I use WCG/BOINC because I think that the energy used to run it is well spent. My friend doesn't use it because he diligently turns off his computer to save energy. I don't judge him for his choice, though he's criticised me. But we both tend to upgrade our computers around every 5 years. At least the computer materials, and disposal costs I've consumed went to some added use other than surfing the web. So it's not just about saving energy, it's about putting what you have to good use.

Hi, I think it's good that you raise questions about this sort of thing. When multinationals claim to be doing good it is always dubious. But one thing I found on the WCG site that I thought was important to note was this:
"World Community Grid is making technology available only to public and not-for-profit organizations to use in humanitarian research that might otherwise not be completed due to the high cost of the computer infrastructure required in the absence of a public grid. As part of our commitment to advancing human welfare, all results will be in the public domain and made public to the global research community."
In other words, this is a chance for independent research to be carried out that will not result in the patenting of lifeforms or technology, or in research findings that suit the interests of private sponsors. These things are pretty rare in the world of science these days, aren't they?
Also, if the computers are running anyway, then how does that increase the carbon footprint? Also, to Vitor Bastos: this part of the site goes into detail about results: www.worldcommunitygrid.org/projects_showcase/viewProjectArchives.do
Best of luck.

I just visited the site today, and I found absolutely ZERO reports on the results of the 3 completed projects. Did they really help "defeat cancer" in their "Help Defeat Cancer" project? How? Did we do anything useful at all?
Those are the questions the PRESS should be doing, I'd like to ask THE INQUIRER to actually INQUIRE on the subject.

The projects noted in the article along with many more can be found through the BOINC Project at Califorinia's Berkely College. Instead of having researchers purchase, operate and pay for dozens of new supercomputers they use existing computers already paid for with no need for additional resource usage. Definitely a green idea

http://boinc.berkeley.edu/

There are still more projects using this form that are not using BOINC, but this is the most convenient way to own part of a supercomputer :P

Yes, yes I think they probably have thought it through. May I refer you to the Laws of Thermodynamics, which state that you can't do anything without using energy and increasing entropy? WCG would be useless and self-indulgent only if the results it produces were not worth the energy dissipated in the process. Look at the lights blazing all night in our government's multi-storey office buildings, or the amazing conspicuous waste of energy in places like New York and Las Vegas, and then tell us that leading-edge research into disease agents, protein structure, and the like is wasteful.