Every night, your computer could help solve many of the world's ills... while you sleep. How is this possible? The processing power of your computer is a very valuable resource--and there are scores of researchers who long for a chance to use it. Wondering how your computer could be put to use virtually? The Internet has made the idea of a public computing grid a reality, and The World Community Grid is accomplishing it by stringing together processing power from thousands of computers into a single grid. This grid collectively has the power to process calculations at a speed that would be impossible even for the world's fastest computer.

Already the World Computing Grid, which is sponsored by IBM, has enabled researchers to identify 44 possible treatments for smallpox--and participants have donated nearly 3,000 years of computing time to the Help Conquer Cancer project.

New solutions to global problems are being found daily using the grid, but the biggest barrier faced by this project is that the concept--your computer runs at night while you sleep--is slightly scary to most people. After all, if a program can access your computer without your knowledge, then couldn't a hacker break into your computer to steal valuable personal information like credit card numbers or the first chapter of your unfinished novel? In truth, grid computing can be "more secure than web browsing and reading email" because the way your computer is accessed is "dumb" and cannot read or capture information, so there's no need to worry.

To all the researchers who are using public grid computing to solve some of the world's toughest challenges and to IBM for creating the World Computing Grid, you are Character Approved. To all of you reading who want to show your support for helping those team to cure cancer and make progress on treating many other conditions, join the World Community Grid today.

[Image: World Community Grid]