My point is had our hardware been accepted maybe this outage could've been reduced or even avoided entirely.

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Don’t forget the SETI Store as a way to donate, and you also get something!

I have no green star, but I know I’ve given more to SETI (in dollars through the store) than I would have given, if I decided to make solely a cash donation.

I walk down the street now in my SETI T-shirt’s and hat, sipping from a SETI mug, signing checks upside down with my astronaut pen and zapping girls at bars with my green lazer (its super powerful) to get their attention. That’s how I met my newest girlfriend. I call her one-eyed Wanda.

Try the SETI Store!

the only good thing about this, is that its nothing wrong with my systems, i've spent hours last night trying to work out what was wrong.

problem is i'm going away for a week so i hope my comps start work as soon as its up and running. if not then it will be a week of power wasted.

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Asus STRIKER EXTREME 680I SLI Socket 775
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6700 2.98GHz OC'd per core
OCZ DDR2 8GB 1150MHz
EVGA 8800GTX 768MB ACS3 KO 2 in SLi
WD Raptor X 150GB SATA 10KRPM 16MB Cache
2 x 500 gb sata
Coolermaster RealPower 1000W Modular PSU

I have a green star, but even if you don't I firmly believe that your participation in this project is of significant value. I would like to see Seti@home continue and thrive and it was for that reason alone that I donated some money. We each have our own resources and give what we can. If you can afford to give money then I encourge you to do so. If all you can afford to give is some of your computer's time (including electricity to power it), then on behalf of all of us, THANK YOU!

The green star is not that big a deal. You can donate $10 or $100,000 or more and it is the same green star. I know what I gave, and it was not insignificant. No else knows and that is fine.

As to the donation issue. Tax law in the US is a very complicated body of law. But just to set the record straight, I asked my tax attorney about the deductability of a computer used for Seti@home. The tax code provides that you cannot deduct the value of your time voluenteering, but you can deduct the costs incurred to do volunter work. So if you have a computer that is running Seti@home 100% of the time, then yes it's cost would be an allowable deduction. If your computer is not running Seti 100% of the time, then you run into a very grey area. If you can "prove" your costs then they would be allowable deductions. However, the proof may or may not be recognized by the IRS. In otherwords if you are using the computer for other things, you probably should avoid trying to deduct the costs. They are allowable, but is the potential tax savings worth a potential audit?

Sorry I know that most of this is off topic, but I just had to follow up.

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I see that the old argument about donating computer time, resources and paying for electricity to do so IS a donation to Seti. While I agree that it could be called a donation of sorts it is not the kind of donation that Seti truly needs at this time.

If you can afford to purchase and operate a computer for Seti you should be able to afford a $25.00 per year financial donation for Seti. That is the bottom line in my view. My grandaughter who is 10 years old could afford a $25.00 per year donation and I fail to understand why there is not more participation here.

I am on a fixed income, disabled, and I can do it! Have donated 3 times in fact!

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Boinc....Boinc....Boinc....Boinc....

Well as for me I would like to hear the forensic examination of how the Sun set as it were. Also would like to hear the why's as to the rejection of the donated hardware. Mere curiousity.

In regards to donating, everyone here is responsible for keeping this alive one way or another IMO. Nuff said on that.

P.S. @ WaveMaker good one. Will have to try my luck out with a lazer next time I frequent a liquor establishment. Beats those silly pickup lines, eh? Thanks for the idea.

Antony

So, with the *known* difficulties in receiving uploads, will the due dates for existing work be push back?? So far the only response to this I've seen is that since uploads don't fail 100% (probably closer to 90%),there is no reason to push out the due dates. Frankly, that doesn't make a lot of sense to me and it also seems, that given there is little to do on the database server side until some new hardware shows up, that performing the task of artificially pushing out due dates by a week or more would be an action of 'good will' on the project admin side of things.

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So, with the *known* difficulties in receiving uploads, will the due dates for existing work be push back?? So far the only response to this I've seen is that since uploads don't fail 100% (probably closer to 90%),there is no reason to push out the due dates. Frankly, that doesn't make a lot of sense to me

Actually, the uploads generally do work 100%. The problematic area is in the reporting of the work. My Pentium 4 host ended up in a 6-day holding pattern (I caught it and manually hit the update button at 137 hours to go). People with larger farms, with computers at distant locations, or are "RONCO" boxes ("set it and forget it") may start running into problems very soon...

Its good news that the new server will be up and running soon, and that SUN was kind enough to take care of it.

I want to thank all the hard work by the Admins for over the years of keeping the systems running as well as they have.

I really find it funny that such a large group of people who are willing to take there time, money, energy and resources to aid in this project are either so easily offended by comments or so egotistical about cash donations.

