Jul 23
2006

Folding@Home

Posted by HELiX

For those of you who didn’t discerned, I added an image statistics-retriever (or whatever you can call that) to my profile.

Basically, its a Stanford University project called Folding@Home which I participate in.

…

What is Folding@Home?

Folding@Home is a distributed computing project — people from through out the world download and run software to band together to make one of the largest supercomputers in the world. Every computer makes the project closer to our goals.

Folding@Home uses novel computational methods coupled to distributed computing, to simulate problems thousands to millions of times more challenging than previously achieved.

What is Protein Folding?

Proteins are biology’s workhorses — its “nanomachines.” Before proteins can carry out these important functions, they assemble themselves, or “fold.” The process of protein folding, while critical and fundamental to virtually all of biology, in many ways remains a mystery.

Moreover, when proteins do not fold correctly (i.e. “misfold”), there can be serious consequences, including many well known diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, Mad Cow (BSE), CJD, ALS, Huntington’s, Parkinson’s disease, and many Cancers and cancer-related syndromes.

Why Fold?

Because you’re helping to understand and cure these diseases.

…

Okay, in short, basically you download a program, and because your computer isn’t processing data 100% of the time, it uses these times whereby you aren’t effectively using your computer to fold proteins. So it’s simply using your computer’s processing power which is not being utilised, to fold proteins and find cures for diseases.

So all I simply do is I activate the program, and it uses my computer’s unutilised processing power to fold proteins, while I do other stuffs like chatting, skyping, surfing the net, blah blah blah. And each time you complete a “workunit” (or rather, an assignment to your computer), you’ll earn points. And there are teams which compete with each other to see who has the most points. Apparently, I joined the Singaporean team VR-Zone, because they’re the only Singaporean one =__=

More info @ http://folding.stanford.edu/

And if wish to start contributing to science…

Guide to installing and using Folding@Home

Note: This is for the console client only. Console version runs faster then the Graphical version.

Step 1: Download the software here.

Step 2: Download it into a directory. (Eg. C:\Folding@Home)

Step 3: At the command prompt, type what I do in the following picture.

i) Of course, change the User name to yours, but you can gladly use mine “VRZ.HELiX” =)
ii) Use the same team number! 48269

Step 4: You’re done! Start it up! You should be seeing something like this below.

There’s also other similar projects, even astro related ones like SETI@Home. But apparently, according to the website, SETI@Home is a scientific experiment that uses Internet-connected computers in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI). You can participate by running a free program that downloads and analyzes radio telescope data.

But seriously. Personally, I think the chances of receiving a radio signal from an intelligent civilization tens or hundreds or thousands lightyears away is a bit too miserably low to interest me… Oh well, I’m better off folding proteins.

Jul 23
2006

I got bored.

Posted by HELiX

Instructions: Go to your player of choice and put it on shuffle. Say the following questions aloud, and press play. Use the song title as the answer to the question. DO NOT CHEAT.

Q: How does the world see me?
Masterpiece (oh really…? lol =P)

Q: Will i have a happy life?
Suspicious Minds (… not very nice…)

Q:What do my friends really think of me?
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (Cool.)

Q:Do people secretly lust after me?
We Can Last Forever (ehh…)

Q:How can i make myself happy?
Watching Scotty Grow (I’d more fun watching grass grow.)

Q:What can i do with my life?
Rocky Mountain High (eh?)

Q:Will i ever have children?
Mission Impossible Theme (WTF LAH!!!)

Q:What is some good advice for me?
Sleeping Child (eh..)

Q:How will i be remembered?
Here Comes The Sun (blah)

Q:What is my signature dancing song?
I’d Do Anything (blah)

Q:What do i think my current theme song is?
Journey to Past (blah)

Q:What does everyone else think my current theme song is?
Fly Away (blah)

Q:What song will play at my funeral?
Stay (Hmm…)

Q:What sort of men/women do i like?
Life in the Fast Lane (whaaat?)

Q:What is my day going to be like?
The Night has a Thousand Eyes (Day dammit, not night.)

Winamp is (=__=)”‘

Jul 21
2006

BatB Musical!

Posted by HELiX

Sorry this came 2 days late…

Oh well, better late than never.

Selected 66 out of 144 photos taken, mainly ‘cos the rest are either repeated, insignificant or blur. Pics are resized and reduced in quality, so if ya want the full resolution high quality pics, let me know. =)

Here goes!

[WARNING: LOOOOONG LOAD, 56k-ers stay out =P]

ROFL… Before and After pics! No offence, but cheapass transformation =P

Backstage!

Jul 21
2006

Reverted blogskin

Posted by HELiX

=___=

yes.

=___=

Blah, seems like my new blogskin wasn’t received as well as this, so… I might as well revert. For now. =/

Jul 20
2006

New blogskin!

