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Folding@home
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 I've decided to help Stanford's Folding@home project using my PS3. To those uninitiated with the Folding@home project, it's an international effort to share processing power of idle computers to simulate "folding" of proteins. Why fold proteins? Well, to quote the official Folding@home site:
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.
By simulating folding proteins, the brilliant people at Stanford can then study these and try to determine what causes these "misfolds" and come up with ways to prevent and/or reverse them.
Sony and Stanford recently released a client for the PS3, so I thought to myself, what the heck. It's not like I'm gaming or watching Blu-ray Movies 24/7. But you don't need a PS3 to share some of your own idle processing power. You go to the official website and download a client for your operating system.
So how does it work? Each participant is given a protein to fold, then once the protein has fully developed the sample is sent back to Stanford. Simple enough, but to simulate the almost infinite randomness of proteins requires lots of time. Even with my PS3's hefty Cell Processor, one sample takes 8 hours to complete. But that doesn't mean you need to let your computer run for 8 hours straight, you can always turn if off then the program should continue where you last left off. At least that's what my PS3 does. Dedicating 2 hours a day for your computer to fold should be enough. It may take longer for you to finish a sample, but every little bit helps.
It feels good that I'm able to help with something I bought for selfish reasons. Just paying it forward I guess.Labels: PlayStation, Tech |
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It all makes sense now
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I was going through my morning stroll around the interweb when I chanced upon an article titled 10 Things You Never Knew About SEX. Alright, alright, stop the snickering. It's obvious why I was drawn to the headline. But I'm not here to broadcast my overly curious (and repressed) mind.
What really got my attention was number 6, which states:
"Homosexuality is not unique to humans. Many species have been observed engaging in homosexual activity, and in fact male bats have the highest rate of homosexuality of all mammals."
Then it hit me (no, I'm not coming out of the closet either, wise ass), all the rumors were apparently true. It all makes sense now! I'll never look at this picture the same way again:
 Holey Hot Pants, Batman!
Not that there's anything wrong with that.
Labels: Fun Stuff |
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Exhausted, Worn out, Weary, Fatigued, Dead beat, Etc, Etc
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 It's been a hell of a week. I'm not sure if the work load has increased or the lack of substantial rest is making me a bit edgy in the office. I didn't mean to be snarky to my co-workers this week but there were days where I just wanted to snap.
What really bothers me is not the increased stress levels (nor the hair strands pile around my chair) is I feel like I've been behaving like a brat, whining like a sad bitch. I'll try to have more composure next week. If I live long enough to see Monday.Labels: Self-pity |
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The Big Switcheroo
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 It's been a week since I switched ISPs from the Evil PLDT to Globelines. The rates are roughly same, probably cheaper. Installation was fast, but not exactly painless. Slight tweaks needed to be done to my home router. Nothing major. They installed this little box to activate their new Voice Over IP landline telephone. It sounds fancy but really isn't. Voice quality is the same as a mobile phone. One major pitfall is when the DSL or electricity goes out, so does your phone as it is dependent on your internet connection.
For me, the VOIP box was more trouble than it was worth. The box itself can only support up to 10Mbps when my router is capable of 100Mbps on cable and 54Mbps on wireless. Everything bottlenecked at the lousy box causing severe surfing issues. Whenever I load multiple tabs at once, the server stops responding forcing me to restart the modem and the box to regain access but only to lose the connection again after I load the same amount of tabs, regardless of what sites I'm viewing. When I decided to just rip out the box, everything worked fine. Thought the customer service agent assures me that the VOIP issue is isolated in our area and will be resolved soon. Though I wouldn't hold my breath.
Customer Service is a little bit more bearable. Though it still takes FOREVER to talk to a customer service agent. They have Josh Groban playing when you're on hold, slightly less annoying than the Kenny G tripe they have over at PL-fucking-DT. But after an hour of listening to Groban, you'd want to skin him alive. But I digress. Once you do get through, the agents are SOO much better than the retards at PL-fucking-DT. They are courteous, nice and they know their stuff. When they say that there'll be a technician within 24 hours. They will be a technician within 24 hours. My only gripe is when you try to make a schedule when they should come (maybe to schedule at a time when you're home to assist them), they pretty much don't follow it and just arrive when they please.
As for the download/upload speeds, I'm very happy with it. Quite speedy since I opted for the fastest plan. No major loss of connection ever since I removed that VOIP box.
So if you think you want to switch, I would say go for it. But I wouldn't rely too much on the VOIP phone. I expect things to be the same with PL-fucking-DT's bullshit NxGN phoneline crap. They're both VOIP, so don't be fooled. They rely on the same technology. And if we're talking about PL-fucking-DT, you know it's gonna cause you more troubles than they let on. But to be fair, it's still a relatively new technology, so bugs will be present. Things should work out better as the years pass. As much as I want to be free of PL-fucking-DT, I still wouldn't recommend getting rid of your plain old telephone just yet.
