Heh. I love the websites you chose to use as examples. Very chuckle-worthy. And very true. I’m willing to loan out some of my brainpower for the next two days, but then I’d like to borrow some of someone else’s when school starts up again.
January 19th, 2004 at 10:46 am
I’ve made my own blend of tea which includes Ginko, maybe if you use some of my brainpower you can help me remember those things I’ve forgotten.
January 23rd, 2004 at 12:06 pm
Now - I’m not certain I’d trust someone else’s mind to work right for my purposes. For most of my thoughts, I could only verify that they were being thought correctly if I thought them myself - defeating the point of allowing someone else to do the thinking for me.
Maybe I’m just too much of a control freak.
January 24th, 2004 at 10:14 am
Yea, I too was lucky enough to receive such wonderful spam comments on my blog yesterday. Though, mine contained the F*** word over and over again mixed with a bunch of other pornographic adjectives.