For years I crunched Seti with out ever making a cash donation, Yes I have a green star, I made my huge $25 donation WHOOOPI DO. I at the time could afford it so I CHOSE to make it. IT does not reflect on anyone else but ME. It does not make me anymore important or special then anyone that has not made a cash donation.

We should all be proud of ourselves and each other for what we ARE doing. We have proved the success of Distributed computer! We have search through increadable amounts of data, analyzed it and started and HUGE new trend in Computer science.

IF sending money makes your ego bigger HEY good for you, If spending 2k on a new computer to proccess more data gives you and bigger EGO good for you, If spending 300$ month on power does it GREAT.

But what should be boosting your ego is the fact that WE all of US, regardless of where we are from, race, creed, color, nationality, sex, sexual orientation, finacial background, religion, ect ect ect are working together for something that either here with Seti or one of the other Boinc pojects is aiding and assisting our fellow man/women/morons.

My 5 cents, dam inflation

as for why I do it, its fun:)!

OK, fair point, but the problem is the same in terms of work deadlines being missed, right? So the distinction, while accurate, is not significant regarding the missed deadlines, and thus the request to push out the due dates (and I have some with 5/5 due dates that are not getting reported even with a manual push) is the point, right?

Perhaps this is one of those cases where the request has to be properly formed to get a constructive response from the SETI Admin folks -- so here is my corrected request:

Given that the *reporting* of completed work is KNOWN to problematic at this point (and has been since Tuesday), can we PLEASE have a revision to existing work reporting *deadlines* to reflect a response to this reporting problem. A general push back of say one week to ten days on all deadlines strikes me as a reasonable response in as much as the *KNOWN* reporting problem is not likely to be resolved until some time next week (best case).

I'd like to see this responded to as something of a matter of 'keeping faith' with the community.

Actually, the uploads generally do work 100%. The problematic area is in the reporting of the work. My Pentium 4 host ended up in a 6-day holding pattern (I caught it and manually hit the update button at 137 hours to go). People with larger farms, with computers at distant locations, or are "RONCO" boxes ("set it and forget it") may start running into problems very soon...

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Now let's see, where did I bury that mainframe with multiple redundant processors and RAID-5 disk arrays?

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I never said I was committed to sanity. It is the dark places of my mind that I find facinating.

NthDegree

Then it might be cool if Eric Korpela (not Pappa) could elaborate on why the two servers offered by our team were not accepted??? This could clear up any confusion.

*bump*

just in case it get's buried in all that rub***h ...

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Join BOINC United now!

Nope not true - I gave no such stipulation - it was an open offer with no strings attached. It was an open book - They spec it out, order it, and I would pay for it. I did not care about naming conventions, only that they get a machine that would work for them.

If I do remember there was some talk about a stipulation machine naming, but that was not in my email offers to them.

Is the offer still open? With no strings attached?

Later, I read some earlier posts in this thread and I see the offer has been withdrawn. Sorry I posted so quickly, I guess I just got excited.

Kevin, Blurf

I have to appoligize, I know you ordered the RAM that was badly needed... I also know that others also contributed large ammounts to get Bruno running... I am reactive when people who give selflessly and desire their names to be kept hidden, are over shadowed by others that do not seem to be the ones giving and appear to be demanding something... Then I do be come overbearing, for that I appoligize.

Yes, Your Selfless act as one of the Leaders of Seti USA is Important! Thank You!

One of the reasons that I desired an email from you so that I could have put you in touch with Eric... Just that simple... I do not desire to be anyones enemy, I do desire to keep Seti Alive...

Kevin

OOPS! I mistakenly acknowledged Seti USA in Down Time (May 01 2007) for their massive donation... I know that the Donated RAM (from Seti USA)
Regards

Pappa

That is the problem - the SUN has crashed -

I wonder - how that donated server (that was not accepted) would have worked out in a situation like this.

Not my point at all "PAPPA" (you are NOT my PAPPA!, and I don't have to answer to you) - you were not involved in every discussion or email I had with them (Eric, Matt, etc..)now were you- And why bring SETI.USA into this - this was just a couple of people or two donating hardware.
I gave them and open book - told them that they could choose and order any machine they wanted, they choose the machine, decide the specs and order it. A new machine, just about anything they wanted. And I would reimburse them or pay for it. I was not taken up on the offer. Not my problem. I have the email chain to prove it if I must. Now the offer is withdrawn.
Pappa - your comment is not welcome, you are not the all knowing gate keeper, this is not your project.
OUT!

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Please consider a Donation to the Seti Project.

