There exists already a prototype of this game, built on the canvas of HTML5, i.e. a browser based game. It has several levels and allows players to make decisions on alternative energy concepts. I have tons of ideas on how to enhance the game, e.g. use a real simulation engine, run a community to create local cells, introduce different business models and more roles and so on. Even a mobile version and hardware-in-the-loop (smart meter e.g.) would be possible.

A large company working in the energy sector would sponsor additional work on any level and provide energy sector expertise.

The paper on time in VMWare VMs made me kind of skeptical about the performance of distributed algorithms (e.g. failuer detection) in settings with instable time. The thesis would set up some VMs and test timing behavior of distributed algorithms for consensus or failure detection. Will jumps in time only affect liveness or even consistency?

Take the ideas behind object capabilities and integrate the analysis of authority into the Palladio simulation tool from Prof. Reussner (KIT Karlsruhe). Chapter 14 by Fred Spiessens in my book on "Sichere Systeme" will give you the idea.

How to simulate distributed algorithms and their failure models to get a handle on complex protocols like Paxos. Or how to simulate a large scale site using components.

Social GUI construction and application integration for large-scale multi-touch installations. Social analysis of interaction patterns, technical design and implementation. The scale of those devices makes single user concepts useless and requires group interfaces.

Design and implementation of a level in wonderland as part of the BWeLabs research project (see Virtual Worlds and BWeLabs . The goal is to get a feeling for the graphical and behavioral qualities of the platform.

Design and implementation of a small MMO in wonderland as part of the BWeLabs research project (see Virtual Worlds and BWeLabs . Scalability and security assessment is required.

Design and implementation of a remote robot control (lego) in wonderland as part of the BWeLabs research project (see Virtual Worlds and BWeLabs . The goal is to find out about remote control capabilities of the platform as a preparation for experiments in nanotechnology.

This has been a sore spot for quite a while: to enable discussions at events it is necessary that everybody has access to a microphone (this is also needed for streaming). Unfortunately the way this is done till now is through the use of long poles with microphones held by helpers into the public, by stationary microphones hanging from the ceiling in large numbers or by speakers leaving their seat and walking over to fixed microphones. This is all either too expensive or too clumsy given out narrow rows of seats and the need to hold events in different rooms each time.

My idea involved throwable microphones which can be centrally controlled and which are activated by pressing the ball. Most discussions involve only very few people and locations within a larger room and a small number of these ball-mics would be distributed across the room. Speakers can get access quickly. The following drawings might give you an idea: and a version that uses balloons hanging from the ceiling:

The article "the problem of many speakers" gives an explanation of the context.