Here here!

Whether or not we ever discover little green men (and the odds are very much against us), we have advanced science in our own way. It's not unfair to say that SETI is now a by-product of BOINC and certainly gets a huge benefit from it. Of course, donations from here and elsewhere are welcome, but they don't come close to covering running costs. So, rather we act as guinea pigs than have no project at all.

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Stats site - http://www.teamocuk.co.uk - still alive and (just about) kicking.

I never said Seti shouldn't be the guinea pigs for BOINC, what I do object to is instances like this, and it isn't the first. When BOINC code has been introduced badly thought out, badly implemented and full of bugs with no prior warning.

IMO the BOINC devs, as soon as the Fermi problem was noticed, should have written/modified some code to identify Fermi GPU's.
Then got this code to override their requests for GPU tasks with a red msg explaining why and inviting them to the Beta site to test the Fermi app.

Why he choose to introduce the CreditNew system with AFAIK no testing is beyond me and IMO irresponsible.

Distributed computing has been proven. Proof of concept complete.

ET has not been found. For what ever reason. And that is why the users here
are here.

If they want to use this to BETA test for Nvidia, that in my opinion might be worthy of a project of its own.

But we are not here for the whim of BOINC. And as I said before, I do not
willingly BETA test. There are many that do. There are many that do not.

If all the minds at the helm have no focus on the original task at hand,
then the second portion: search for extra terrestrial artifical signals is
a failed concept.

If that is the case if there is no focus on the original task..then it is
time to either fix it, or throw in the towel. Either way.

I like the idea of putting idle GPU power to the road. And honestly most of the
CPU only projects I would have nothing to do with, since most involve genetic engineering.. which I have personal and political issues with.

But if my purpose here is to do development testing work for nvidia, then let me know. Personally at that point some monetary compensation TO the users might be in order, not donations from.

If the real focus is still to find ET, Then happy to keep my computers crunching. I have a screw driver and a ground strap and know how to use them, and will travel.

Respect is a 2 way street.

I never said Seti shouldn't be the guinea pigs for BOINC, what I do object to is instances like this, and it isn't the first. When BOINC code has been introduced badly thought out, badly implemented and full of bugs with no prior warning.

And without following BOINC's own guidelines for Recruiting and retaining volunteers. I genuinely like and approve of this one:

Take an active role in your web site's message boards. Read them frequently, and respond quickly to any negative threads that arise. Make a periodic posting giving 'insider info' on your project.

In a situation like this, they had three choices:

1) Block Fermi cards entirely, as you suggest in the other post, or merely block them from stock app downloads - allowing anon. plat. downloads.
2) Install the Fermi application (only), which IMO was/is just as safe as the stock v6.08 (unchanged since January 2009) and v6.09
3) Throw a whole load of marginally tested and even less debugged code into a live project, well known for simulating a hornet's nest when prodded.

OK, so they chose (3) - their call (actually, probably his call). But if you do that, I think you have a duty to recall as many troops as possible from leave, equip them with full protective suiting and a loud-hailer, and send them out into the jungle - er, message boards. It's the - I think it's fair to say hypocritical - failure to communicate which is inexcusable.

SETI is of course still the aim, but there's little money in it, and little will to fund it either. That's why NASA pulled out all those years ago, and why the likes of The Planetary Society had to step in.

If the project acting as a testbed for BOINC, or nVidia, or ATi, or whoever else come calling (within reason - there are lines I'd draw), gets the project the funding it needs to carry on (that's your monetary compensation, by the way) then bring it on!

The project needs tens of thousands of dollars p.a. to just survive, let alone move forward. That money has to come from somewhere. With all due respect and appreciation to those who have donated, a few hundred $10 donations from volunteers just doesn't do it.

Now some of you aren't going to like that. You sound like one of them and fair enough. You have that right.

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Stats site - http://www.teamocuk.co.uk - still alive and (just about) kicking.

DC computing is my LIFE..........

Get a grip on THAT........

You simply have no idea.
Or would wish to.

Correction...it should be: "SETI is my LIFE......"

Otherwise you'd be supporting some other projects with that massive farm as well.

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SETI is of course still the aim, but there's little money in it, and little will to fund it either. That's why NASA pulled out all those years ago, and why the likes of The Planetary Society had to step in.

Small quibble to set the historical record straight - NASA didn't "pull out", the U.S. Congress kicked them out, by removing funding for the projects, and telling NASA "you will NOT spend tax dollars on this foolishness". That's when/why the Planetary Society, National Space Society, and other pro-space groups stepped up. Many in NASA and the space science community are members.

Donald.
Charter Member, Planetary Society
Life Member, L5/NSS
Infernal Optimist/ Submariner, retired

SETI is of course still the aim, but there's little money in it, and little will to fund it either. That's why NASA pulled out all those years ago, and why the likes of The Planetary Society had to step in.

