Can you save the world while watching TV?
YES! Here's how: Donate your computer's idle timeThis is how it works
1) A nonprofit research institution, like New York University, takes one HUGE scientific problem, like climate change, and breaks this one huge problem down into millions of tiny problems.2) Then, when your computer's "brain" is idle, which is 90% of the time, your computer works on solving one of these tiny problems.
2 Steps to Help Save the World
1) Go to World Community Grid to learn more or to sign up. After registering, you’ll download a small, safe and secure IBM created program that does the scientific calculations when your computer is idle.2) After registering on World Community Grid, go to Boulder's membership page and click the the green “join this team” button.
Join today! It's free and you'll become a member of the global scientific team finding answers to some of the world's greatest problems.
Questions & Answers
Q: World Community Grid? What's that?World Community Grid, a nonprofit humanitarian institution sponsored by IBM, was created to coordinate this global project and to encourage people and companies to donate their idle computer time.
Q: I've never heard of World Community Grid. Who else is involved in this?
A: World Community Grid is sponsored by IBM corporation. There are 350 global Partners including Team Boulder, Harvard Engineering and Applied Sciences, American Cancer Society, Lance Armstrong Foundation, United Way, UNICEF, Georgetown University, The University of Hong Kong, and the City of Austin, Texas.
Q: How does Team Boulder fit into this?
A: To create some competitive spirit, the World Community Grid created teams. Team Boulder is one of these teams. Boulder is currently ranked 57th out of 20,600 global teams. In fact, Boulder is now larger than the following teams: USA, China, England, Harvard University, Netherlands, New York, California and India.
Q: What type of projects will my computer be working on?
- Help Conquer Cancer
- Climate Change
- Discover New Drugs to Combat West Nile, Dengue and Hepatitis C
- Help Cure Muscular Dystrophy
- FightAIDS@Home
- Human Proteome Folding (helps to fight diseases)
A: First go to World Community Grid and register. Then, you download a very small safe and secure software that was created by IBM. This software fetches the tiny scientific problem from World Community Grid and tells your computer to work on it when it’s idle. Then, when your computer is done solving the problem, this same software sends the results back to World Community Grid. Next, go to Team Boulder's membership page and click the "join this team" button.
Q: What's the cost?
A: FREE! We don't want one penny from you...just your computer's idle time.
Q: Won’t this slow my computer down?
A: No! 90% of the time your computer’s “brain” or CPU is idle. During those times when your computer does need all of its “brain”, your computer will instantly and automatically stop working on the scientific problem. If you like, your computer will work on the scientific problem only when your screen saver is running. We’ll be happy to help you set this up if you wish.
Q: I don’t much about science. What will I actually have to do?
A: Once you install the safe secure IBM created software you will be participating in World Community Grid. No other action must be taken; it's that simple!
Q: Do I need to leave my computer on all of the time?
A: No. Just use your computer like you always do. You don’t need to change anything.
