How to get Started:
Download BOINC from this Link: http://boincdl.ssl.berkeley.edu/dl/...telx86.exe
There are 3 options to install, I recommend the last option: Install As Service (last option on the installation list).
Once installed Open the BOINC Manager and from the Tools Menu (I switched to Advance View), select Attach To Project. In the Project URL paste this link:
http://setiathome.berkeley.edu
If you are new to BOINC and do not have an account, the wizard will create one for you, just enter your email address and a password (For those of you here that are running ArGo, create a special email address just for this, so you do not have to use your day to day email account). Once the wizard completes it will take you to their site where you can update your preferences, then join a team. In the Search Box just enter Top Cat Computing and a list of teams will appear. Select Top Cat Computing BOINC Team (Please), of course, you can join another team or create your own.
Repeat the process for each project that you wish to join. I participate in a total of 4 projects (Seti@home, Einstein@home, Milkyway@home and Orbit@home).
To join these projects repeat the steps above as the process is the same.
The Project URLS are:
http://einstein.phys.uwm.edu/
http://milkyway.cs.rpi.edu/milkyway/
http://orbit.psi.edu/oah/
Here are the Project Descriptions, for the ones I participate in:
Seti@home: SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) is a scientific area whose goal is to detect intelligent life outside Earth. One approach, known as radio SETI, uses radio telescopes to listen for narrow-bandwidth radio signals from space. Such signals are not known to occur naturally, so a detection would provide evidence of extraterrestrial technology.
Einstein@home: Search for spinning neutron stars (also called pulsars) using data from the LIGO and GEO gravitational wave detectors. Einstein@Home is a World Year of Physics 2005 project supported by the American Physical Society (APS) and by a number of international organizations.
Milkyway@home: Research in modeling and determining the evolution of the Milkyway galaxy.
Orbit@home: The mission of orbit@home is to apply distributed computing to the study of Solar System dynamics. Distributed computing provides an unmatched amount of computational power, enabling qualitatively new research levels in terms of detail and accuracy.
Many are the open problems that we plan to study with orbit@home. At first, we will focus on Near Earth Asteroid (NEA) research, focusing into the areas below:
- NEA search strategies: we are studying a search strategy that maximizes the volume covered in the space of the orbital elements of the NEAs; its implementation requires the availability of a very significant amount of computing power, making the distributed computing approach the perfect candidate; [abstract]
- NEA impact hazard monitoring: we are studying the applicability and advantages of using a distributed computing system to monitor the impact hazard by NEAs; when compared to standard systems, the distributed computing approach provides better scalability, responsiveness, and accuracy. [abstract]
Public outreach and education represents also a very important aspect of the system, because the public provides the main distributed computing power and participates in the science being studied.
I also have teams in these projects, even though I do not participate in them, more will be added, as I joined the BOINC World Wide Team, so eventually there will be a team in every project, it is done via automation from the BOINC servers.
name: UH Second Computing
URL: http://vcsc.cs.uh.edu/second-computing/
name: DECS
URL: http://evil.podzone.org/decs/
name: http://hydrogenathome.org/
name: Virtual Prairie
URL: http://vcsc.cs.uh.edu/virtual-prairie/
name: http://boinc.fzk.de/poem/
name: Artificial Intelligence System
URL: http://www.intelligencerealm.com/aisystem
name: malariacontrol.net
URL: http://www.malariacontrol.net/
name: WEP-M+2 Project
URL: http://bearnol.is-a-geek.com/wanless2/
name: UCT : malariacontrol.net
URL: http://boinc.cs.uct.ac.za/malaria/
name: http://MindModeling.org/beta/
name: http://cels-at-home-dev.dyndns.org/cels/
name: http://hydrogenathome.org/
Here is a list of projects and descriptions.
http://boinc.berkeley.edu/projects.php
This is a great chance to use those idle CPU cycles. I have been doing it for years, since it started. Come on and join in. I know with SETI if a work unit you process discovers something you do get co-credit for the discovery.