COVID-19 needs your GPU!

[ImaginativeTruth]

Hello fellow simmers.

 

Major universities and research centres have called for computational access to GPU's to support research into COVID-19.

 

All the details are here : https://github.com/FoldingAtHome/coronavirus

 

Perhaps you could lend a few of your GPU hours to the cause.

Edited March 15, 2020 by ImaginativeTruth

[L3Pl4K]

I am on it.

[Rjel]

I'm in. Hope it helps.

[SARFlytitus]

I'm in !!!!

[FlyingH]

Joined!

[Stoopy]

5 hours ago, ImaginativeTruth said:

Hello fellow simmers.

 

Major universities and research centres have called for computational access to GPU's to support research into COVID-19.

 

All the details are here : https://github.com/FoldingAtHome/coronavirus

 

Perhaps you could lend a few of your GPU hours to the cause.

 

 

Great cause but be sure to check settings or disable for flying sessions.  I installed this yesterday but noticed my FPS was halved when flying today, it does not automatically scale down as might be expected in all cases.

 

[ImaginativeTruth]

44 minutes ago, =[TIA]=Stoopy said:

 

Great cause but be sure to check settings or disable for flying sessions.  I installed this yesterday but noticed my FPS was halved when flying today, it does not automatically scale down as might be expected in all cases.

 

 

I think you can set the app to work only on idle, and you can also 'Pause' any work - through the taskbar icon, or the webviewer app.

 

I also set the app to only use my GPU's, not CPU.

[Zooropa_Fly]

Considering this thing is clearly a bio-weapon, somebody somewhere already knows all about what it is.

[150GCT_Veltro]

14 hours ago, Zooropa_Fly said:

Considering this thing is clearly a bio-weapon, somebody somewhere already knows all about what it is.

 

We don't know, but please don't call anymore it a simple "flu", please don't repeat the mistakes we did in Italy at the beginning of the infection.

 

This is Bergamo, North East of Italy, one of the best health care in Europe....this is the so called "FLU".

 

 

 

[RAY-EU]

 

[Lusekofte]

15 hours ago, Zooropa_Fly said:

Considering this thing is clearly a bio-weapon, somebody somewhere already knows all about what it is.

Only matter of time until someone unleash a conspiracy theory. 
It out-spring come from China, like SARS , Bird and swine flu.  
Difference this time is we got absolutely no protection against it. As we speak thousands are about to get immunity, others , a very few % 

will because of known and unknown factors die. 
A effective or less effective vaccine, will be on the marked in about 12 month. 
History will tell if this was a disaster or a time of miracle. History do not look at the thousands dying as a bad thing, we look at it differently

[AndyJWest]

People were recycling conspiracy theories from the start. 'Recycling' rather than creating because they are almost inevitably mutations of an existing strain .Such brain-infections help those who catch them convince themselves that they are in control, and that only they know what is 'really' going on. Any relationship with objective reality is at best coincidental,  though on the whole the conspiracy theories that spread fastest are often ones that bear no relationship to reality at all and rely on denial of the obvious. Fortunately the side effects are often minor, since theories that kill those who hold them tend to die out (see e.g. the recent demise of the flat-Earther rocketeer), and at least a subset of the population develops some immunity after repeated exposure.

 

The safest way to avoid such brain-rotting disease is of course to isolate oneself from those infected, and if one has contact with them, to wash ones hands (and brain ?) afterwards.

Edited March 17, 2020 by AndyJWest

[Zooropa_Fly]

The fact that there is a BSL4 facility that's been meddling with exactly these types of strains, less than 300 meters from the alleged source of the outbreak is easily verifiable. No conspiracy.

If one chooses to believe that's a mere coincidence, fine and dandy.

 

My hope would be that out of this, humanity demands an end to Biological warfare labs and the like.

But it won't.

 

The US Center for Disease Control estimates 300000 - 650000 flu related deaths annually.

So the numbers relating to this outbreak don't seem like a great reason to dismantle civilisation as we know it, bit by bit, as is currently happening.

[AndyJWest]

45 minutes ago, Zooropa_Fly said:

The fact that there is a BSL4 facility that's been meddling with exactly these types of strains, less than 300 meters from the alleged source of the outbreak is easily verifiable. No conspiracy.

