PLEASE READ: your screensaver can help fight illnesses!

"What?  How can it do that???"  So there's quite a few distributed computing projects (and a run-down on how to join one), one of the famous ones being SETI @ Home, in which your home computer analyzes radio broadcasts from the skies, looking for patterns.  I ran that for awhile, until I finally said "You know what?  Helping look for extraterrestrial life is cool, but there's gotta be a distributed computing project that helps people."  The point of a distributed computing project is that it takes a massively complex problem, one that would take humans an incredible number of years to solve, and by breaking the massive hard problem down into smaller less hard problems, then each smaller problem can be worked on by different computers.  And even better, if the software is made such that it runs as a screensaver, it uses your computer only when you're not!

     So I found BOINC, which is the software you need to install in order to run any number of projects in your computer's spare time.  I ran SETI @ Home for a while before that realization kicked in that there are other, more direct routes to helping humanity.  So I poked around... FOUND IT!  I found the World Community Grid, hosted by IBM, which specifically hosts projects that aim to make human life better.  This page lists some of their achievements to date, as well as a brief discussion of the software's security, which tells us that BOINC was developed at the University of California Berkeley.  And this discussion of the project's recent 7th birthday lists details about their achievements to date as well as discussions of the most active projects.

Here is the email they sent me when I signed up-- sorry, the formatting got "all weird", but you can read most of it:

Dear JeffKnox,

We would like to congratulate you for successfully completing your first result for World Community Grid. This contribution and all future computer time that you donate will help advance research into: Help Fight Childhood Cancer FightAIDS@Home Human Proteome Folding - Phase 2 Help Conquer Cancer In addition to participating by donating your computer time, you may extend your involvement by joining a team (if not already a member of one) or inviting other people to join World Community Grid. Learn about other ways to get involved on the Explore World Community Grid page. You can track the research currently being done by your computer on the Results Status page. This page reflects the: time when a research work unit was sent to your computer current status of the work unit(s) you are processing work units that you have completed (for 4 days after validation) amount of CPU time donated to complete each work unit You can also automatically share your accomplishments with your friends by integrating World Community Grid with your Facebook and Twitter accounts. This helps spread the word and get more people involved! Get started by setting up your Social Networks.  World Community Grid is proud to be a founding member of People for a Smarter Planet. It's a network of communities, sponsored by IBM that helps people make meaningful and personal contributions toward a clear goal -- building a smarter planet. Visit People for a Smarter Planet on Facebook, and click the "Like" button. Then connect with other World Community Grid members to show your support.  If you'd like to download the World Community Grid software to another computer, you can do that here. Thank you for contributing your unused computer cycles to help humanity! We look forward to your participation for many years to come! The World Community Grid Team And in case you misplace this email, you can got to my blog and scroll down to find a dark blue World Community Grid square that has the links you need to get started.  Please, family and others, sign up, and if you do so, encourage others by going to this post on my blog and underneath will be a spot to leave comments!  Let's make a better world together!