Distributed computing uses multiple computers or multiple processors to work on a single problem. This has been taken even further with the Internet by having thousands of voulunteers use the spare cycles on home computers to perform complexed calculations to many problems. Since I have a few extra cycles when I leave my computers alone for a while, I have joined the search.

Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing is an open source computer network that allows you to join several projects.

Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) using your home computer at SETI@Home. I currently I have 23,249 credits for the search.

Einstein@Home is a program that uses your computer's idle time to search for spinning neutron stars (also called pulsars) using data from the LIGO and GEO gravitational wave detectors. Einstein@Home is a World Year of Physics 2005 project supported by the American Physical Society (APS) and by a number of international organizations. I currently I have 8,783 credits for the search.

PLEASE NOTE: I have no control over any external links. If you go to them you do so at your own risk.