Folding

[Jiggles]

This is something some people may be unaware of. Its a process called 'folding.' Its where a program uses spare processing power to virtually fold proteins. 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, Huntington's, Parkinson's disease, and many Cancers and cancer-related syndromes. So when there is over 250,000 PCs all doing the same thing it creates a supercomputer and is able to do this.

See here on more info: http://folding.stanford.edu

I have set a MDD Folding team just to make it more fun :)

The Team id is 163670

If you are willing to do this when you have the program installed there is a little icon near the clock that's blue red and yellow if you right click on it then select Configure.. then make a name for your self and enter the above number in the Team id box then just let it do its thing :)

The page: http://fah-web.stanford.edu/cgi-bin/main.py?qtype=teampage&teamnum=163670

Cheers.

[Daryll]

All done :D :thumbs_up:

Daryll

[rob1963]

That went so far over my head, it's unreal!

:confused:

[Jiggles]

I don't know how to explain it any easier. :D

Nice one Daryll. :)

[rob1963]

I don't know how to explain it any easier. :D

I'm sure all will become clear if I click on the links in your previous post, which, as yet, I haven't!

[Jiggles]

May help a bit!

[Daryll]

I think this works like the Search for extra terrestrial life.
You signed up , downloaded a small piece of software , the server would send you a chunk of data , when your computer was idle the software analyzed the data and sent back the results, that software have a GUI that doubled as a screen saver.

daryll

[djsteve10]

Is this similar to the PS3 where they all network up and make a "Supercomputer" to help research causes?

[rob1963]

I've read the links, and it's all clear now.

I think I might have Parkinson's disease, because I want to be a chat show host.

[Jiggles]

Is this similar to the PS3 where they all network up and make a "Supercomputer" to help research causes?

Yes. You can download the client for the PS3, Mac, Windoz, and your GPU (Graphics card :D)

[BeerFunk]

This is something some people may be unaware of. Its a process called 'folding.' Its where a program uses spare processing power to virtually fold proteins. 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, Huntington's, Parkinson's disease, and many Cancers and cancer-related syndromes. So when there is over 250,000 PCs all doing the same thing it creates a supercomputer and is able to do this.I agree with Rob, this makes no sense.

After reading the link to the article, it became clear that the goal is for everyone to participate in a network of computers (each computer donating a small amount of processing power), in order to create a super-computer which will be used to advance research into 'protein folding'.

[Jiggles]

That's what I said :confused:

[rob1963]

I agree with Rob, this makes no sense.

After reading the link to the article, it became clear that the goal is for everyone to participate in a network of computers (each computer donating a small amount of processing power), in order to create a super-computer which will be used to advance research into 'protein folding'.

Wouldn't it just be easier to build one massive computer that can devote 100% of its time to solving the problem?

:shrug:

[BeerFunk]

That's what I said :confused:Not exactly, you had worded it in such a way that I thought the super-computer was going to be folding proteins :o


Wouldn't it just be easier to build one massive computer that can devote 100% of its time to solving the problem?

:shrug:I'm certainly no expert, but recently, processors have advanced by having multiple cores, to split processing tasks up in order to complete them quicker. This system uses a similar principle, with relatively negligible expenses required.

[rob1963]

I'm certainly no expert, but recently, processors have advanced by having multiple cores, to split processing tasks up in order to complete them quicker. This system uses a similar principle, with relatively negligible expenses required.

I know nothing.....so I'll take your word for it!

:D

[PropellerHeadCase]

In other words:

Option 1) borrow other people's computers and give them a pretty screen saver in return for using their spare processor time to extrapolate/interpolate protein folding data. Cost = negligible.

Option 2) build a super computer with the processing power of thousands of idle home PCs to do all of the processing and extrapolating/interpolating. Cost - very not negligible.

Here endeth the lesson in de-centralized computing.

[Jiggles]

Why not just use a supercomputer?

Modern supercomputers are essentially clusters of hundreds of processors linked by fast networking. The speed of these processors is comparable to (and often slower than) those found in PCs! Thus, if an algorithm (like ours) does not need the fast networking, it will run just as fast on a supercluster as a supercomputer. However, our application needs not the hundreds of processors found in modern supercomputers, but hundreds of thousands of processors. Hence, the calculations performed on Folding@home would not be possible by any other means! Moreover, even if we were given exclusive access to all of the supercomputers in the world, we would still have fewer computing cycles than we do with the Folding@home cluster! This is possible since PC processors are now very fast and there are hundreds of millions of PCs sitting idle in the world.

From their FAQs

[BeerFunk]

Why not just use a supercomputer?

Modern supercomputers are essentially clusters of hundreds of processors linked by fast networking. The speed of these processors is comparable to (and often slower than) those found in PCs! Thus, if an algorithm (like ours) does not need the fast networking, it will run just as fast on a supercluster as a supercomputer. However, our application needs not the hundreds of processors found in modern supercomputers, but hundreds of thousands of processors. Hence, the calculations performed on Folding@home would not be possible by any other means! Moreover, even if we were given exclusive access to all of the supercomputers in the world, we would still have fewer computing cycles than we do with the Folding@home cluster! This is possible since PC processors are now very fast and there are hundreds of millions of PCs sitting idle in the world.Yes, and erm, it costs lots of money... ;)

[kjdiscos]

callumsgay topscorer ????????????

[Jiggles]

hmm I have a funny feeling who it may be! Before anyone asks. NO not me!

[Jiggles]

Right dont know who it is.