The WGC is just one of several projects aimed at doing research-analytical work using "distributed computing or grid computing". Another project is SETI@home. What is this all about you ask? SETI is all about analyzing electronic noise from space to determiine whether or not anyone is out there. You can imagine how much computing power it takes to do this type of analysis.
That's where grid computing comes in . . . linking together many thousands of computers which are idle and using their computing power to analyze the data.
In 2003, the Human Proteome Folding project came up with more than 40 possible smallpox treatments ina quarter the time it would have taken without distrbuted computing capability.
Yes, you can volunteer your computer to the projects without fear of anything happening to your data or systems. Want to learn more? go to BOINC (Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing). there you can see other projects and download the software to enable your computing power.
thanks to Dan Logan, author and computer expert for writing about this in his weekly Central Coast Tech column at the SLO Tribune . . . . dlogan@thegrid.net
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Fiddlers 20 from Fiddler magazine
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[image: fiddlers20_th]Fiddler magazine has come up with a unique way to
celebrate their 20th year of publishing. They have released a retrospective
CD/book...
10 years ago
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