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Seven
09-24-06, 12:23 AM
Hey Folders,

I thought I'd share with you the reason why I personally fold, and I'm just trying to get you guys to think about why you fold, what drives you, and to get some positivity flowing around here.

Well about 6 years ago my grandma was diagnosed with lung cancer, with unknown causes. She had smoked in the past but quit when I, in my young age, told her that it was harmful to her in so many ways. My grandma, or "granny" as I called her, was probably one of the most influential people in my life thus far. I could go into the accounts of all the amazing moments we shared, but I'll save you the eye strain. I'm not sure if many of you have experienced similar things, but having somebody in your family be diagnosed with cancer is a terrible thing, but at the same time it truly does bring you closer to that person. Seeing somebody's body change in such radical ways as what chemotherapy does is quite traumatizing, yet at the same time you care for that person and the person realizes it. This is what brought me and granny so close. Cancer is a devastating thing for anybody to go through or even observe, and this is how it was for me. Granny was special to me in ways that no other person ever will be, and still influences me to this day. September 21, 2006 marked the 5 year anniversary of my granny's passing, and that day I was thinking about why I fold. I really considered why I, along with millions of other people, look for computers to borg, look for cycles to donate, look for ways of increasing production. And I wondered to myself, why do I fold?

In many ways, folding is something many of us do for fun. I find folding fascinating myself, a biological process we are only beginning to understand fully, yet something that is so complex and accounts for so many disorders and diseases that we cannot even begin to comprehend the implifications of the data we are processing every day. Why do I fold? It's a matter of remembering the past and looking to the future. My granny is the primary reason, but there are so many more that will need the research we do today. Even if my CPU cycles help 1 person in the long run, isn't that worth it? Isn't that worth running 24/7/365 for? The folding@home project has already been very successful. These simulations help scientists every day get closer to a cure. While we may not find the cure for cancer for another 5 years, or another 10 years, or even in our lifetimes, we must continue borging/folding/overclocking (only when stable though ;)). Imagine if your car, when parked in your garage or sitting idle at stoplights were able to be driven to deliver relief to impovrished countries or to do disaster relief. Imagine the impact that would make. It's a direct parallel to folding, why not donate what you're not using? It's about time that we ramp up our production, get a competitive spirit going within the folding community, not only for ourselves but for the billions of people who benefit from the research we do every day.

So what drives you? What do you have to lose from setting up a quota of rigs to borg yourself each month? What do you have to lose from telling your friends about the project?

For ourselves, for the fold, and for humanity.

Fold on!
7

Como
09-24-06, 09:21 AM
I pretty much only fold to get the points, and inflate my e-ego. doing better than other people makes it fun to pick on them.

I'm really an awful person, doing the right things for the wrong reasons.
Page one, here I come.

eystan
09-24-06, 09:33 AM
I fold because this morning,my wife's blood sugar(Diabetes sucks) was 398:bang head :mad:
I fold because I don't like giving my little angel concerta or ritalin :mad: :mad: just so she can get thru the day.(ADHD sucks too)
I fold because I miss my cousin marge(Leukemia really sucks):mad: :mad:
And I also fold because I like kickin butt pointswise!!!!

vaiopup
09-24-06, 09:46 AM
Lotsa reasons, lost my father and other relatives to cancer.
Another relative has cancer right now and it is looking bleak.

Also, I have spent most of the last decade working in nursing home with Alzheimers/Parkinsons/Cancer sufferers so I see the devastation it can cause every day.

That be why I fold.

WarriorII
09-24-06, 10:17 AM
Thank you for sharing Seven. :)

I like the people in here really that and http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=453184

:attn:

silent bob
09-24-06, 10:37 AM
I fold for me ( smoker )
I fold for points much like seven , and I think most people . Yes it has a greater cause but with giving points , I think Stanford also wants the point whores .
Does it really matter why we fold just as long as we DO fold ?

dfonda
09-24-06, 10:45 AM
I) To help the team 32 out.
2) Its a good thing.
3) To have a better excuse for upgrading.(other than playing games)

harlam357
09-24-06, 10:51 AM
I Fold for a better tomorrow! I Fold for stability! I Fold for Team 32!

Very inspirational Seven... thank you for sharing! :thup:

:attn:

Seven
09-24-06, 12:41 PM
I know my production has been slacking recently, I haven't had the time to really borg a ton with Junior year on me 24/7, but I'm working on bringing a few new rigs into the mix. I have a Vaio that I'm going to get to fixing one of these days, but it probably just needs a new cheap HDD.

But I digress, this thread was for both me and you guys to really reflect on why you fold, and what you can do to boost production.

JackNSally
09-24-06, 01:42 PM
I fold for cures. I have family members i've lost due to cancer and also my family has a history of skin cancer. The points are nice but I do it really for the cures.

hitbyaprkedcar7
09-24-06, 09:04 PM
I fold to hopefully stop people i know from getting cancer.

Iv been lucky and no one close to me has had cancer.

I fold to save a life in the future.

Seven
09-24-06, 11:55 PM
Good feedback on this thread, keep it coming.