Small quibble to set the historical record straight - NASA didn't "pull out", the U.S. Congress kicked them out, by removing funding for the projects, and telling NASA "you will NOT spend tax dollars on this foolishness". That's when/why the Planetary Society, National Space Society, and other pro-space groups stepped up. Many in NASA and the space science community are members.

Clarification duly accepted for the masses. I already knew that but misspoke.

(ex-Planetary Society Member - quit because of the incessant begging letters but that's for another time and place).

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Stats site - http://www.teamocuk.co.uk - still alive and (just about) kicking.

We are once again getting some small funding from NASA. Thanks, I'm sure, to some very creative writing of a grant request from Erik and co.
As examplified by this extract from the Astropulse FAQ

What else might Astropulse find?
In addition to ET, Astropulse might detect other sources, such as rapidly rotating pulsars, exploding primordial black holes, or as-yet unknown astrophysical phenomena.

You can imagine that SETI@home is a search for a gold needle (ET) in a haystack. During the search for a gold needle, Astropulse might occasionally find a silver needle (a pulsar or black hole.) These silver needles have their own scientific value, even if they don't represent extraterrestrial communications

In Einstein@home we are seaarching for binary pulsar systems in data provided by Arecibo.
Tullio

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In Einstein@home we are seaarching for binary pulsar systems in data provided by Arecibo.
Tullio

Yes, I wonder some time ago are these searches coordinated at least...
E@h publish found (re-observed at least) pulsars.
It would be very interesting to know how it correlates with AP results from same sky point... Though they use very different parameter spaces perhaps (that is, allowed pulsar's orbital period for example).But it's just guess no info available as usual...

DC computing is my LIFE..........

Get a grip on THAT........

You simply have no idea.
Or would wish to.

Correction...it should be: "SETI is my LIFE......"

Otherwise you'd be supporting some other projects with that massive farm as well.

OK..........

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"Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." Alan Dean Foster

Yes, I wonder some time ago are these searches coordinated at least...
E@h publish found (re-observed at least) pulsars.
It would be very interesting to know how it correlates with AP results from same sky point... Though they use very different parameter spaces perhaps (that is, allowed pulsar's orbital period for example).But it's just guess no info available as usual...

That's right. We get very little information on many BOINC projects. I would say CPDN is the best from this point of view.
Tullio

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DC computing is my LIFE..........

Get a grip on THAT........

You simply have no idea.
Or would wish to.

There is no need to be rude Mark .....

Did not mean to be.......

Maybe 'brash' would be the term. eh?

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"Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." Alan Dean Foster

SETI is of course still the aim, but there's little money in it, and little will to fund it either. That's why NASA pulled out all those years ago, and why the likes of The Planetary Society had to step in.

Small quibble to set the historical record straight - NASA didn't "pull out", the U.S. Congress kicked them out, by removing funding for the projects, and telling NASA "you will NOT spend tax dollars on this foolishness". That's when/why the Planetary Society, National Space Society, and other pro-space groups stepped up. Many in NASA and the space science community are members.

Donald.
Charter Member, Planetary Society
Life Member, L5/NSS
Infernal Optimist/ Submariner, retired

Lets see shortsighted members of Congress stop individuals who work for NASA, Oh and Constellation? Congress isn't going to roll over and say Uncle on that, Not Completely at least. :D

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The T1 Trust, PRR T1 Class 4-4-4-4 #5550, 1 of America's First HST's

OK, so they chose (3) - their call (actually, probably his call). But if you do that, I think you have a duty to recall as many troops as possible from leave, equip them with full protective suiting and a loud-hailer, and send them out into the jungle - er, message boards. It's the - I think it's fair to say hypocritical - failure to communicate which is inexcusable.

Amen, Brother...

"What we have here is a failure to communicate"

(Guess what movie that is from - hint - it's named after a Federal Agency)

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OK, so they chose (3) - their call (actually, probably his call). But if you do that, I think you have a duty to recall as many troops as possible from leave, equip them with full protective suiting and a loud-hailer, and send them out into the jungle - er, message boards. It's the - I think it's fair to say hypocritical - failure to communicate which is inexcusable.

Amen, Brother...

"What we have here is a failure to communicate"

(Guess what movie that is from - hint - it's named after a Federal Agency)

There is a federal agency called "Cool Hand Luke"?

OK, so they chose (3) - their call (actually, probably his call). But if you do that, I think you have a duty to recall as many troops as possible from leave, equip them with full protective suiting and a loud-hailer, and send them out into the jungle - er, message boards. It's the - I think it's fair to say hypocritical - failure to communicate which is inexcusable.

Amen, Brother...

"What we have here is a failure to communicate"

(Guess what movie that is from - hint - it's named after a Federal Agency)

What we have here........
Is a failure to link correctly.

And I don't like it........

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"Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." Alan Dean Foster

Oh, Lord.......

Whatever it is I have done.......Don't strike be blind for a couple of more minutes........LOL.

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"Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." Alan Dean Foster