Final words: Globe's Internet service and Customer service? Great. VOIP phone? Not so much. Want to Switch? By all means.Labels: Tech |
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Stupid is As Stupid Breeds
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 After listening to part of the latest episode of TWiT, I became very interested with the film they were discussing, Idiocracy. While not Oscar worthy or even start-to-finish-laugh-your-head-off funny, it gives a downright frightening prospect of where humankind is heading.
The plot revolves around a very average (average intelligence, average everything) American soldier, played by Luke Wilson, chosen to be part of a suspended animation military experiment designed to preserve the world's brightest minds, best entrepreneurs, best whatever. But, like in many movies dealing with freezing someone, everything goes awry (my new favorite word of the month) and he ends up being frozen 499 years more than what was initially intended. He wakes up to a world where the number one TV show is a man getting pummeled in his nut sack repeatedly and the year's Academy Award winner for best picture is a 90+ minute movie of a farting ass and the global population has devolved into, well, idiots.
I can't help but think that we're halfway into this tragic future. With sites like YouTube giving access to morons to share their stupidity with the rest of their kind and Internet anonymity giving uneducated bloggers (ahem) their soapbox to take opinions they pulled conveniently out of their own assholes and post them as facts removing all accountability for being a half-wit.
Anyway, before this post becomes a full-blown rant, watch the film. Buy/rent the DVD or, if you're too cheap, torrent the motherfucker. Now excuse me, while I try to help keep intelligent people away from the endangered species list and procreate as much as I can. I suggest all of you smart people do the same.Labels: Film |
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Getting Philosophical on Myself
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 I've been meaning to post this since it first came out, but it's somewhat fortunate that I didn't. Because Tatsuya Ishida has been on a roll. Now I must warn you, the following will be a tirade which will elicit a lot of "I-told-you-so's" and a couple of "Get-off-your-ass-already's." Basically, more of the same self-pitiful bullshit. So if you'd rather not get infuriated by my incessant whining, skip this post altogether.
I've always been plaguing myself with what-if's that I usually cower under my self-generated pressure. But there are days that I actually feel like doing something about it. But in the end, cowardice always wins out. Why am I keeping myself in this high school level, lovey-dovey torpe bullshit? It's so obvious that knowing you failed is hell of a lot better than torturing yourself on what-if's. (Although, to be fair, sometimes ignorance can prove to be blissful.)
 But I have done it before! I have stepped out of my shell and told women (only 2 in actuality) how I honestly feel. (I don't really have to tell you the outcome of those incidents. Otherwise, I wouldn't be making this stupid post in the first place.) Is it really a matter of wrong time, wrong place? Or is it really (my favorite consolation phrase) the wrong girl? Or, as Mr. Ishida so bluntly puts it, am I really just in love with an "Idea?" Well, that was my excuse for moving on from the first girl I really liked. People change. She changed. And I was in love with the idea of her in high school. She was a sharp one. Because she knew that my infatuation clouded my vision from seeing the real her. Maybe it was the same with Girl#2. This one nipped things at the bud before things got too far. Can't really say that I'm thankful for her doing that. But I really have to learn to that it was for my own good and take it like a man. I don't have to like what transpired but it did. What am I gonna do? Blame God for my own inadequacies?
Tatsuya Ishida made a trifecta on what I needed (perhaps wanted) to hear this week. I find myself, maybe (a BIG maybe) en route to a Girl#3. It's these questions that I need to clarify with myself first before I go in head first to another (possible) awkward crash. Only time will tell whether these strips will ultimately fill me with courage, turn me into a bigger coward, or reveal to the world that I really, really love ideas.
[Side note: If you like the strips I featured on my post, go help Mr. Ishida make some money and regularly visit his site. It's not always safe for work, but hopefully your bosses aren't huge pricks.]Labels: Rants, Self-pity, Web Comics, Women |
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 Name: Jin
Occupation:
Graphic Artist/Pirate
Geek Toys:
20" iMac Core Duo, PSP, iPod (3G), EOS350D
Special Attack(s):
La Serpiente Strike
El Gato Fist
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Being the mindless drone of fashion that I am, I decided to jump on the Blogging bandwagon. This site contains all my rants and raves about current events, technology, video gaming, cinema and the occasional snippets of my own geek life. (Yeah, quite original, I know.)
Best viewed at 1024x768 on Firefox or Safari. Internet Explorer 6 sucks donkey dick.
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© 2006. All rights reserved.
Illustrations and Character Designs: Jin.
The Sims. © 2006. Electronic Arts, Inc.
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