If one chooses to believe that's a mere coincidence, fine and dandy.

 

My hope would be that out of this, humanity demands an end to Biological warfare labs and the like.

But it won't.

 

The US Center for Disease Control estimates 300000 - 650000 flu related deaths annually.

So the numbers relating to this outbreak don't seem like a great reason to dismantle civilisation as we know it, bit by bit, as is currently happening.

 

So who exactly (other than conspiracy-mongers) is alleging that the location of the source of a virus can be narrowed down to within 300 metres? And what is a 'source' anyway? Viruses mutate all the time, without human intervention,  and it didn't take biological warfare labs for the Spanish Flu to kill something of the order of 50 million people over a few years.

 

As for biological warfare, I'm against it. Though I'm not sure that asserting that the Chinese are developing biological weapons is a particularly effective way to encourage others to close their labs down, since they generally claim (whether truthfully or otherwise) that such labs are for research into defending against such weapons, rather than using them.

 

And as for the merits dismantling civilisation, opinions are divided. ? 

Edited March 17, 2020 by AndyJWest

[Jaws2002]

1 hour ago, AndyJWest said:

People were recycling conspiracy theories from the start. 'Recycling' rather than creating because they are almost inevitably mutations of an existing strain .Such brain-infections help those who catch them convince themselves that they are in control, and that only they know what is 'really' going on. Any relationship with objective reality is at best coincidental,  though on the whole the conspiracy theories that spread fastest are often ones that bear no relationship to reality at all and rely on denial of the obvious. Fortunately the side effects are often minor, since theories that kill those who hold them tend to die out (see e.g. the recent demise of the flat-Earther rocketeer), and at least a subset of the population develops some immunity after repeated exposure.

 

The safest way to avoid such brain-rotting disease is of course to isolate oneself from those infected, and if one has contact with them, to wash ones hands (and brain ?) afterwards.

 

 

Sure... you know better than people that worked all their life in this field:

 

Dr. Sona Pek is one of the top molecular biologists in the world. She was the first to develop a test to identify the presence of Coronavirus in the human body. It is called the simle test. She has also analyzed the virus at the molecular level.

Her finding is that the virus is man-made, in a laboratory. That is, that its genetic code has been modified by human intervention.

The test she developed can detect the presence of COVID-19 in just one hour. She has published her findings and offered them free to medical experts around the world.  Here is the link to her findings (sorry, its in Czech):

https://www.ta3.com/clanok/1178494/virologicka-s-pekova-o-vzniku-epidemie-covid-19.html

[AndyJWest]

Dr. Sona Pek is one of the top molecular biologists in the world.

 

She is a molecular biologist, certainly. As for being a top one 'in the world' I'd need a source.

 

She was the first to develop a test to identify the presence of Coronavirus in the human body.

 

Again needs a source, though coronaviruses seem to have been subject to research long before Dr. Peková was born - the common cold is an infection often caused by a coronavirus.

 

It is called the simle test.

 

Can't find it via Google (which seems instead to find what are evidently misprints for 'simple'). Source please.

 

She has also analyzed the virus at the molecular level.

 

Possibly. There are may researchers worldwide doing exactly that.

 

Her finding is that the virus is man-made, in a laboratory. That is, that its genetic code has been modified by human intervention.

 

And the scientific community's reaction to her findings has been what?

 

The test she developed can detect the presence of COVID-19 in just one hour.

 

I read somewhere yesterday that someone else has a test that can be done in 15 minutes. But whatever. If the test works, it detects the virus. It doesn't prove that is man-made,

 

She has published her findings and offered them free to medical experts around the world.

 

Good. Perhaps you could provide a link to these findings, or at least provide a title.

 

And since I can't understand Czech, the video tells me nothing. What I can say however is taking what a single scientist has to say on a subject as proof of something isn't the way science works. In the words of Carl Sagan "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence”. If Dr Peková is right, and convince others within the scientific community that she is (which will require independent verification), I'll be more likely to give the idea serious consideration. For now though, since whether the virus is man-made or not makes no difference to me in terms of how I should behave, and since it wouldn't appear to make any difference in terms of treatment either, I'm going to assume that Dr. Peková's assertions are unproven. Which is of course the appropriate response by anyone with the slightest confidence in the scientific method as a means to determine anything of consequence. Which I'd assume would be Dr. Peková's own response to "extraordinary claims".

