The first folding year

_k_k P-Town, Texas Icrontian
edited April 2011 in Folding@Home
This has been an interesting time. I ended up in the place where I am in regards to the team because of my complaints with some of the info we had. Complaining about trying to get admins for the folding sub-section to change things caused me to become and admin for the same section. Low and behold I got this crazy idea in my head that since the team as a whole didn’t seem to have a direction or leaders that I should do it myself. Where the community failed I might succeed.

One man, fighting against the odds giving his life to save the world. _k folding champion of the world. Coming to a theatre next fall.

After a few long nights getting all of the f@h stickies up to date for the time I felt like I had actually done something. Right about this time I started to think about who the team was and what they were doing. Thinking about the old leaders, the old programs, the old producers. The light finally had shown down when I said fuck you old people. The team was built on the backs of the “original team” but it had to be carried on the newer generation’s backs and their efforts.

The trick was how to motivate them and educate them in the evolving game that is folding. Time complexity being the biggest obstacle for me to over come was what played the largest role. How could I do something worth while but not eat up a huge amount of time? This is where I decided on this challenge system that would run the course of an entire year. Allowing people to spend part of their time each month involved with the team but if they needed to skip a month or two it wouldn’t negatively impact them any way.

So I started issuing challenges on a monthly basis and keeping track of who completed them and who failed at them….you know who you are. Then to give a little more cred to what I was doing I started making those nifty little images where it listed the winners of each challenge. Then if you didn’t catch it I added a much more tangible incentive to the challenges and said I am going to mail you a shirt for completing half of the challenges. Which people should be getting PMs soon asking for mailing addresses and shirt sizes so I can get the ball rolling on that. QCH is kind enough and give me a very nominal price on some spare shirts.

Then to top it all off one sleepless night I was thinking about how said I was with a dead 9800GX2 sitting on my dresser and didn’t want to throw it away. If it isn’t going to get thrown away then it better get used for something besides a paper weight so it got retooled to be the secret trophy of Team 93 with an inaugural group. As an extra benefit each year the person running the team is suppose to add a name or two to the trophy, three is to many, and then pass it on to the next leader. The dream is actually to have a computer built of dead folding equipment that is kept at ICHQ and all Icrontic folders can travel to pay homage and sign their names to.

I feel like I have rambled enough for now but I still have more to say. Respect to the team and all of the active members. We are not pushing up the ranks any more but we are still holding strong in the top 100 which is more than most everyone else can say. We met the real goal I had of having a stable average at 400k+ and our low days when it hit the fan not drop below 350k. The team has become more dynamic than Leo pounding out the frontier and we all ride his coat tails but the whole team is stand abreast chopping at the wild thistles. A toast to you all.

--end of message

Now feel free to share your hate or praise. Point out the team wants another direction or to hold the course. Stake your desire to hold the reigns or let them drag on the ground. The community has been really silent in regards to the group. I am tired of people’s general complacent nature. SPEAK UP, learn to use your tongue again. Show the hive mind is still living and useable instead of something withered and dead that simply weighs down the body as the master drags its beast forward.

Attached is the spread sheet for the challenges so you can see easily who did what.
Folding Challenge winners.xls

Comments

  • TushonTushon I'm scared, Coach Alexandria, VA Icrontian
    edited February 2011
    I don't think anyone will disagree that your attempts (and success) at motivating people to start/redo their folding has been successful. You'll never get the entire forum energized, because some people can't (or won't) afford the extra energy bill, but I imagine more people just don't want to devote the minimum of time required to keep their boxes folding.

    Thank you for your efforts! I'm going to put together a new quick and dirty guide, maybe with pretty screenies for GPU and SMP tonight, so there's that. I'll post it as a thread, sticky it or comment for changes.
  • csimoncsimon Acadiana Icrontian
    edited February 2011
    Yeah both of you got me putting out way more points than I was a year ago.
  • _vid__vid_ alabama
    edited February 2011
    thanks for all your hard work k and others!!! after taxes i might need that smp guide tushon!! hoping to pick up a cheaper quad core since i got new monitor with last extra cash i had. i was still using my crt from many a year ago! ;)
  • pigflipperpigflipper The Forgotten Coast Icrontian
    edited February 2011
    Hell, thanks to your efforts, I now run folding again when the computer is on (whenever I am home). Not returning many results because I am not doing SMP or GPU, but between this phenomII x4 and my lappy, I am returning a few results each week.

    Going to suggest it to my forum, see if I can't get them on board with the folding. Don't know if I should tell them to join Team 93 or form a new team. Would rather have them join 93, what do you think?
  • TushonTushon I'm scared, Coach Alexandria, VA Icrontian
    edited February 2011
    I got some of it done last week, finishing up tomorrow.

    @Pigflipper: Why would you run regular WUs instead of SMP? Do you know it won't complete the WUs in time? GPU WUs are really quick also, so you could get quick results that way.
  • pigflipperpigflipper The Forgotten Coast Icrontian
    edited February 2011
    @Tushon: I've never bothered to set up SMP and it finishes regular WUs in about an hour on average when the system is doing nothing else. As to GPU folding, no matter what I do, I can not seem to get my 5850 to run GPU folding.

    Be glad I am running it at all.
  • TushonTushon I'm scared, Coach Alexandria, VA Icrontian
    edited February 2011
    Gotcha. Yeah, folding on AMD is annoying as all get out. They really really really need to get OpenCL figured out so that AMD cards can compete. Of course I'm glad you are running something!
  • _k_k P-Town, Texas Icrontian
    edited February 2011
    I am still haven't heard back from Isevald or Enisada, I have sent them PMs again but am not keeping hope alive. If anyone else has a way to get hold of them PM me the info, it would be nice to even have them say no.
  • _k_k P-Town, Texas Icrontian
    edited March 2011
    Alright friday has come and gone with no response from the last two so I have the request for shirts into Q is being a real Gentleman with selling me shirts and helping out with the prizes. ETA on shirts...No idea sometime this month I guess.
  • _k_k P-Town, Texas Icrontian
    edited April 2011
    I feel this needs an update for anyone who is following. I have been slacking on getting the few hall of hero image/plaque created for the last challenges and the end of the year. Secondly picking a new person for the super secret folding trophy, THIS IS SO HARD REALLY IT IS.

    ETA on shirts is still unknown but don't worry this will happen please have patience.
  • 7im7im AZ
    edited April 2011
    Maybe the new V7 beta client they just released will energize some people. ;)
  • TushonTushon I'm scared, Coach Alexandria, VA Icrontian
    edited April 2011
    mayyyyyyybe
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