In the upcoming release of Microsoft's .NET version 3.0, code named ORCA, they have a fewature called Language Integrated Query (LINQ). [Come to think of it, v3.0 is now out, I've been rooted in C++, I'll have to get back to C@ and check it out]. The language extension allows one to write queries for anything with an iterator. Writing inline SQL queries comes immediately to mind. I've also heard that there is something called PLINQ (Parallel LINQ).
Here are a couple of references regarding the subject:
On an unrelated programming note, erlang is said to be a language for developing interacting distributed applications. One interesting capability is Hot Code Replacement (replacing code and data without stopping the system).