 

Edited March 17, 2020 by AndyJWest

[jollyjack]

Yep, agree with Andy,  but if there is something really valuable to this Sona Pek github FoldingAtHome thing it might be worth helping out ...

 

Some translation efforts by google:

https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ta3.com%2Fclanok%2F1178494%2Fvirologicka-s-pekova-o-vzniku-epidemie-covid-19.html

 

and another page: https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.epochtimes.cz%2F2020%2F03%2F16%2Fvirolozka-pekova-koronavirus-mohl-vzniknout-laboratorni-cestou-a-omylem-uniknout%2F&sandbox=1

 

IMO Sona Pek advocates a conspiracy theory, but the majority of virus experts say it originated from bats.

one more link and i'll stop, in hopes of a cure to be found soon ... maybe Sona can help there?:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/01/200131114748.htm

 

Edited March 17, 2020 by jollyjack

[Swing]

conspiracy theory is an even more dangerous virus than covid-19 ... highly contagious ... and present everywhere on the planet ...

[AndyJWest]

So we have a link to a translation of an article where  (subject to caveats regarding Google translate's accuracy and somewhat mangled output) Dr. Peková explains that she "does not exclude the possibility that it was created in a laboratory manner because some of its gene characteristics correspond to this". It also repeats the suggestion made earlier (without citing a source) that the virus may have arisen via a "leak that happened by accident in the epicenter of Wuhan", where she says that a level-4 genetic engineering laboratory is located.

 

Two things to note here. Firstly, there is a hell of a difference between saying that one "does not exclude the possibility" of something and stating definitively that it is true. And secondly, she apparently says nothing there about biological weapons. If there is a laboratory in Wuhan involved with genetic engineering (as opposed to genetic research) it is hardly the only one in the world. 

 

Given the lack of real evidence here, and given no indication of how she arrived at her conclusions, I'm going to treat Dr. Peková's apparently equivocal statements with a  some scepticism. More data required...

 

The emerging consensus (at least for now) seems to be that COVID-19 found its way into the human population via the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, in Wuhan, possibly via pangolins sold there which had been in contact with a bat host for the original coronavirus. Given reports of some of the products on sale there, this seems entirely possible. Zoonotic diseases (those originating in other animals, subsequently spread to humans) are common, though some possible examples (e.g. tuberculosis) have been with us so long that it isn't entirely certain whether the disease first had bovine hosts, or human ones. As far as a virus is concerned, one mammal species may not be different enough from another to matter. Or at least, not enough to matter when rapid replication means that mutations which are better adapted to the new host are going to be plentiful. Crowd people and animals together, and practice poor hygiene,  and you've built yourself a 'genetic engineering laboratory' entirely by accident. Not that I hold the Chinese particularly responsible for this, given that one can find similar conditions in much of the world. If in the most developed parts of the world we have managed to do  better, it is because we have had the resources to do so. China has some catching up to do in this regard though, and I suspect that the latest events may well provide the spur to do so.

Edited March 17, 2020 by AndyJWest

[Jaws2002]

1 hour ago, Swing said:

conspiracy theory is an even more dangerous virus than covid-19 ... highly contagious ... and present everywhere on the planet ...

 

 

Then go ahead and just believe everything the government tells you without even trying to search it for your self. 

Don't you see that 90% of what mainstream media is telling people is utter BS? It's the same with this virus as it is with international politics, internal politics and all aspects of life. 

 

 It's 21st century, you have the internet to your finger tips. Why don't you try to dig up yourself for the truth about the world we live in, instead eating everything the corporate media tells you?

 

I think we are going to lose most of our rights and freedoms when this mess is said and done. And it's going to happen because people are too lazy.

 

"The sleep of nations creates monsters".

[AndyJWest]

Ah yes, the "everything is a lie except the things I decide are true" argument. Very convincing.

 

As for the internet, why is it that the conspiracy-mongers always seem to assume that the 'mainstream media' is full of fakery, but that those responsible aren't capable of also faking random YouTube channels about shape-shifting-lizards, or whatever it is they are so convinced they hold the exclusive truth to. By the 'logic' involved in most conspiracy-thinking, the entire internet could be fake from top to bottom. It's probably been set up to find the 'free thinkers', so they can be sent off to brain-realignment clinics.  ?