Posted by HELiX

New blogskin done!

Ironic as it is, but my blogskin is fully supported by IE, and screws up minorly in Firefox. Argh.

Yes… it does look rather plain with the black&white theme, but the previous one was so complicated and difficult to add stuffs on. I’ll try to improve on this as for now, and there’s the possibility of reverting. =/

Anyway, the neostream rip off was a success after lots of tedious editting work in Flash. Took me an entire day + night T___T But with that done, I shall name the dude staring at you… Mr 103, because Mrs is taken. Feel free to whack him in the flash feature below! (Takes a while to load…)

Jul 19
2006

Other stuffages from yesterday…

Posted by HELiX

Since the Eureka Science Quiz took up most of my blogging time yesterday, didn’t get to cover the other stuffages…

Firstly, I finally confirmed that Nicholas (the sec 1) lives 30 secs away from me. Creepy it is, as he didn’t tell me that when he came to my house during the June holidays for the NUS-NTU astro project. =__= (In fact, he didn’t want me to know) I mean WTH YOU’RE MY NEIGHBOUR AND YOU NEVER TOLD ME. Bleh. And if that isn’t scary enough, he claims he gets 5-10 bucks a week for pocket money… ouch.

And there’s the BPGHS Inter-Primary School Science Quiz. We have it annually, but Mr Loh says this year’s might be (or rather, should be) cancelled as the teachers don’t have the time. So we suggested that we can still have it if the students handle the bulk of the work this time, leaving out the teachers as far as possible. Mr Loh agreed, but we’ll have to plan things out first…

And last of all, I’m bored of this blogskin, as the only fun stuff is the navigation… And so i’ll be working on a new one! ^^

K THX BYE!

Jul 18
2006

RJC Eureka Science Quiz

Posted by HELiX

Today was the prestigious RJC Eureka Science Quiz competition, and I decided to go there as a supporter not because I thought we stood any chance of winning, but rather, because me and XJ had to accompany the sec 1 science quiz juniors Pharth and Nicholas to RJC in a taxi. =__= But seriously, since the science quiz guys kept supporting us for our astro competitions, I thought maybe I could do a favour back.

Basically, the RJC Eureka Science Quiz competition is similar to the astronomy competitions, with the written prelims and finals with buzzers and stuffs. Only that it covers biology, physics, chemistry and mathematics and not astro. Much harder to win with the A Level standard of questions and RI/HCI/ACS are known to pwn, not us.

Anyways, we left class at 1.10pm for RJC, kinda dumb ‘cos its our homework period. Reached RJC only to find that the finals were starting at 5pm only. Attended a small science exhibition, although that didn’t exactly kill much time.

Fortunately, instead of spending the hours rotting away, Mr Loh had Jasela to tour us around the RJC campus, and its like OMFG big, something like 4-5 times the size of BP.

Not to mention that their empty unused grassland is comparable the size and condition of our field. (Oops i just did)

Skipping all the waiting and crap relating to it, at about 4+pm the prelimary round ended and the science quiz team (consisting of Shaun, James and Wilson) met up with us. And of course, the inevitable question of “How’d it went?”.

As if it was planned beforehand and rehearsed to perfect synchronisation, all three were like “Let’s go home”. Considering that they didn’t even make it to the finals (top 4) of the their last competition at ACJC, Mr Loh and us (the supporters) didnt disagree with them. In fact, XJ was prepared to leave by then, but decided to stay on just to hear the top 4 finalists.

Blah blah blah and it was the finals. First team in the top 4? Unsurprisingly ACS(i). Second team? BPGHS. I was like “wtf?” and Mr Loh was like “wtf?” and XJ was like “wtf?” and everyone was like “wtf?”. Indeed, “Let’s go home.” And to add on our fright, Shaun took out the mascot he brought for the team, and…

The top 4 teams in the finals were ACS(i), BPGHS, RGS and SCGS. Although making it into the finals was one thing, pwning during the finals is another. But from the looks of it, with 2 girls’ school teams in the finals, it would be a competition between ACS(i) and BP. (No offence intended whatsoever, but it is known that girls’ school teams suck in the finals, mainly ‘cos they dare not buzz in..) I wasnt wrong.

After losing to ACS(i) and SCGS in the Individual Round by insignificant margins, it was the buzzer round and as usual, BP PWNED. Shaun just kept buzzing in and getting the questions correct, verging on a wicked sick, while unsurprisingly SCGS and RGS practically did nil in this round. It seemed more a Shaun vs ACS(i) than BP vs ACS(i). In fact, ACS(i) had their l33t science fellow counterpart of Shaun, so it was that ACS(i)-l33t-dood vs Shaun. And Shaun won =)

The finals:

Supporters PWN! =D