Foldit

Have people told you playing computer games is a waste of time? Next time someone tells you this, show them Foldit. Researchers at the University of Washington have turned protein folding into a game. Despite the power of today's super computers, there are still some ares in which they are lacking, and perhaps always will be.

Analysis shows that players bested the computers on problems that required radical moves, risks and long-term vision -- the kinds of qualities that computers do not possess.

The game looks great. You get to manipulate a 3D model of a protein and fold it to get a high score. There are an assortment of tools to assist you. It was good fun to be able to rotate the model and zoom in and out as well as move it around.

I've played through some of the tutorials. For me, part of the problem was not understanding exactly what I was doing. I think I need to have a better idea of what I am supposed to achieve with each puzzle. I think this type of game would suit someone with good visualisation skills. That is not my forte but I did have some fun with it.

I find it fascinating that someone thought of making protein folding into a computer game. Not only did they do that, but researchers are learning from the results of the game.

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