Google's social energy: Fiber to the home trainer

It's never easy to predict Google's next move (unless it was a move into the TV market). Maybe we are ready for social energy, or a truly smart grid.

There must be an awful lot of energy waisted on home trainers, such as rowing machines. Now suppose they could be made to deliver energy to the electricity grid, in much the same way that solar panels do. That would save us some electric power and CO2 emissions, but it also opens the door to a sweet new application that brings a lot of Google stuff together:

• Google PowerMeter: see what you consume and what you deliver to the grid. Have a go at it to see if you can power your own dish washer during use.
• Games: this is new to Google, but they have now joined with Nintendo for a Wii game. Imagine doing a regatta against anybody in the world.
• Google Wave: to get organised, you can make arrangements for a global regatta with all your friends, using this communication tool.
• Google Talk/Google Voice, or a new voice app: of course, you need to be able to talk to your opponent. Or you need a referee to tell everybody when to start.
• Google TV: if you want pictures too.
• Google Fiber: if you want to see each other's sweat, you need fiber.
• Google Docs: keep the score in a shared file.
• etc.