E-Goat Folding Team - Using their PCs spare capacity to find medical cures

[wobbly]

I don't know if your aware of this project but here is some info.

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Our goal: to understand protein folding, misfolding, and related diseases[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]What is protein folding and how is folding linked to disease? [/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Proteins are biology's workhorses -- its "nanomachines." Before proteins can carry out these important functions, they assemble themselves, or "fold." The process of protein folding, while critical and fundamental to virtually all of biology, in many ways remains a mystery. [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Moreover, when proteins do not fold correctly (i.e. "misfold"), there can be serious consequences, including many well known diseases, such as Alzheimer's, Mad Cow (BSE), CJD, ALS, [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Huntington's[/FONT], [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Parkinson's[/FONT] disease, and many [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Cancers[/FONT] and cancer-related syndromes.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]You can help by simply running a piece of software. Folding@Home is a distributed computing project -- people from through out the world download and run software to band together to make one of the largest supercomputers in the world. Every computer makes the project closer to our goals. [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Folding@Home uses novel computational methods coupled to distributed computing, to simulate problems thousands to millions of times more challenging than previously achieved. [/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]So, I'm going to run this at home and have made up an e-goat team if anyone wants to join me.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The PS T- shirt piccy is our team logo and the team page can be found here.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Download the software here.[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Team number = 54234 [/FONT]

After install you just enter the team number and your away.


NOTE : If you own a Playstation 3 you can also get in on the action. Folding at Home is built into your console so get crunching for a good cause.



Official Team Page

Team Stats

 

[monobrow]

Downloaded....

Always on the net here, and unlimited down/upload limits, so anything to help

 

[wobbly]

Cheers mate. I'm currently at work and will download it when I get home at 7 ish.

 

[monobrow]

According to the program, it's going to take 3 days to process a WU, with an athlon 3000+, being the avid gamer you are, probably have alot better CPU than me so will work quicker, but it's all for a good cause.

current CPU usage 98%, but thats all to research when I'm just browsing the net!!! If I set it to normal behavior it doesn't go much higher than 15% but you can set a CPU % limit from 1% to 100%

(just found the slider!!)

 

[simplysystems]

Normally I would think twice about changing teams when I've stuck with one for so long, but I believe my folding services would be better utilised here. Count me in.
Apologies go to custompc as I will be leaving them in favour of a site closer to home.DT_Xtremez_14:

 

[sausage2]

I may posssibly being a bit retard here, But WTF are you lot on about. Explain to me in laymans terms, cos that lot may as well be written in Chineese

 

[monobrow]

S2... Early Learning Center version....

When you happily surf the t'interweb, your computer only uses a small fraction of it's processing power....

So, whilst you do this, the program wobbly has linked to does some complex biology stuff in the background, helping research things like cures for cancer and other diseases.

By using a fraction of processor power that is otherwise not being used worldwide, it's like having a massive supercomputer number crunching for the research.

All you need to do, is download the program, let it run in the background. You won't notice the difference, and it will help boffins research into big uncurable diseases.

Thats all you do!

(Mrs_M, don't download it again, after a good session this morn, it crashed the pooter! Last time I put it to 100%! Might need to let the CPU cool down a smidge!!)

 

[wobbly]

Right,

Proteins join to protect your body, when they join its called folding. Things like Cancers and alzheimer's come about by this folding process going wrong.

To run a super computer to carry out these folding simulations would cost billions. So Stanford Uni in the states came up with this brilliant plan to make a computer program that will download a batch of simulations from their computer to yours and let your computer do it for them. With hundreds of thousands of people helping the university they have been able to generate simulations at a rate thousands of times greater than if they had a batch of computers at their place doing it. This will hopefully lead to more positive results earlier meaning they may stumble on the reasons behind a lot of illnesses quicker.

So in laymans terms.....they use your computer to carry out their research for them. The process may use a lot of your computer power so use it when your computer is on and your browsing the web. In turn your helping scientists to try and come up for a cure for loads of deseases on the cheap......

 

[wobbly]

Ooops, sorry MB mate, beat me too it.

 

[monobrow]

Well, you explained the proteins bit better! (but I did say Early Learning Center version!!! It was aimed at S2 after all!)

