Do you want to contribute to science? The guys from Google had another great idea (via Google weblog). Everybody who has a computer and an internet connection can participate in solving scientific problems. Most of the time when you use your computer it is actually idle, doing nothing. Why not let it perform some calculations for a good cause? The thing is called Google Compute and is activated in the toolbar which I advise you to install in case you haven't done so yet. The Google toolbar is a small application which lets you enter Google search queries immediately, gives you information (backlinks, link popularity, related pages, Google directory category, cached page, translation into English) on the current site you visit and lets you perform searches which go directly to the first result (four-leaf clover) or searches of the current site only. It is the most useful surfing tool I know. The current nonprofit project your computer could support concerns the geometric structure of proteins. The detailed FAQ on Google Compute should answer all questions.

P.S. The Google toolbar four-leaf clover search which goes directly to the first result without opening the Google result page is extremely helpful. It is the equivalent to the "I'm feeling lucky" button on the Google homepage.Instead of typing long URLs or navigating in my complex favourites categories I now often type one or two search words which have the page I want to surf to as first result. Example: to go to josh blog I just type "kortbein" and then hit the clover button. This brings me directly to the site. Embarrassing but true: the fastest way I know to arrive on my weblog is to search for "sex blog" but "alex fritz" works as well.