3) more fun, if you simply need loads of data at a particular place in the universe at a particular time, and that place and time happens to align with the movement of the Earth, you can just load up a warehouse with the data and just wait. It's a special case that just happens to turn out to be highly optimal.
(it's similar to the theoretical time machine which is just a comfortable chair in a quiet room, it's guaranteed to take you into the future)