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Buying a PS3 could cure cancer

27 August 2006 6:54 by Dave "Davedough" Horvath | 101 comments

Buying a PS3 could cure cancer Plunking down your hard earned cash on Sony's upcoming next-gen console, the PS3 could, in fact, help cure many diseases that plague the world. Sony executives met with US Biologists in charge of the folding@home project. In this meeting, they agreed to use the cell processor within the PS3 to harness some of the processing power needed to help the folding@home project work.

For those who dont know, folding@home is a small program the uses an interconnected series of computers to share the work load of data processing to find legitimate possible protein combinations that could cure common diseases. The data distributed among many different computers and devices decreases the processing time needed to find possible solutions by an infintesimal amount. The small folding@home program can be downloaded to your PC or now your PS3 and process protein structures while the device is idle.

folding@home representatives say that a network of 10,000 PS3s armed with their cell processors could effectively do the work of a supercomputer, pushing out a mind numbing "thousand trillon" calculations per second. If this is acheived, the processing power would outnumber that of the world's fastest supercomputer, IBM's BlueGene/L System which runs a miniscule 280.6 trillion calculations per second, in comparison.

Source:
BBC


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    Discuss this article!  There are more user comments available, read them here
    borhan9 (AfterDawn Addict) 29 August 2006 2:50 Send private message to this user   
    Ok I know I'm comming to this article late. but better late than never :)

    This is confusing this computer processing thing will help calculate how to tackle cancer and other deseases. Kinda hard to belive. I rather wait and get more info on this.
    mystic (Member) 29 August 2006 8:12 Send private message to this user   
    And thats because the sticker shock will have everyone falling over from a heart atcak instead of radeation from long time exposure from those old tv sets....... next they'll tell us to stick our collective heads in a tolit to prevent ingrown toe nails , and that'll work because you have drowned yourself... or what was it 5 years ago strap this electric shock belt around your waist to exercise while watching tv and eating a bucket of chicken.... lol
    Ghostdog (Senior Member) 29 August 2006 8:54 Send private message to this user   
    Quote:
    My wife has recently been diagnosed with brian cancer. Anything that might help cure this horrible disease is more than welcome in my eyes.
    Terrible. Brian cancer is probably one of the worst forms of cancer known to man.






    Okay, and now... sorry. I shouldn´t joke about something like this, but I couldn´t resist. I´m very sorry for your wife - I hope she pulls through and goes on to live a long and happy life. Give her lots of love every day and be thankful for the time you have together.
    marsey99 (Senior Member) 29 August 2006 9:25 Send private message to this user   
    Davedough i agree with what your eariler post said
    first up i will get a ps3 this year if they get enough in the shops,
    and folding at home is the best way to make a difference, as every little helps. if 10'000 ps3s = the most powerful supercomp available i will quite be happy to give it some band width for a few hours a week as ive used seti for ages now.

    back to sony, it is a world class, top draw marketing plan. not only does it get us talking about it, im sure it will apear on tv techno shows and it will hit the new stands in the tabloids and the broad sheets and thats almost priceless advertising. and i could be wrong but the reason sony wanted to get it recognised as a "computer" and not a console is to dodge the inport taxs that they have to pay in europe
    hot_ice (Senior Member) 29 August 2006 11:00 Send private message to this user   
    Maybe we should focus all our money on creating nanotechnology, this will help cure all diseases.
    natony (Junior Member) 29 August 2006 17:11 Send private message to this user   
    @ZIppyDSM

    I suppose that when I said westerners I really meant people who live in 1st world countries.
    The reason I don't like this is because it's using the potential (and I really want to emphasise the potential here) to cure 1st world disease (ie cancer) to sell their product to people in 1st world countries.
    MightyOne (Junior Member) 29 August 2006 17:37 Send private message to this user   
    Sylvia Browne says there will be a cure for all cancer as we know it.

    I believe her. She's on the ball !!!!

    See for yourself....knowing this before it happens...then perhaps its via world participation in super computer power....who knows....
    scsmsn (Newbie) 29 August 2006 20:25 Send private message to this user   
    ok really if i spend so much for a ps3 how does it help
    because if i buy it how can they possibly use it. the only way they could use it is if its on a network that i cant afford. i would love to help because i lost a few friends and family due to cancer. so how does this work please email me at cosmo15900@gmail.com
    ZippyDSM (AfterDawn Addict) 29 August 2006 21:24 Send private message to this user   
    natony
    that I can agree with :3
    Dunker (Senior Member) 29 August 2006 22:48 Send private message to this user   
    I think a lot of folks are missing the point - the folding@home project is a valid project. Sony is one of the scuzziest companies on the face of the earth, but if you don't like them, then *don't support them by buying a PS3 in the first place!* You can still help the folding@home project by downloading the PC version of the software at http://folding.stanford.edu/download.html
    Andrew691 (Senior Member) 30 August 2006 2:30 Send private message to this user   
    I rewally dont see how this is publicity for the ps3, nore than anything its actually helping the Folding@home project. Untill now i had never heard of it, but since this article ive installed it to my computer and had it running 24/7. I dont see how helping them will make anymore people buy a PS3.

