CSC334 Lab6
Playing with FoldIt!
THe goal of this lab is to explore one form of parallel processing for solving very hard problem. Instead of using a cloud computing where a mass of distributed computers work on different parts of a given problem, and help gather partial solutions to create larger partial solutions, the scientists behind Fold.It are using a human computing cloud where users, actually gamers, compete against each other to fold proteins.
Watch this video to get an idea of what the game feels like: video (this video is also available in the video section of the Fold.It Web site.
- First go to the Fold.it portal, and click on the graphics to learn more about the context and goals of this game.
- Register to get an account with Fold.It, then login
- Download Fold.It for your platform, Windows or Mac. Install the software on your machine.
- While the downloading is taking place, go to the video section of the Fold.It page and review the videos
- Welcome to Fold.It! (skip this one, you should have
- Expert Foldit Protein Folder with JSnyder
- other videos if you want. YouTube.com is also a nice repository of FoldIt videos. Just Google site:YouTube.com FoldIt for more.
- At this point your game should have downloaded.
- Install it!
- Start the game and follow the recommendations of starting with a fun collection of puzzles presented by Dr. David Parker
