HotOS paper list released

The list of accepted papers for HotOS 2009 is out, and power starts to show up heavily. The final papers won't be ready before the end of the semester, most likely, but perhaps we'll be able to get a few pre-copies to look at. Obviously power-relevant titles include:

• Operating System Support for NVM+DRAM Hybrid Main Memory (expect to see more of this over the next few years)
• Mobility Changes Everything in Low-Power Wireless Sensornets
• FAWNdamentally Power-efficient Clusters
• perhaps: Peloton: Coordinated Resource Management for Sensor Networks (sensor "resources" almost always include power)
• perhaps: Augmented Smart Phone Applications Through Clone Cloud Execution (title sounds similar to the Kimberly paper we read)

Physical storage

In class, we talked about different ways of storing data -- as charges, as magnetic polarization, and using physical or chemical changes. My jokes about punch cards aside, physical storage does have potential benefits -- particularly in terms of longevity. Michael De Rosa points out two research projects in this area:

• IBM's Millipede uses a MEMS array of probes (much like the magnetic MEMS arrays we talked about), but these probes heat and are used to physically deform the surface of a piece of acrylic glass.
• Norsam's HD-Rosetta project etches data into a nickel plate, which can then be read either optically or with an electron microscope. The product is based upon research from Los Alamos National Lab. They claim that HD-Rosetta can store 23-400 gigabits / sq in.

Using RFID to prevent ... cactus theft

From Treehugger: Park using RFID chip implants to prevent cactus theft. - Desert, low-power chips, lots of sunlight, and burglars. Who could ask for more?