    As for solving cancer it might already have been partially solved. http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa003&articleID=00050D07-6D22-14EF-AD2283414B7F0000
    Jagosix (Newbie) 30 August 2006 2:44 Send private message to this user   
    Hello Fellow Gamers. This is nothing new. PCs have beeen doing this for many years (even b4 gaming). Have you all ever hear of clustering? There are Millions of Computers already connected to the internet & running. You could combine all of the consoles & it still won't even come close to the amount of computers out there. This is a bunch of crap.
    Kearny... "Why didn't M$ do this...they don't have to "help" people justify spending way to much on a "pleasure" machine. They created a system which is good, and affordable (more or less). Same with Nintendo. Remember, this is a gaming console, not a super computer, nor a personal computer. Its meant to entertain, not save the world."
    M$ have already been helping. Their software is on 90% of the worlds computer, runnning clustering programs like these for years & will do so years after. Sony is truly behind the times to think this is something new & innovative.

    mystic (Member) 30 August 2006 6:10 Send private message to this user   
    if this prodject was to work they need x amont of systems well why dont they get all the school department world wide to install this software and run it after school .. lets see with the fact that from 230 pm daily till 7am the next morning all computers in school are turned off why cant they let them run and compile the numbers for them ? this would also teach student that they with a combind effort have saved the world...... well can any one argue with that?this adds up to 16.5 hours of massive computer time that the feds are paying for to cure the number one killer in the US alone.... so why hasn't anyone thought of this befor since its coming from a collage one would think they were smarter then the average joe .....( just a thought)
    pantsfire (Newbie) 30 August 2006 13:48 Send private message to this user   
    I don't get it.
    marsey99 (Senior Member) 30 August 2006 15:44 Send private message to this user   
    @mystic i thought it was being fat that was the no1 cause of death/lead to the cause of death in the states?
    also if the folding projects are only working when the pupils arent in school how would they know/learn what it was doing?
    way way of track here by the way this started with sonys latest spin tactic
    mystic (Member) 31 August 2006 7:01 Send private message to this user   
    ok lets say that your computer is working on crunching numbers for the project then its really going to bog down if your on it now if we line up all the machines in the school that I work at that like 350 just in the high school and let them work all night then its helpful and now multiply that against every high school in the usa we just help alot. so what will the kids learn that a project this side can be a beniffit to all of man kind and make them relise that they and their little issues are not the center of the world.but hey if you want to link ps3 together that cost so much why use your electrisity and your consul when all thease computers are just turned off?and no one even asked us to leave them on or to install the software...
    Mr-Movies (Member) 31 August 2006 9:27 Send private message to this user   
    Seti has been doing this for a very long time you can become a member and sign up to crunch radio antenna data for them, and they will share the resualts with you, kinda cool in that forum. I agree here it's only a ploy to get people to buy their consoles which Sony knows now that their reputation has decreased some since the last root kit attack they deployed.
    OAKside24 (Member) 31 August 2006 20:12 Send private message to this user   
    Most eye-catching headline to date. ROFLed. (Eating a proper, healthy (vegan) diet 'cures' cancer much better than supercomputers can ever hope to. ;)
    BIGnewb (Inactive) 1 September 2006 2:24 Send private message to this user   
    by the way there is a cure for cancer except the comapnies who make money from the charities make money and they keep it because they dont have to research because they already have a cure but still wanna make money.LOL.the secret is in homeopathy.peace out
    voyager (Junior Member) 2 September 2006 3:18 Send private message to this user   
    I thought PS3 was a game machine.....but wait! Kutaragi said the truth;"PS3 is not a gaming machine".
    ZippyDSM (AfterDawn Addict) 2 September 2006 9:09 Send private message to this user   
    voyager
    its not its the new center to "media entertainment center"

    the 360 is mostly one to just has a weaker gaming part *L*
    bsrealm (Newbie) 4 September 2006 11:47 Send private message to this user   
    Just think about your processor life when you run them 24x7 ^_^


    Cheers
    bsrealm (Newbie) 4 September 2006 11:48 Send private message to this user   
    And, if just 10000 units are enough to beat IBM's bluegene by over 3 times, then, what exactly is IBM doing? Dont tell me they cannot afford 10000 units of PS3s ;) If you know what I mean :D
    s3a (Inactive) 9 September 2006 19:36 Send private message to this user   
    If you are going to buy a PS3, you can help cancer in this way otherwise buy a dual-core CPU and dedicate one core for this "project". :)

    P.S.
    You can dedicate only 100 Mhz of your CPU and IT WILL still help!

    P.S. #2
    Bottom line: the PS3's will cure cancer! :) They will revolutionize the world!!!! However, I still am not buying a PS3! The only way I'll get a PS3 in my house is if someone gives it to me for free!

    If I insult you...don't get offended...my insults are "friendly insults"...I know this sounds stupid (ridiculous) but I am fet up of writing, "no offense" in my posts...

    My Comp:
    -420 Watt PSU
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    -330 GB HDD (80 GB Int. + 250 GB Ext.)
    -1 GB PC3200 RAM DDR 400 Mhz
    -ATI RADEON X600 PRO, 256 MB Graphics Card
    -Tower capable of holding 5 (or 4) HDD's, 4 optical drives and 1 (or 2) floppy drive(s)
    -6 USB 2.0 ports, 2 firewire ports
    -Asus P5GDC Deluxe Mo-bo (DDR and DDR2 capable)
    -Wireless Logitech Mouse (optical)/Keyboard
    -56k V.92 Modem PCI
    bsrealm (Newbie) 10 September 2006 1:06 Send private message to this user   
    o.O Way to Go!

    Yea, XB360 is a MUCH better buy than the PS3. Tell me, aren't there ever so many of them well versed with hacking Microsoft stuff ;)


    Cheers
    derhama (Inactive) 12 September 2006 11:47 Send private message to this user   
    creaky got me, i'm such a tool

    This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 12 September 2006 12:41

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