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How convenient. Researchers at European Centre for Nuclear Research (CERN) needed a super-fast network to store data gathered from its universe probing experiments conducted with an enormous particle accelerator. In the process of creating this network they developed a grid computing system so powerful that, eventually, even regular Joes will be able to use its technology to download movies in five seconds flat. Thanks guys!

While the researchers are busy seeking out the Higgs boson particle (which theoretically gives matter its mass), "the Grid," which operates 10,000 times faster than a normal broadband Internet connection, will be farmed out to thousands of servers around the world. It relies exclusively on fiber optics, while the Internet uses some fiber optics, but also lots of telephone cabling. This Internet doppelganger has nothing on Comcast's roll-out of Docsis which is supposed to spit out movie downloads in a few minutes.

When will the grid go live? On red button day - a day to occur this summer when CERN plans to switch on the particle collider. -Rachel Rosmarin

TimesOnline