Help fight AIDS with your PC...

EddyHall

Hi everyone.

I have recently built myself a computer. This stays at home all day while I go out to work. It does very little for a lot of the time...

Looking for a way to give it some purpose in life I stumbled upon the World Community Grid project. This is an organisation, backed by IBM, which allows people all across the world to use the spare bits of processing power that their computers typically waste for good. In this case, to help research into AIDS.

On Windows, computers run a process called the 'System Idle Process'. Doesn't sound very intellectually challenging does it?

Well, what if your computer could be running software that benefited humanity in its ample spare time? That is precisely the task the World Community Grid offers your computer when you aren't using it.

Currently, the World Community Grid is looking to dramatically help the Shripps Intitute's AIDS research team. To find out more, click here: http://www.scripps.edu/e_index.html

To contribute to this admirable task is quick and painless.
Click here to visit: http://www.worldcommunitygrid.org/ and download the client program and within seconds your computer will be solving the problems of humanity.

Download? Download?! This word is sacrilege to many of you techies. Well I guess you needn't worry because IBM has lent its name and resources to ensuring that this is a safe and reliable process.

I have taken the liberty of setting up a Money Saving Experts team for you all to join. This is the fun part of the good deed. You get to compete on a country by country basis, team by team and person by person. You accumulate points by doing work and then gloat and boast on the forums. While simultaneously polishing your halo. Clicky to find the team: http://www.worldcommunitygrid.org/team/viewTeamInfo.do?teamId=R2VD97WPSP1

So, if you fancy spending 10 minutes setting up a pretty autonomous client that will help towards a cure for over 40 million people, click the links and join up.

Thanks,
Eddy

Fran

***Boardguide comment***

Hi EddyHall,

While this sounds like a great idea, I have closed your thread for the Forum Team to have a look at and decide the best way forwards with it. I hope you are all right with this. Could you please remove the link to the "team" until you have a reply from them? Thanks.

MSE_ForumTeam1

Looks like a good idea to me

Thread reopened.

sra

At Boinc there are several projects you can choose from (The most famous of these Distributed Computing projects, Seti@home, was recently merged into Boinc)

EddyHall

Sra, thanks for pointing out the Boinc site. I had heard of the sofware and the World Computing Grid projects being folded into the Boinc umbrella but I knew nothing about the software.

For me, the AIDS research is a more worthy candidate for my spare capacity than the SETI or particle accelerator projects so the WCG is fine for me!

Cheers,
Eddy

P.S. I'm glad the Forum Team see this as a good idea too! I just wanted to publicise the opportunity of doing good things for free.

sra

EddyHall wrote:

For me, the AIDS research is a more worthy candidate for my spare capacity than the SETI ...

Absolutely!

Wasn't trying to endorse Seti. Just pointing out its association with Boinc so people would know Boinc was reputable - Most people won't have heard of Boinc but Seti has had some press.

EddyHall

Sure... I guess this stuff has been around for some time with the well publicised ones like SETI getting a fair amount of press. Technically it has been possible for years. There must be thousands of research projects that could use the kind of processing the Boinc and the WCG can offer.

Eddy

EddyHall

Hi there... I'd just like to say hello and thank you to the WCG user Paxwood who has joined the Money Saving Experts team. Please feel free to PM me for a chat!

Cheers,
Eddy

Joe_Bloggs

Are there any success stories related to distributed computing projects ?
Clearly SETI was a flop but you won't learn if you don't experiment. They had at least raw data.
I am all for distributed projects in the winter months of the year. The excess heat generated by a CPU and motherboard components can partially heat a thermostatically controlled house without significant extra fuel costs and CO2 emmisions. If you have to resort to air conditioning to run these projects then they are possiblly worth shifting to somewhere that can benefit from the excess heat. These are only my thoughts and are not in anyway facts or advice.
J_B.

grumpyoldgit_2

Have used WCG for years now without problems BUT.......
Since Aids project came on I found my PC slowed down to an unacceptable level and have removed the software - PC now back to normal - any tecchie comments?

cymro1170

I also found that the software made my processor overheat!
Was 90ºC
back down to acceptable levels now!