This is lengthy, but please read and consider.
Hi All,
I have never been a salesman, and I really don't think of myself as aggressive or pushy, but this is something I really believe in. Please at least read this and think about it.
I have had many family members and friends affected by cancer. My father died of lung cancer in August of 2000. Many of my paternal uncles have also suffered and died from various cancers. My maternal grandmother and my mother have both suffered from skin cancer. My grandmother has had breast lumps -- thank God they have been benign to this point. As are most women, I am terrified by the possibility of breast cancer. It was on the news today that men also suffer from breast cancer with 99% of them having to undergo radical mastectomy! Many of my friends have already suffered and continue to suffer from breast cancer. Most, if not all of us, have at least one family member or friend who has had cancer. I hope that by my participating in this project, I can help find a cure for this horrible disease. I hope that you will at least consider this. I know that everyone will not be comfortable with this type of project, and that you probably can't put something like this on a computer at your office, but most of us do have home computers. Just think how much could be done if large offices had this project installed (or at least offered as an option) on all office PCs! Maybe you could suggest this option to your computer techs or office administrators.
I received an email from a very good and trusted friend a while back. I forwarded it to a bunch of people, but also stated that I planned to check out the info. This email told about a project by the University of Oxford in the search for a cure for cancer. This project involves using your computer's "downtime" (when you are not using it) to analyze molecules looking for possibilities for cancer meds.
I have read a lot of the info on this website and actually downloaded the program. It runs as a screensaver on my computer. When my screensaver kicks on, instead of simply looking pretty, it actually analyzes molecules. (It's cool to watch and has actually triggered educational conversation with my son! This is truly an amazing accomplishment!) After the screensaver program analyzes the information, when a web connection is made, it uploads the data to the university system and downloads more info to be analyzed. It keeps track of how many computer hours your computer has worked on the project and other cool statistics. This has never interfered with my use of my computer. I know it's transferring the research info, but it has never interfered with anything I am doing. (I have a simple dial-up connection and actually sign off the net and unplug my phone cord from the computer when not on the net. I do leave my computer on all the time and just reboot when needed, but I have done this forever as it is supposed to be better for the computer than shutting it down.) I feel this is a very worthwhile use for my computer and will "testify" that it has not interfered with my computer usage in any way. It's a really cool feeling to know that I am doing some little part to help fight cancer. I also feel that doing this simple step has helped with my son, Bryan, triggering conversation regarding cancer's problems, need for cures, need for medicines, etc. and conversations regarding chemistry and science.
The website is
www.ud.com. If you scroll down to the bottom of the home page, you will see a square that says, "join the project" and "volunteer your pc". If you click on this, you will then see information regarding the project, how it works, FAQs, etc. This will also take you to the download option. I would love to hear your feedback. I would also love to know if you volunteer your pc.
