Facebook application takes over your computer for the good of mankind

Here's a story I wrote this week. It's about Intel using a Facebook application to let people's idle computers power a scientific project that is modeling climate change.

From the article:

"The Progress Through Processors application essentially takes a Facebook user’s unused computing power at any given moment to help run the researchers’ climate models at ClimatePrediction.net, as well as separate research on battling cancer and malaria.

Worldwide, the connected personal computers form a sort of supercomputer to help perform complex calculations. While participants are using their computers, the Facebook software sits idle, according to InformationWeek."

Personally, I'm not about to give my computer over to an outside source. But it's a cool concept that I'm sure many people will latch on to.