Scientists studying earthquakes want you! Well…not you, but your computer equipped with an accelerometer. Yes, that same device which keeps your data safe when your drop your laptop, can in fact help predict the onset of an earthquake! Using sensors that usually sense motion of a falling laptop, seismic activity can be measured, and recorded, and sent to a central computer tracking all activity, based on location.


 ”But what about when I’m typing?” The suggested software will only kick in after the computer has been idle for 3 minutes, at which point data of motion will be recorded. So, no need to worry about causing a faulty earthquake claim when your pounding out that essay at 3 am!

“Does my computer have an accelerometer?” Most computers manufactured today, and in the past year or so at least, come standard with one of these chips, for the (former) sole purpose of protecting your hard disk in case of physical abuse to your notebook!

If you’re a mac user, and want to see what sort of seismic rumbles you can conjure up, go ahead and download Seismac, a 3rd party application for Mac users to see visual data of motion of their computers, for free!

This method of obtaining data is still just being kicked around, so don’t expect to have scientists in California hacking into your motherboard anytime soon!