Sims have something important to share with Outsider scientists: the processors on which we run.
Our Folding@home team number is
226071
Stanford University's Folding@home project is one of the largest parallel computing projects on Earth (in 2007, Guinness certified it as the largest), using compute cycles donated by gamers and other volunteers on PC-grade equipment, ordinarily in the machines' idle time. By downloading and running the Folding client, a user contributes CPU and GPU processing cycles to biomedical research that targets protein-related diseases (ALS, Alzheimer's, Huntington's, mad cow and others, and some types of cancer.)
At the usual client settings, the cycles used for Folding are those that we would otherwise spend sleeping, or paused, or running a screen-saver, or perhaps left to wander under Story Progression until we get stuck and are found the next morning exhausted and filthy, waving our arms and shouting about crossed-out feet.
It's Easy To Join The Team
- Download the Folding client following Folding@home's instructions.
- When setting up the client to communicate with Stanford, you will need to assign yourself a name. This can be the name you use at MTS or any other suitable handle. This name is how you will be listed in the team reports.
- In your client's control panel, enter team #226071 in place of the default team #0.
- Follow Folding@Home's instructions to get a "passkey" emailed to you, and copy/paste it into your client's control panel. (This improves security and is rewarded by large point bonuses on some types of folding work units.)