USB-Based NIC Torrents While Your PC Sleeps 246
jangel sends us to WindowsForDevices.com for news on a prototype device created by researchers from Microsoft and UC San Diego. It's a USB-based NIC that includes its own ARM processor and flash storage, and can download files or torrent while a host PC is sleeping. As a result, its inventors say, the "Somniloquy" device slashes power usage by up to 50x. The device requires a few tweaks on the host OS side save state before sleeping. The prototype works with a Vista host but the hardware comprising the NIC is based on a Linux stack. Here is the research paper (PDF).
I suppose I am not (Score:5, Funny)
I felt... (Score:5, Funny)
I read the article, then I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of music executives cried out in terror and were suddenly calling their RIAA lawyers...
No need. (Score:5, Funny)
Re:I felt... (Score:5, Funny)
NOW I don't have mod points! Damnit!
The year of linux on the desktop. (Score:1, Funny)
This is truly the year of linux on the desktop. Even Microsoft is embracing it now.
Re:I felt... (Score:5, Funny)
Torrents going green?!?!!? (Score:3, Funny)
Other functionality (Score:5, Funny)
Yeah, but can it stay up all night looking up wikipedia for names of obscure early-90s dance acts and then scour all the torrent sites for full albums instead of just "Best of 90's Dance You Like Me Now?" compilations, and then stare at bittorrent, begging more seeders to come online to increase the speed from 0.01KB/s, and then say "screw it" and download the latest metallica and eminem albums on principle, delete them without listening to them, because it doesnt really like metallica or eminem, and then wander off to youtube to watch old WCW videos?
If not, it can't truly duplicate my torrent experience.
Re:I suppose I am not (Score:5, Funny)
Re:50x less? (Score:5, Funny)
Thanks for clarifying that. When I read the article, I assumed that 50x less meant that if a normal computer used 10w, this device 'used' -500W, or actually generated 500W. Boy was I wrong!
(I'm kidding of course - I didn't read the article :)
Re:I felt... (Score:5, Funny)
I do!
Oh, wait...
Re:Wow. (Score:5, Funny)
Actually, I thought the interesting bit was the part where Microsoft Research was involved in creating a device that ran linux. I find it very hard to believe that they couldn't slim down Vista enough for this project.
Re:No need. (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Perfect for the computer lab (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Perfect for the computer lab (Score:2, Funny)
You don't need a 9v battery, just 4 1.2v rechargeable AAs. Duct tape the two together and chuck it through an RIAA window hoping it picks up a signal.
Come to think it forget about the signal. Just short the rechargeable AAs and chuck them through the window
Re:Perfect for the computer lab (Score:5, Funny)
You might need to build a dumb USB power supply for it though. How about a 9 volt battery, a resistor and a zener diode?
How about that's extremely inefficient. For an additional $0.50 you can get a voltage regular or DC-DC converter. Come on, I'm on the digital side of EE and I know better.
Yeah I really should have gone for the switchmode solution and saved a few microwatts. In my day sonny we were glad to have zeners. I had to walk all day in the snow....up hill...oh stuff it.
Re:No need. (Score:1, Funny)
Sharing is caring.
Seeding, It does a body good!
Seriously tho...
You could Store your Data on some chicks boobies with an implant of one of these things.
Two. Great. Big. Hard Drives. with WiFi and all the rest.
Could be powered by jiggling alone.
Storing porn /IN/ porn? Imagine the potential!
Re:I felt... (Score:1, Funny)
Yo dawg! (Score:5, Funny)
A tiny computer that can download files while another computer sits idly by.
Yo dawg, we herd you like torrents, so we put a computer in your computer so you can torrent while you torrent.
Re:I suppose I am not (Score:3, Funny)
Surely your first thought was "can I hack it to run my own code?"
Re:50x less? (Score:2, Funny)
No kidding!
Re:Wow. (Score:3, Funny)
I'm pretty sure that if you work at Microsoft and were capable of getting Vista running on a 400MHz ARM board with 64MB of RAM, they would either promote you to "Emperor of Microsoft" or bury you in a shallow grave outside of town.
C'mon man, this is Microsoft. They will do both.
...and in the wrong order.
Re:Perfect for the computer lab (Score:4, Funny)
Are you old enough to remember when Radio Shack actually sold electronic components?!?!
Re:Perfect for the computer lab (Score:4, Funny)
You want to 'mildly warm' them to death?