Colono

Closely linked with the meta-computing concept, a "Colono" ("colonist") is a software package simulating the evolution in time of an area of ground or space subject to life, death, decay, growth, and so on. The evolution pattern depends on the life and health levels of each individual sub-area and on the events progressively occurring with time.

Life and health spread, grow and contract according to some specific rules of transformation of the energetic distribution, comprising diffusion, random annihilation, age decay, violent invasion, and so on, according to the "MRU interstellar model".

The meta-computational component lies in the fact that a Colono (literally, a "colonizing" computer) can do work aimed at increasing the growth and health level of specific areas of the simulated world.

For doing so, the hosting computer physically makes computational work in real-time, which is then translated in life and health "bonuses", in turn utilized to improve the conditions of the simulated world, according to the direct intervention tactics and strategy of the Manager.

In practice, the computer executes specific operations, like filling arrays or plotting geometrical formulas, each one of which has different peculiarities and pros/cons. The design of the specific credit-creating algorithms is a design challenge on its own.

Colono is an experiment, which makes extremely useful, or, rather, of vital importance, every single hardware resource of a computer. This might realistically become a practical benchmarking tool, or an instructive game allowing the gamer to gain a better feeling of the performance characteristics of her PC.

The next step is to install a Colono computer in every street corner, to carry out meta-computational tasks to improve the thought dimension of our real-world.

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