140°

Don't forget to leave Folding@Home on each Sunday

Check out the Official-ish PS3Fanboy Folding Team stats, they've almost cracked the top 400 worldwide for folding excellence. In light of this, they'd like to take this opportunity to first, thank you guys. Second, they'd like to remind everyone that each Sunday at 8PM (whatever time zone you're in) to let Folding@Home run.

Read Full Story >>
ps3fanboy.com
ErcsYou6196d ago

its all ready hot where i live. my ps3 also pumps like a heater so their is no way in hell im leaving my ps3 on if im not using it, unless it starts making ice cubes

ERommel6196d ago

I'm folding solo on my ps3. I am ranked #1 with 71 work units completed. My daughter loves watching the molecules jump around. She refers to them as bubbles. So I'm killing two birds with one stone. Help fight disease and entertain my kids.

The Panther6196d ago

as much as i want to limit the life of my console........no thanks

Robotz Rule6196d ago

I'll be sure to run Folding@Home on each Sunday from now on!:D

dissectionalrr6196d ago

yeah... i agree with the panther. i know the ps3 is a tough machine, and probably very robust, but doing intense calculation 24/7, on top of playing games in between, would be rough for any computer to do. ps3 is basically an air cooled gaming rig that is very efficient, so imagine if you had a really fast air cooled computer and did that. it will definitely not like running full bore for a long period of time.

sa739176196d ago

So I better turn my webserver and mail server off then because they're running 24/7 and they might get tired? CPU's are fixed silicon dude.. they don't get tired..

The only thing that might possibly bust is the fan as it's mechanical and has moving parts... So far I've had my EU PS3 on 24/7 since launch day and it hasn't missed a beat..

dissectionalrr6196d ago

your server also isnt pushing 500+million flops constantly either. and, most servers are huge boxes, with lots of air and ventilation, and (if it's fast enough) liquid. your server probably runs no more than 10%dc 99% of the time (assuming it's just a media or small web server).

now, put twice the amount of power in something half the size, take away the liquid and run it 5 times as hard. you get my point.

Show all comments (16)
20°

Maximum Interview: the Science Behind Folding @ Home

Maximum PC: Walking into the Pande Lab at Stanford University is somewhat of a hardcore geek’s ultimate dream. This is, after all, where the real work gets done—or should we say, work units. For the various desktop systems and consoles scattered around the area are all a part of a larger initiative that likely you and I, as well as Stanford graduate students, researchers from around the globe, and consortiums of geeks and enthusiasts alike, have all contributed to.

Dr. Vijay Pande, an associate professor of chemistry, structural biology, and computer science over at Stanford—as well as the longtime director of the Folding@Home distributing computing project, which his aptly titled “Pande Lab” oversees—estimates that around 400,000 systems actively “fold” at the current moment. Given the program’s fairly linear growth of around 40,000 new systems a year, Folding@Home should be able to push past half a million “connected” PCs easily before its crystal anniversary.

Read Full Story >>
maximumpc.com
ALFAxD_CENTAURO4912d ago (Edited 4912d ago )

Amazing project.

Amazing feature on PS3 to help the project.

310°

The healing power of PlayStation 3

Critical Gamer writes: There has been a lot of hype about the power of the Cell processor residing inside the PlayStation 3. Whether or not we will see its full power being exploited remains to be seen, but it has been put to good use by medical researchers in America with the folding@home project.

I’m sure a lot of PS3 owners are unaware of the program folding@home residing on their PS3. This little piece of software has been designed by boffins at Stanford University in the USA, and is used to perform mathematical calculations of proteins when they misfold in the human body. I know you’re probably wondering what I’m wittering on about, so here’s what it is all about.

Read Full Story >>
criticalgamer.co.uk
Jim Crikey4933d ago

Why don't all machines do this?

Shadow Flare4933d ago (Edited 4933d ago )

I know that pc's use folding@home as well. I think all computers should use this as every little helps. Wii doesn't have it as it doesn't really have the power for the tasks at hand, and Stanford university said that the 360 is of limited help to them

http://n4g.com/news/37648/x...

