First a word on distributed computing.  50 years ago a mainframe with a few intelligent peripherals was considered distributed computing. Now the term extends to ultra fine grained identical components [models of cells in a living tissue]. This is known as amorphous computing because, unlike cellular automata, the network is not synchronous and is not assumed to have automorphisms.  This is an area that I have some knowledge of, and it is the source of some very deep problems.  If you are interested in this extreme and the research opportunities it offers I can help.