 

[vim_fuego]

I'll ask the question that could be bothering some people (incl. me) about this...

Isn't there a bunch of security implications with turning over your computer processing ability to someone (Stamford) else?...Why isn't your comp wide open to being raped for information?

 

[Comms_Lad]

I'll ask the question that could be bothering some people (incl. me) about this...

Isn't there a bunch of security implications with turning over your computer processing ability to someone (Stamford) else?...Why isn't your comp wide open to being raped for information?

Technically yes, but since you most likely run a microsoft operating system it already is open to the whole world so no problems their then lol

This is along the same lines as what SETI(search for extraterrestial intelligence) did a few years back (not sure if its still running), will download later and get it running mate.

 

[wobbly]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]What about security issues? We have worked very hard to maintain the best security possible with modern computer science methodology. Our software will upload and download data only from our data server here at Stanford. The Cores are also digitally signed (see below) to make sure that you're getting the true Stanford cores and nothing else. [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]How is this possible? We take extensive measures to check all of the data entering your computer and the results we send back to Stanford with 2048 bit digital signatures. If the signatures don't match (on either the input or the output) the client will throw away the data and start again. This ensures, using the best software security measures developed to date (digital signatures and PKI in version 3.0), that we are keeping the tightest possible security. Finally, the client/screen saver are available for download only from this web site, so that we can guarantee the integrity of the software. We do not support Folding@home software obtained elsewhere and prohibit others to distribute the software.[/FONT]

I hope this helps........when you think that a lot of systems and companies use 256bit encryption for handling your data (including companies that you pay using Visa with) and this program uses 2048bit it must be a lot more secure.

 

[Hu Jardon]

I'll get on it tonight - Funnily enough a close friends brother is on the team at Stanford

Hu

 

[TrenchardsLoveSock]

I'll get round to downloading it and crashing the PC tonight. If it affects my framerate when playing FEAR it's coming of though.

I've had a look at the site and the forums and now can't decide whether to join the e-goat team or NERDS FOR JESUSDT_Xtremez_15:

 

[monobrow]

I'll get round to downloading it and crashing the PC tonight. If it affects my framerate when playing FEAR it's coming of though.

you can set how much CPU percentage it uses, from 100% (not wise!) down to 1%. even 1% is helping though whilst you're playing games!!!!

 

[TrenchardsLoveSock]

you can set how much CPU percentage it uses, from 100% (not wise!) down to 1%. even 1% is helping though whilst you're playing games!!!!

I tried reading some of the technobabble, but work keeps getting in the way and now my brain hurts.

Mono, can you set the CPU usage to scale itself depending on what else your CPU is using? I'm trying to teach myself 3D modelling and, although for much of the time it doesn't need too much CPU, the rendering needs pretty much the full whack to run at a sensible speed.
I'd get p1ssed off changing the folding settings every time.

 

[monobrow]

Has a setting of "minimal" but not tested whether it drops out when you load the cpu doing other things....

I'll give it a shot tonight

 

[simplysystems]

I tried reading some of the technobabble, but work keeps getting in the way and now my brain hurts.

Mono, can you set the CPU usage to scale itself depending on what else your CPU is using? I'm trying to teach myself 3D modelling and, although for much of the time it doesn't need too much CPU, the rendering needs pretty much the full whack to run at a sensible speed.
I'd get p1ssed off changing the folding settings every time.

I've been running folding at home for a few years now and can safely say that it won't interfere with anything you are doing. It only uses the processing power that isn't required by other programs. For example, if you are watching a video on your pc and that needs 15%, folding will only use 85%. It constantly adjusts but never gets in the way.

 

[metimmee]

Watch the leckie

Watch the leckie

Ok, so I admit I havent checked how you can tweak this particular piece of software but many similar programs like this utilize idle processing, ramping your machine upto 100% when the OS has spare capacity.

You actually use more current when your processor is working hard. Your processor is also running hotter which will have a marginal effect on its lifespan.

Security is an issue, but in truth these things are pretty well tested and as someone else has pointed out your OS is likely to have more holes. Several multinationals like IBM often donate processing time on their workstations so if its good enough for big-blue..