Some of you may already be involved in the effort to Cure Cancer (see cthree's note at the top of the forum). However, those people that have been using their computers for it for a while may not be aware that UD have diverted some of your processing power (done for Oxford University and an American Cancer Research Charity), to research about Smallpox for the American Department of Defense (sic), the so called 'PatriotGrid'.

Personally, I'm none too chuffed about this and am strongly considering de-installing the UD client totally. I 'donated' my PC for Cancer Research. However, for the moment, I've just disabled my PCs from doing PatriotGrid research in my Device Profile.

PS sorry about the spelling of programme - comes from being an IT bod.

 

Since my broadband connection went down (thanks for the quick response bt - 2weeks and still down!!!) and I'm now back on a 56k modem. I've found the UD prog has been hogging all my browsing bandwidth. So it's had to go for the moment!

 

Only seems to be looking for a cure for Smallpox ...

http://www.grid.org/projects/smallpox/about.htm

With the threats of biological terorism, where is the harm in this research?

- Adam.

 

Well UD have given everyone the option to opt out of the Smallpox Programme if they wish. The s2ki team has been making massive gains recently and I hope this doesn't now polarise people into two camps on this subject. If you read the UD bulletin on this there are still benefits for the Cancer Research Programme both in the research and in funding for the Smallpox Programme.

I would guess that your objections are based on the fact that the results are going to the U.S. Dept. Of Defence, and that this smacks of military involvement? I can't see a problem personally, germ warfare is a very real threat to us at the moment. Whether we like it or not, and whether we agree with it or not, we are quite likely to be involved in a war very soon with a very real threat of germ warfare here in our own back garden. To deny co-operation with this programme just at this moment, would seem to me to be shooting yourself in the foot, and why opt out from the cancer programme anyway?

No-one involved in the leadership of this country is going to make it to my chrimbo card list anytime soon, but the truth is they were elected to make decisions of this nature on a majority vote, and despite all the bullshit floating about about why we shouldn't become involved, our leaders don't make these decisions off their own bat, they're advised by many people with steady political heads and insight into information that is never going to be made public on the grounds that it will get operatives killed!

I happen to believe that this guy is a complete wild card who is quite capable of launching nuclear or biological warfare on the world at any time. To not want to get involved on the grounds that it's none of our business, or it's thousands of miles away, is false comfort and naive. The prospect of war is scary shit, and it's the price of freedom, and of living in this vale of tears.

Many nations including ours, could have taken the view that the Nazi regime was not threatening them and was none of their business, but they didn't ! The world would be a very different place today had we and others just stood by then.

Sorry Steve, I just thought I'd address what may be your underlying problem with the Smallpox Programme.

My 2p.

 

Cancer kills daily. Smallpox doesn't. I believe smallpox can (if caught early enough) also be cured with antibiotics.

Also, I don't want to get too political, but let's just say I am currently not a fan of either the British or American governments or their foreign policy at the moment, so do not wish to support them.

 

I was a bit surprised to find out several months back that my PC had unilaterally been co-opted to research anthrax. I don't have a major problem with it, but it was the fact that UD had done it without notifying people that I found odd - you have to give an e-mail address when you register, and I did sign up for the UD newsletter, but didn't receive notification via either medium that UD were proposing to change the basis of the reseach programme.

Yes, you can opt out of it - and I did, as soon as I found out about. I signed up to cure cancer, not anthrax (or now smallpox). It wasn't that I objected to the latter being added, but more that I wasn't told and given a chance to make my own decision as to whether to support that initiative.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Cedric Tomkinson
[B]I would guess that your objections are based on the fact that the results are going to the U.S. Dept. Of Defence, and that this smacks of military involvement? I can't see a problem personally, germ warfare is a very real threat to us at the moment.

...

 

I de-opted the other options -its not online atm though cos it runs on a second PC which is not on the network right now Will be back up this weekend

 

Just thought I'd bring this back TTT as I've just spotted that I was processing a smallpox molecule , DESPITE having opted out of the anthrax program which they sneakily switched people on to in the aftermath of Sept 11 without telling anyone they were doing it. I assumed that this would have opted me out of smallpox too, but it didn't. By default, everyone has had their profile changed to accept smallpox molecules.

If you don't want to assist the US Dept of Defense in developing a cure for smallpox and prefer to continue in the search of a cure for cancer, make sure that you're processing a cancer molecule and that you've unticked the smallpox box in your Device Profile.

 

I spotted the smallpox thing recently and was none too impressed either.

I have two problems with this. Firstly, should any useful data be turned up will it be used for the general good or would the US DoD keep it for themselves?

Secondly, research into smallpox is of practically no use in a biological warfare context. If anyone was planning to use smallpox as an agent it would certainly be a mutated strain which any antibiotics would not be able to latch on to. Each and every strain would have to be reasearched as fully as the generic strain and give the infinite scope for mutating the base this research approach is quite simpy futile.

The whole thing stinks and I'm out of it. If I'm donating my PC processing then it's going to something worthwhile, which this isn't.

L