I thought the article and games were very interesting, I have heard of similar things before but have never played or done any research on them. I think its amazing that ordinary citizens can work to solve scientific and world problems. The article was about a game called Foldit, and the users help solve how proteins are shaped and folded and the gwarp games help better search engines. The games combine human intelligence, like spatial reasoning in Foldit, to enhance computer programs. I think this is a great tool for the scientific community, as it inspires, educates and creates excitement for science in the users; it is also a great time and resource saver as multiple people with different perspectives work to solve one problem.
This game reminded me of other interactive features on the internet. The program Free Rice gives 10 grains of rice for every right answer to their games. It simultaneously educates the user while helping to end world hunger. It is different in that the answers do not go to solving scientific problems, but it is similar in that the users work towards something greater. Another similar feature is reCAPTCHA. Used as a security tool to authenticate logins, the program helps digitize books by having people translate scanned images into words. It is amazing how ordinary internet features can be transformed into tools that benefit the scientific community, and in reCAPTCHA's case directly impact information science.
I think games and programs like these are helpful for community and scientific reasons, and hopefully we will see a lot more applications of this technology in the future.
GWAP: http://www.gwap.com/
Foldit: http://www.realscience.us/2011/09/21/citizen-scientists-discover-key-hiv-protein/
reCAPTCHA:http://www.google.com/recaptcha
FreeRice:http://freerice.com/#/english-vocabulary/1493
This game reminded me of other interactive features on the internet. The program Free Rice gives 10 grains of rice for every right answer to their games. It simultaneously educates the user while helping to end world hunger. It is different in that the answers do not go to solving scientific problems, but it is similar in that the users work towards something greater. Another similar feature is reCAPTCHA. Used as a security tool to authenticate logins, the program helps digitize books by having people translate scanned images into words. It is amazing how ordinary internet features can be transformed into tools that benefit the scientific community, and in reCAPTCHA's case directly impact information science.
I think games and programs like these are helpful for community and scientific reasons, and hopefully we will see a lot more applications of this technology in the future.
GWAP: http://www.gwap.com/
Foldit: http://www.realscience.us/2011/09/21/citizen-scientists-discover-key-hiv-protein/
reCAPTCHA:http://www.google.com/recaptcha
FreeRice:http://freerice.com/#/english-vocabulary/1493
