Good Karma: Help Folding@Home!

LowCarbEating.com is helping advance science and cure diseases! The web server that hosts LCE is running software from Standford University's Folding at Home: a distributed computing project that uses spare computer power to help do the kind of scientific research that wouldn't be possible otherwise.

And you can help science with a screensaver, too.

Helping Science with a Screensaver?

Yes! Either invisibly in the background or with a cool screensaver that reflects the research you're conducting, Folding runs caclulations by using you're computer only when you are not. So your spare computer power, combined with the contributions of everyone else participating, allows scientists to do reasearch that's not possible even on the world's fastest supercomputers!

What is being studied? Protein folding. Proteins are the basis for biological processes in our body. Many diseases are believed to be the result of proteins that misconfigure themselves; the configuration proteins take on is known as "folding." So by learning more about how proteins fold (and misfold in the case of disease), researchers can find new medications and treatments for diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Cancer!

A large amount of research I don't understand has already been generated by this project.

Participating in Folding@home

We'd love to have you join us! You can learn more about the project at the Folding website; you can download the Folding program help here. Folding only uses your computer when you're not, so it does NOT slow things down for you.

If you'd like to join the goodkarma team to track your contributions, the first time you start the Folding program, choose team number 130034. (LCE members may choose to use their signon name. Or not. You can even contribute anonymously, if you prefer.)

Please be aware, however, that Folding site is rather technical and (in my opinion) difficult to use. After reviewing the site and forums, I became convinced the project attracts hard-core geeks as I found I didn't understand large portions of the discussions. I've got the geek gene but I know real geeks when I see 'em. 

However, it's quite possible that you may be able to download the software and run without issue. For example, I was able to get it running easily on my home PC, although Maggie, our tech-savvy Admin, had trouble on her quite capable Mac. So your mileage may vary.

If you are able to help, it's an awesome way to rack up some good karma. How often do you get a chance to help save lives and ease suffering in exchange for a few minutes of your time and some unused computing power, anyway?

That's team #130034, goodkarma!