Yep. I wouldn't let something like this come between friends.

to be honest all of this hullabaloo is on similar lines to the poster who said that the image of the HIV Virus in FAAH screensaver scared them

I am sure that you are a whole load more scared if you have the HIV Virus

Likewise if you have Hepatitis C or Malaria the thoughts of a teenager around being bullied at school or the fact that the World is unfair are far from your mind.

Let's get real and crunch like we mean business


Dave again

omg I remember that post - hilarious

Here's my opinion...

(1) I'm volunteering my CPU time, I want something in return... a nice graphic is perfect, and really beneficial. It's satisfying to watch it at work... it really emphasises the work that my computer is doing.

(2) I'm not a great fan of america and it's culture (big understatement). As a UK citizen, I strongly object to the americanisation of TV and lanugage in the UK, and american foreign policy. I would rather support a non US based grid effort, but I can't find any with the same multi-project worldwide aim, so I reluctantly let my desire to do good override my objections to supporting anything american.... but please DON'T rub it in my face that this is an american grid...

It's called WORLD community grid... I really really really object to having references to AMERICAN schooling scrolling across my screen... if there was an even mix of quotes from around the world, in different languages, I might not mind, but such a clear american bias is really off-putting.

(3) A good graphic is an excellent way of recruiting more volunteers. A good graphic captures peoples imagination and attention before they even know what it's about, which then encourages them to find out more.

Without the graphic it's difficult to sell the concept to those who aren't familiar. (When my boss asks why my CPU is constantly at 100%, I can and do show him the graphic to show him that it's nothing sinister... it really does help alleviate concerns that it might otherwise be a virus)

(4) The real benefit of grid computing is in the numbers. It's far better to have 100 computers running at 10% than 1 running at 100%. To get the best critical mass of computers for the grid requires it to be as simple as possible.

99.9% of computers around the world are operated by non-technical people. It's these computers that are really going to make the difference, not the 0.001% operated by us geeks.

If WCG wants to get the best grid possible, the default setting must not require the user to do anything to obtain a 'benign' unoffensive setup... it's no good telling people to turn off the graphic after they've been bombarded with messages they might find offensive. It's too late then. Most users I know wouldn't want the hassle or know how to... they'd just take the easiest option and stop running it.

To succeed as a WORLD community grid means that it must not BY DEFAULT show anything that might offend it's contributors from around the globe, otherwise it will lose support.

For a country like the USA where in-your-face sex, drugs and violence are the norm, having an american run grid that genuinely understands and respects the ultra-conservative attitudes and values common in numerous other countries around the world is going to be an enourmously difficult task... but necessary if WCG is truly going to be a WORLD effort.

(5) When I signed up (and I hope it's still the case), WCG made a big point that the effort was being organised by IBM and had an advisory board which included member of the United Nations. This gave the impression of a serious, trustable grid effort for a worldwide community, for worldwide benefit.

Having un-moderated drivel and ramblings of american school children shoved in our faces does nothing to help maintain the trust and image of an international effort that (I thought) WCG was supposed to be.

Moderated and carefully selected positive inspiring comments from around the world would be great. But they need either to be neutral in and of themselves, or neutral through selection (i.e. a balanced selection from around the world... which could include american comments but only amongst other international comments).

If WCG just becomes a cheerleader for america, and how (supposedly) 'great' america is, and how america's problems are the only ones relevant (by virtue of the fact that only amercan issues are the ones being displayed, or only american viewpoints on issues), then I won't be contributing much longer... I don't want to know about the american school system ... I have no idea what '8th grade' is, and don't want to know, so please don't tell me.

Keep the graphics country and culture neutral (or at least truly representative of the worldwide effort this is supposed to be) or I'm out of here.

Huh? If you want a free sex and drug zone, go to Amsterdam. Y'all are learning about violence since there are more minorities there now that don't fit into your formerly homogeneous society.

We're good about simulated sex and innuendo. We just got a 25 year senator (our equivalent of the House of Lords) to resign for kicking the guy next door in the bathroom/loo stall and reaching down to pick up a piece of paper...which turned out to be a business card from the policeman sitting in the next one waiting.

Culture is a trade-off. Remember, Victoria wasn't the ultra-Victorian conservative. It was Albert, after all.

The British military tends to be very rude and crude toward their enlisted personnel. There's also a British rudeness on the forums.

There is a LOT more censorship in American television than European.
Commercials here tend to be ordinary. Award-winning commercials tend to be European, since there are less restrictions and they contain more bedroom humo(u)r.

Cartoons that are seen to be run-of-the mill in Europe cannot be posted on American websites due to offensiveness toward children under 13.
"Family" content is a guiding force here. Cursewords that are ordinary in Europe are routinely edited out on this and other forums.

As of March 2, 2006, at least 139 people have died primarily during riots stemming from protests against Danish Mohammed cartoons.

We fought a revolution to keep our frontier culture, thank you very much. We wanted to get away from the stuffy old monarchy. Taxation without representation, and all of that. I can't complain too much because Wm. & Harry are 18th cousins. My earliest ancestors left in a hurry because heads were rolling...primarily aristocratic heads and royal heads. The peasant and serf heads simply starved. The second and third born didn't inherit any property, so we're out'ta there. The line succession was also juggled to have a German elector so that the Catholic Stuart line of Scotland and the Beaufort line of John of Gaunt couldn't compete for the monarchy. Many, many west European immigrants to this country are descendants. Some got stuck in the Irish potato famine and others were shipped over here as indentured servants. One of mine got a seven year sentence in the colonies for breaking a chicken's leg and another died in debt to the overseer..this place served the same purpose as Australia did later...got rid of burdens to society and emptied out the European jails, though.

The admin HAS scrubbed some of the student comments, and you will likely not see much of that in future projects. The screen shots I have seen of the African Climate modeling look rather anonymous, as seen from geosynchronous orbit. Changes could still be made in the Dengue presentation.

Do any of your countries compete in the Miss UNIVERSE contest? Should we all help crunch for SETI@home to find other planets to compete?

Got'ta go. The WORLD series is coming up, but it's only for U.S. baseball teams.