Distributed computing has been used to break 'unbreakable' codes and to search for extra-terrestrial life. The concept is simple -- thousands of users devote their computers' idle time to a common computational cause, and this army of sleeping computers accomplishes what a single computer could not. 'The Bank of Time' is a networked screen saver that uses distributed computing for a more conceptual purpose. Computer idle time is 'saved' in an online 'time bank.' The screen saver then 'grows' time-lapsed virtual plants on your screen based on the amount of idle time you've accumulated. Kooky. - Curt Cloninger