 

Anyway, I've said my piece here, and it is dragging this thread way off topic. If people want to believe that COVID-19 is a plot to do something-or-other (boost the profits of bog-roll suppliers?) I don't really care that much as long as they don't do anything to exacerbate its spread. And if they do that,  my earlier comments about theories which lead to the demise of their holders could well apply.

 

Keep safe, everyone. Wash your hands and your brain regularly. ? 

Edited March 17, 2020 by AndyJWest

[BraveSirRobin]

46 minutes ago, Jaws2002 said:

 

 It's 21st century, you have the internet to your finger tips. Why don't you try to dig up yourself for the truth about the world we live in, instead eating everything the corporate media tells you?

 

It’s a well known fact that anything on the internet must be true.  Check and mate.  Well done.

[6./ZG26_Custard]

We all have to be  cautious and sensibly but we also have to look at things with some perspective. In 2017 approximately 80, 000 people in the USA died from flu. in 2015 29,000 people died of flu in the UK. Annual deaths from flu worldwide are estimated to be anywhere between 290,000 to 650,000 deaths that are recorded. The number is probably higher than this.

 

COVID-19 is clearly a very serious virus and we won't know what the long term effects will be.

 

One thing is for sure  though, it is a huge economy smasher. Added to this the mass panic buying, stripping of supermarkets and lack of toilet roll is beyond believe. unfortunately, this has been fueled to a large degree by the mass media. 

 

In the meantime, I hope that we can look out for one another and try to keep calm and carry on.

 

Edit: I have turned the news feeds off because its just been 24 - 7 for the last 2 weeks

 

Edited March 18, 2020 by 6./ZG26_Custard

[Jaws2002]

1 hour ago, 6./ZG26_Custard said:

We all have to be  cautious and sensibly but we also have to look at things with some perspective. In 2017 approximately 80, 000 people in the USA died from flu. in 2015 29,000 people died of flu in the UK. Annual deaths from flu worldwide are estimated to be anywhere between 290,000 to 650,000 deaths that are recorded. The number is probably higher than this.

COVID-19 is clearly a very serious virus and we won't know what the long term effects will be.

 

  What's scary is not the virus, but the reaction of the entire world governments!  That alone tells me there's a lot more to this than just a flu. Millions in quarantine, entire countries locked down, armies on the streets and world leaders urging their citizens to come home while they still can.... This never happened in my life time and I'm 48. 

   We had wars, revolutions, pandemics but the governments never reacted this way. ...They always knew more than what they told us.

 

 

That's what makes it scary.  That's why i think it's more to this than "just a flu".

 

Edited March 18, 2020 by Jaws2002

[AndyJWest]

Spanish 'just a flu" killed around 50 million people. Possibly 100 million. While only infecting around 25% of the world population. COVID-19 will probably infect at least 70%, though many will be asymptomatic. Spanish flu had an unusual mortality peak in the 20-30 age group (see graph), whereas COVID-19 seems to be more typical for flu in that the elderly are most at risk, in a similar pattern to the 'normal' flu for 1911-1917 shown below.. 

The younger of you here will no doubt take comfort in this, but for those of us getting on a bit, there are very good reasons to be concerned. And 'getting on a bit' tends to be a trait of many of those in power around the world too. I don't think we need to look for sinister motives to understand their reactions. At this point, preventing the virus from spreading worldwide is essentially a lost cause, so all that can really be done is to slow transmission rates down, in the hope that healthcare facilities aren't totally overwhelmed. I'm resigned to catching it, probably sooner rather than later, and I'm just going to have to see how well my body copes. Looking at the mortality data we have so far though , I can say that the odds could be a lot worse for me, so my thoughts are with those most at risk. This is the grim reality. I see no need to assume anything particularly significant is being hidden. I'd be more concerned if governments weren't acting.

[BraveSirRobin]

1 hour ago, Jaws2002 said:

 

That's what makes it scary.  That's why i think it's more to this than "just a flu".

 

 

They're reacting this way because they're beginning to understand how bad this really is.  

 

Worse than just a flu