Distributed Computing

One of the most productive and enjoyable tasks you can do with your computer is to help science, whether in the medical field or the search for extra terrestrial life, and even the study of global warming.

"How?" You ask.

Simple, just join any of the many distributed computing projects right over the internet. You just signup, download the project's client software, configure it, and your on your way crunching data for science.

The clients work by utilizing your computer’s idle CPU time. They can be set as a screen saver or allowed to run in the background by using the lowest process setting. In this way, you continue to work on your computer and crunch data at the same time.

These distributed computing projects combine our collective CPUs into a large supercomputer, in a more efficient, cost saving method.

To make the crunching of data fun for participants these projects provide members with scorecards, you generate points for finished units, some projects even allow you to start or join an existing team. Teams compete with one another to become the number one cruncher for their favorite projects.

Most projects provide a Windows and Linux client.

To find out more about distributed computing just go to Google or Yahoo! and search using the keywords "distributed computing."

Here are my favorite distributed computing projects:

Seti@Home
The search for ET:
http://setiathome.ssl.berkeley.edu/

Use the new BOINC client for this project, located at:
http://setiweb.ssl.berkeley.edu/

I am member of Seti UK’s team Lookers
http://www.setiuk.com/
Team ID: Lookers

Folding@Home
Understand protein folding, aggregation, and related diseases:
http://folding.stanford.edu/

I am member of DSL Reports’ team Helix
http://www.dslreports.com/forum/helix
Team ID: 4

United Devices Cancer Research Project
Molecular research by the Dept. of Chemistry at the University of Oxford:
http://www.grid.org/projects/cancer/

ClimatePrediction.net
Climateprediction.net is the largest experiment trying to produce a forecast of the climate in the 21st century:
http://www.climateprediction.net/