Please excuse me if I wander off topic from this discussion in the abstract and finger pointing as to whom to lay fault with, but..... Sun is building a new replacement server that will (or should) arrive Monday (7 may). Give them a day to set up and we will all be online and donating again Tuesday.


I can't say it any plainer than that.

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Kevin, Blurf

I have to appoligize, I know you ordered the RAM that was badly needed... I also know that others also contributed large ammounts to get Bruno running... I am reactive when people who give selflessly and desire their names to be kept hidden, are over shadowed by others that do not seem to be the ones giving and appear to be demanding something... Then I do be come overbearing, for that I appoligize.

Yes, Your Selfless act as one of the Leaders of Seti USA is Important! Thank You!

One of the reasons that I desired an email from you so that I could have put you in touch with Eric... Just that simple... I do not desire to be anyones enemy, I do desire to keep Seti Alive...

[quote]Kevin

OOPS! I mistakenly acknowledged Seti USA in Down Time (May 01 2007) for their massive donation... I know that the Donated RAM (from Seti USA)
Regards

Pappa

[quote]
That is the problem - the SUN has crashed -

I wonder - how that donated server (that was not accepted) would have worked out in a situation like this.

Pappa I know you mean well, and so do most of us - but I am the kind of person that does not like middle men. No offense. The previous posted email from Matt and Eric was not meant for public knowledge, and never was meant to be posted. The donation that never was - was done between me and the admins at Berkeley on purpose, so it was kept anonymous. Now it has been brought out in the open for self defense. Something that should not have had to happen, and in the future, when you make comments - you may need to think that you are not the only person in the SETI project with access to the administration.

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I guess its a case of Murphy's law. If it can go wrong, it will.

The best of luck to getting things up and running again.

Kevin

The "middleman" thing gets in the way at times Yes! I guess the small advanatage is, I have a couple phone numbers to call or email from me gets attention a bit quicker... Then if it is the right phone call you can then talk person to person... I know that Matt, Eric and Crew are normally taking whichever crisus is currently happening (crisus management)... So getting full information is tough.

That said, I will bring up one of the topics that I discussed over coffee with Eric... Information Flow, one of the solutions would be, Team Leaders (and concerned parties) could have a Private Forum/Email to discuss how to move Seti past "This is a Crisus." If more people are on the same page then it is easier for everyone, Teams know more and can respond more quickly. Then the things that Seti Users keep asking for can happen, it removes some of the information burden from the Seti Staff...

I really would love to chat with you, more people working on ideas to keep Seti Alive is definately better...

As for the email, I am sorry that I had anything to do with putting you in the position...

I will disappear, Sunday I leave for a long overdue vacation to Hawaii... NO I am Not taking a Laptop!

Edit
For most users this is too much information... We all have a Common Goal to find ET! What you thought I typed was not necessarily transfered correctly from the Keyboard to what you see in the Forum...
/edit

Pappa I know you mean well, and so do most of us - but I am the kind of person that does not like middle men. No offense. The previous posted email from Matt and Eric was not meant for public knowledge, and never was meant to be posted. The donation that never was - was done between me and the admins at Berkeley on purpose, so it was kept anonymous. Now it has been brought out in the open for self defense. Something that should not have had to happen, and in the future, when you make comments - you may need to think that you are not the only person in the SETI project with access to the administration.

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Please consider a Donation to the Seti Project.

Pappa--

While I appreciate your apology for being "overbearing"-it's a continuing trend. I've received 5 personal emails today alone (and have since our last "Clash of the Titans") from people concerned with your involvement in the hardware donations. As I said before maybe you should stick to the Cash Donation side--you're VERY good at that.

I don't care about recognition....I just want to end these outages. There is a reason people are emailing ME about these concerns....please try to consider that point.

With all due respect, I will call and speak with Eric personally next week about my concerns.

I am done.

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[...snip]

As far as I know noone except a US citizen can deduct when donating to a US entity, so perhap's they could remove us from mailing system? We do fill out where we are from so it shouldn't be impossible.

Carl

That all depends on where you are.
From the Seti@home donation page:

Q: What if I'm not in the U.S.?
A: The conditions for tax deductibility described above may only be applied to taxes paid within the United States of America. For any other country or territory, the local legislation and/or International Conventions may sometimes allow you to benefit from similar local deductions, which would apply for the reasons of supporting educational projects and scientific research. You must verify these conditions yourself.

I'm in Canada, and have donated before. I've received a tax receipt, and my accountant says that it's not a problem. Since the donation itself goes through Berkeley, I assume it's covered under the "educational projects and scientific research" section.

Now THAT'S a thought... personally, as a full-time student with a family to feed, cash avalability is the thing that's holding me back, but your idea may tip some people far enough, scienide. Thanks for mentioning it!

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