Hi everyone, I just got this notice, so I thought I'd pass this on. Keith Lofstrom is presenting his "ServerSky" concept tonight at an IEEE consultant's meeting, and I thought there might be some interested people from our group...
-------- Original Message -------- *APRIL ORCNET MEETING* *Mr. Keith Lofstrom*, Founder of *KLIC*, and the ORCNET's Valiant Webmaster, will presen tKeith's Server-Sky: Orbiting arrays of Solar-powered servers and communication satellites (http://www.server-sky.com.) Data Centers that consume more than 50MW electrical energy are on the horizon. The EPA in 2006 estimated the annual US Data Center power consumption at 60 _billion_ kilowatt hours, or 1.5% of the total US power consumption, with a predicted doubling by 2011. To avert social disaster, technologists must retard this exponential growth and develop alternative ways to power our digital economy. *Server-Sky *is a proposal to apply the capabilities of Oregon companies such as *Solar World*, *Intel*, and *TriQuint*, to build & orbit large arrays of ultralight solar-powered server satellites (*Server-Sats*) between the inner and outer Van Allen belts. These arrays of satellites could be solar-powered, self-steering, and networked with each other. An array of Server-Sats could act as a large phased-array antenna, "steering" thousands of communication links to earthside receiving stations below, and automatically transferring communication and control to the Server-Sat arrays that follow it in orbit. Roughly 30 trillion Server-Sats could be located within a 100 millisecond ping-time distance from earth. Earth can return to what it is good at green and growing things while space can be filled with gray and computing things. *WHO - OUR PRESENTER* Mr. Keith Lofstrom (http://www.keithl.com/) Keith is a mixed-signal integrated circuit designer and consultant in Beaverton, Oregon. He is the CEO of *SiidTech*, which licenses silicon identification technology to semiconductor manufacturers. Keith designed crossbar routing chips for Icube Design Systems, which were used by Cisco and others to route much of the internet in the mid 1990s. He also helped draft the IEEE 1149.4 mixed-signal scan test standard and he received an award for a related presentation at the International Test Conference. In addition to his other interests, Keith is the Webmaster for the *Oregon IEEE Consultants' Network* (ORCNET) and is active in Open-Source and the Portland Linux Unix Group. His server hosts the dirvish disk-to-disk backup program, based on rsync and written in Perl. Keith has a special interest in low power, high efficiency computing. In 1982 Keith invented the *Launch Loop*, a space launch system, which is now attracting renewed attention from space enthusiasts. Keith has written for Kluwer Press, various IEEE journals, _SysAdmin_ magazine, _Liberty_ magazine, aerospace journals, and _Analog_. *WHEN* Thursday, April 23, 2009, 6:00 PM to chat & eat, meeting begins at 7:00 PM (approx.). *WHERE* The *ORCNET* meets at the *Beaverton International House of Pancakes* (*IHOP*), located at the intersection of SW 158th & Walker Rd, across Walker Rd. from Fred Meyers. *IHOP*, 15935 SW Regatta Lane, 503-614-8485. Mapquest http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?email=1&mapdat. The IHOP's seating capacity is approximately 35 folks, so come early! Just ask for the *Oregon IEEE Consultants' Network* meeting, or the *ORCNET* meeting. (John is expecting us.) *REMINDER!* Although our meetings are free and open to the public, membership has its advantages. Members (or prospective members) should bring a check for $50 for annual dues to this meeting. *AGENDA* 6:00 PM - (or thereabouts) Eat (optional) and chat. 6:45 PM - Show and Tell (if anyone brings toys!) 7:00 PM - Call to Order - meeting begins. - Officer Reports - Old Business - New Business 7:30 PM - Keith Lofstrom's presentation 9:00 PM - (approx) - Adjourn -- ------------------------------------------------------- Andrew Greenberg Portland State Aerospace Society (http://psas.pdx.edu/) and...@psas.pdx.edu P: 503.788.1343 C: 503.708.7711 ------------------------------------------------------- _______________________________________________ psas-team mailing list psas-team@lists.psas.pdx.edu http://lists.psas.pdx.edu/mailman/listinfo/psas-team This list's membership is automatically generated from the memberships of the psas-airframe, psas-avionics, and psas-general mail lists. Visit http://lists.psas.pdx.edu to individually subscribe/unsubscribe yourself from these lists.