[ctlpdad]

so I guess I will hold off on updating my IBM 386 (with super vga monitor!) at home for a while.

[martin_fierro]

Grid computing will "put us into a new realm - a new way of doing science," said Daniel Atkins, chairman of a National Science Foundation committee that's pressing for a drastic enhancement of the nation's "cyberinfrastructure" to help the Grid grow.

Until AOL knocks you offline. <|:/~

[Vinnie_Vidi_Vici]

Now comes the Grid, a third wave in the evolution of the cyberworld that promises to give users access to unprecedented computing power, services and data no matter where they are located.

Just Peachy, with our luck the 4th wave will be "The Matrix"

[Normal4me]

Where is my flying car?

[ClearCase_guy]

On the one hand, I like to see advances in the field. On the other hand, most people use their computer for word-processing, reading email, and surfing the web. They don't need the power of a supercomputer.

But maybe games will get even better. Yeah, let's spend billions of dollars so that young men can play wicked kewl computah games!

[r9etb]

Just an observation -- if hackers can take things down now, just imagine what they can do when they have direct access to all of the computational power of this grid.

[dfwgator]

Hawk suggested five industries where grid computing will have an early impact: Financial services, such as investment risk analysis. Medicine, for cancer research and new drug discovery Energy, for oil exploration Manufacturing, for complex mechanical design. Entertainment, for the creation of artful digital characters.

BS!! Everybody knows where the first impact will be, the improved ability to download porn.

[americanSoul]

This sounds like something the SETI (Search for Extra-terrestial Intelligence) project - distributed computing.

Very interesting.

[RightWingAtheist]

By remarkable coincidence, I was planning to do a class presentation on how new modes of information storage and dissemination are transforming the "genres" of scientific communication. Thank you for the very timely post.

[RightWingAtheist]

And in a another weird coincidence-the websites for both Fermilab and Jefferson National Laboratory aren't working today...at least I hope it's just coincidence.