I thought I’d write a bit of an plug for a program I participate in, using a lot of the computers I use to write my articles with.

I use my idle computer time to contribute to a project called Folding@Home. Folding@Home uses the spare processing power on your computer to run simulations of protein folding. Before proteins carry out their function, they have to assemble – or fold – themselves. Unfortunately, the folding process can and often does go wrong, leading to serious diseases, including Alzheimer’s, Mad Cow, Parkinson’s, and others. By simulating the folding process, scientists can use the results to find out more about these diseases, and eventually find a cure.

There’s a good chance that you or someone you love will encounter a disease related to protein folding at some point in life. Instead of feeling helpless in the fight against that disease, you can join devoted scientists that are helping to cure it!

Check out the folding@home website to get your hands on the Folding@Home client. Once you’ve downloaded it, begin the installation. It will guide you through a number of steps to get started. Remember to enter team 35054 when it asks you for a team number! That’s ours.

Folding@Home FAQ: http://folding.stanford.edu/faq.html
Our Folding@Home Team Page: http://leovillefolding.com

Team 35054′s Folding Statistics

Thanks for your help, if you can contribute!

Apple released new iMacs at a media event on August 7th, 2007. With them came a new keyboard. Since I didn’t have a grand laying around to buy a new iMac, and my PC suits me well, I decided to purchase this new, “revolutionary” keyboard that Apple included with the iMac for myself so I could use it on my PC.

The keyboard retails at $49 from any Apple store by itself. There is also a bluetooth wireless version available, which for some reason does not include a number pad. If I find a use for the wireless model I will be purchasing one of them as well to review. This review will focus on the wired model.

As I said a bit earlier, I purchased this keyboard not to use with my MacBook (or any other mac), but instead for use with my 3 year old Windows XP PC. Previously I had been using an Apple Pro keyboard, which is the keyboard that came with old G4 PowerMacs, and was quite happy with that keyboard. Apple does not officially state that this keyboard works with Windows XP/Vista, but I knew from previously using a Mac keyboard with my XP machine that they do work, with a bit of tweaking. This is done with a program called SharpKeys, which allows you to re-map any key on your Windows keyboard to do something else. An example: since the Mac keyboards don’t have a PrintScreen key, I used SharpKeys to map F15 to use as PrintScreen.

The keyboard itself is a very svelte, all aluminum design with chiclet-style keys similar to the MacBook laptops. It takes up a very minimal amount of space on a desk, almost the smallest you could possibly get a full-size keyboard while still retaining the number pad keys. The angle the keyboard uses is a bit less than most keyboards that have legs to prop themselves up on, and it isn’t a height that you can configure. This is a minor nuisance for me, but it may be a big deal for people with carpal tunnel issues.

The feel of the keys is very nice. I’ve been using the MacBook’s keyboard for a while and I enjoy typing on it. The keys bottom out with much less work than a regular keyboard, which I find makes it a lot easier to type faster. The extended keyboard layout has special function keys for Mac features like screen brightness, volume, eject, play/pause, and Exposé. It requires an update on Mac OS X to get them to work, as some of them have changed locations from the earlier Mac keyboards. None of them work properly on Windows, until you throw SharpKeys into the mix. I was able to program other keys for Volume Up/Down/Mute and Stop. You can get a lot crazier with this if you wish.

There are two USB 2.0 ports, one on each side of the keyboard, which are an upgrade from the USB 1.1 ports in the old Apple Pro Keyboard. However, they are still unpowered and won’t work with your iPod, which is something apple claims works (?). You can plug your mouse or other less-demanding (or self-powered) USB1/2 devices into these ports.

Overall, I really like this keyboard, and at $49 retail, it’s well worth the price if you’re looking for something new to type on. As I’ve stated in my review, the Apple Keyboard (2007) works with Windows XP and Vista with some tweaking with SharpKeys.

I definitely recommend buying one, but try it in the store first.

Key Positives:
+ Sturdy aluminum casing
+ Thin, small profile
+ Volume/Media controls
+ Has two USB 2.0 ports

Key Negatives:

- May put off people who like keys that are more tactile.
- USB 2.0 ports are un-powered and located under the keyboard, so you have to lift up to plug anything in.
- Keyboard height is non-configurable