ImpartialMan4933d ago

PS3 CPU is 3 times more capable than Xbox.
"And in terms of performance measured in gigaflops, the PS3 tops out at nearly three times that of the Xbox. "- IGN
http://gear.ign.com/article...

for a same gen console, that is extremely large difference. Also the reason why 360 does not have folding@home as Shadow Flare said

Anton Chigurh4932d ago (Edited 4932d ago )

Didn't heal my shoulder injury. I better go to a real doctor. /s

ImpartialMan4932d ago

do you realize the importance of protein folding to finding cure to many diseases and many other scientific advancements??

only injury you have is stupidity. and no doc can fix that

Hideo_Kojima4931d ago

Calm down he was just joking :-/

scruffy_bear4933d ago

My problem is I can't do anything with my PS3 when using folding@home if it was in the background I would use it more

Shadow Flare4933d ago

If I'm using my ps3 just to play some music in my room, then I'll put on folding@home since it plays music while it does it

rdgneoz34932d ago

Yep, I do the same. Turn folding@home on and play a little music.

lolzers4932d ago

I'm going to start doing it because my ps3 is very rarely on. Might as well do some good for the world.

jneul4932d ago

that is because you own a 360 and pretend it's a ps3 every day....

lolzers4932d ago (Edited 4932d ago )

I don't own a 360 you spacker. It may come as a blow, but some people don't worship a piece of plastic and metal the same way you do.

EDIT:It's amusing how you get labeled as being a 360 owner because you dare to downplay anything wrong with the ps3. I haven't owned a 360 for over 2 years, I sold it because it had nothing out I wanted.

Which would be the same fate for my ps3 if it had nothing coming out next year. This year has been dismal.

jneul4931d ago

yeah gow iii, heavy rain, 3d dot heroes, wkc, rof, ffxiii, modnation racers, 3d dot heroes, demon souls (eu), move, sports champions, start the party,tumble
thats alot of game/peripherals already out this year that i bought alone, not to mention upcoming games such as time crisis, the fight, gt5.
if that is a lack of games then i call you blind

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 4931d ago
Dan504932d ago

You can play music you have on the HDD and use the web browser. :D

Cubes4933d ago

Microsoft should be supporting folding@home as well on the 360. Bill Gates is always seen donating money to charity, so why not help with this project? They should try and get it integrated into the OS of PC's, Mac's and all the consoles, and have it running in the background.

metsgaming4932d ago

yea the 360 fans would never us it. Not because they dont care per say but because they dont want to risk it overheating and causing RROD.

Mr2Good34932d ago

there to busy play modern warfare 2.

Trroy4932d ago (Edited 4932d ago )

MS won't support folding @ home on the 360, and I'll tell you why:

The TFLOPs fact reports like this one.

A task like protein folding is something the Cell processor is exceptionally good at (as you can see from the numbers) -- and the 360 would look weak, in comparison, despite its being a decent games console.

MS will never, ever, do something that would make the 360 look markedly inferior to the PS3. Like having folding@home. Doesn't matter to them if it saves lives or not. It would be bad publicity, and would hurt their brand, and that's all they care about. Sad but true.

Honestly the RRoD issue mentioned in a comment above is also a concern. MS doesn't want *every* old 360 coming back for a free refurb. The publicity issue is the main reason, though.

Dan504932d ago

They hate the word free its their other F word. :P

Truth4931d ago

+Bubbles

I spit Rockstar through my nose. It burns, but it was worth the laugh.

oguzsasi4932d ago ShowReplies(5)
ElementX4932d ago

I use my console for gaming and blu-rays, sorry. I also turn off my console when it's not being used for said activities.

Show all comments (37)
160°

How Folding@home Turned Friends Against One Another

How a couple of egos and extrinsic motivations turned Folding@home into a bloody cold war competition, where work units were as valuable as kill counts.

Sadie21004939d ago

Ha. Well, at least they're doing some good in the world!

valanceer4939d ago

I wonder how many people would fold is they gave out trophies for certain number of work units....

DigitalAnalog4938d ago (Edited 4938d ago )

Looking at the lights (Places where Folding@home users are supposed to be). I noticed a few of them where in places I don't think I'd ever expect them to have any sort of technology, much less a PS3, EVEN moreso Folding@home. Such as:

- An isolated island
- The middle of Atlantic (No Island here, WTF)
- Some where in the nether mountain regions of Nepal (possibly Shangri-la)

Damn, PS3 you scary...

-End statement

garrod4939d ago

lls good post. Funny story. I'm tempted to start a Folding war with some of my buddies now :)

Ocelot5254939d ago (Edited 4939d ago )

it's all fun and games until your PS3 gets YLOD from folding 12 hours a day :(

HSx94938d ago

it's a PS3 not an Xbox 360

LockeCole4939d ago

Interesting thoughts on competitive nature. I dig it.

illegalyouth4939d ago

I really enjoyed this story. Great writing!

cmrbe4939d ago

This is the kind of war the world needs.

Show all comments (22)