It would be interesting to see what would occur if the 7.3 million people under correctional supervision in the U.S. were to have access to this project, and perhaps given some additional incentive.
There will be obstacles to overcome, but everything to gain. Just a suggestion. Think about it. Pass it along.
spam. delete and ban user.
At least this spam is less offensive than the Viagra ads I keep getting in my e-mail. :-)
Deleting and banning this user is a bit harsh considering I believed my suggestion was just a brainstorming of possibilities, of which I labeled it as such with a status of lowest priority. I understand though that not everyone thinks the same way, and those that think the most different are the first to be persecuted and banished.
But consider this… Consider the raw processing power/ brainpower of even just 1% of the prison population whom have nothing else to do all day. I apologize if the mere mention of having them help humanity is deem so preposterous that it could not even be considered. If there isn't at least 1 out of 100 prisoners capable and willing then perhaps I'm wrong. This shouldnt be about gaining points but rather increasing output. Perhaps not for this project, but maybe the next. Perhaps not for this generation, and perhaps not even this country but maybe somewhere and some time it will be seen as brilliant.
Playing the persecution card will not get you anything.
I know you have high hopes, but as seen in schools, forcing people to fold leads to unruly behavior and general ill-will among the populace. The results will be detrimental.
Please stop whining about how we're horrible and dull, and you're the savior of SCIENCE (tm)
-thunk
The internet is full of all kinds of people. Some have mental disabilities, some are very elderly or are just young children. Then there are others that genuinely are ignorant or simply have poor reading comprehension skills. Not sure which if any applies to the above comments so I'll not respond further.
My perception of this suggestion box was to offer a suggestion in the hopes of evolving an idea via the community. I do not believe I deviated too much with brainstorming this simple concept.
Happy folding. :)
I'd say that this is an interesting attempt at thinking outside the box. But I have to agree with the other commentators that the biggest obstacle to this idea is implementation. Consider the following:
How does this project contribute to the goal of "rehabilitation"? (Of course, the same could be said of manual labor that prisoners have to perform, but that's a separate issue.)
Suppose that a prisoner is "lucky" enough to directly contribute to a major scientific breakthrough via Foldit. Should that person be eligible for recognition and/or monetary rewards? (Why, or why not?)
Security issues. While not all prisoners are dangerous to the rest of the society in their current state, some might be– so there has to be a guideline to determine who has access to the Foldit project (to minimize the chance that it would be hacked by those who are guilty of IT-related acts of sabotage, etc.)
And then there's the issue that anthunk has raised: this shouldn't be forced. One theoretically possible option would be the "opt-in" (as opposed to "opt-out") approach, where prisoners would be allowed to play Foldit as a reward for good behavior. But even then, designing the guidelines for that option would be a challenge.
[Bottom line: The idea has potential, but it needs to be further developed.]
the main problem I see would be the chat. It is an integral part of the game, but there is no way we could allow that!
Consider this suggestion noted, but we'll just leave it at that.
Sorry apdjbs1, not want to offend you.
We have alot spam bots from time to time that are registering on site and not play the game just throwing less or more random posts and/or feedbacks.
When I look at your profile you have nothing on it from game, so I assumed it is one of that kind.
…
Lurked again, you not even load game to see it? Strange.
Brainstorming means coming up with any idea that pops into your mind, no matter how bizarre. Organizing means pruning the ideas that don't pan out. I think this fits into that category. If correctional officers want to allow prisoners internet access, that's their prerogative, not ours.