Over at the Times, they've got the scoop on a patent application filed by Google which outlines a novel idea for data centres: offshoring them.
And by offshore, we don't just mean in another country, but floating. In the sea.
Just like pirate radio in the 1960s, Google's idea (and here's the original patent application) would be to take to the high seas - in this case using the water to cool the centre and powering it with wave energy.
In many ways it's a silly concept: Techdirt provides ample scepticism, and it's worth pointing out that the offshore distance mooted (between 3 and 7 miles) wouldn't put them out of the reach of the tax regimes of national governments, as the Times suggests (they'd need to be at least 12 nautical miles, according to the UN).
Still, it's the sort of thing to fire the imagination - even if only temporarily. And the idea of Eric Schmidt dressed in a pirate's costume is too funny/weird to pass up.
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