The PC Review Crew II

[bootneck02]

This may seem a silly question but the PC Review Crew II seems to have 86 members but looking at the daily result sheets there only seem to be on average 11 active members.
I am assuming that those members who are in grey are members who are no longer active and some of those have never actually accrued any points so never have crunched. It seems such a pity we have so many members but so few participating. I wonder what others of the group feel and how we can encourage existing non participating members to resume crunching and how we can encourage new members to sign up and participate.
I personally feel that by being a member and allowing ones CPU to be a benefit to others in help solving some of the big medical issues primarily in the Third World is a privilege and is my bit in giving back to society because I am lucky to have a PC which will help others who are not as lucky as me to cure some of the worlds ills.

 

[TriplexDread]

I did it for quite a while mate. Problem was was cost of leaving 1, 2 or even three machines running. It was costing an awful lot more than normal so decided to stop

 

[floppybootstomp]

I crunched for nine years with three to four machines and mostly 24/7.

I consider that a fair contribution.

For various reasons, one of which was the rising cost of electricity, I retired from crunching. So if I'm listed that's why I'm greyed out.

Just by way of an explanation

 

[Anon_F]

Ady Webb & Mucksifter now retired & others got me crunching.
I dont do it 24/7 but do try to do as much as i can.

Those who are "in the grey" are still in my mind those who have gone the extra mile to help others and they may be retired but still have my respect for doing crunching in the first place.

I'm off my soap box now!

 

[nivrip]

I can see what you're getting at Bootneck but, as stated above, many of the regulars who do not crunch now did so for long periods in the past and made a great contribution.

The list of people on PCR Crew II is just like the list of PCR members in one sense. PCR has about 83,000 members according to the list but we all know that the vast majority of them, after signing up, are never heard of again and the number of active members is miniscule. Click on the names of Today's Birthdays and notice when they last even looked into PCR.

All forums are the same, thousands of members and a handful of active ones. Most members look in only when they have a problem and never again.

So, the active members who crunch will just keep going and hope that we get a few newbies joining in now and again. In the time I've been crunching there has been little change (perhaps a few more in my early days), some drop out and some join in and the numbers remain about the same.

Don't think there is anything specifically that we can do.

 

[Anon_F]

Don't think there is anything specifically that we can do.

Ian could shower us with gifts & freebies!

Or i could do one of my crunching adverts that people still think are true! Ian had to sought of tell me off because some really did think we were offering freebies

 

[Ian]

It's always going to be a challenge to get people crunching, bootneck - but I understand why you are keen to try and draw attention to the cause . Many people crunched for a while and contributed lots to the cause (it's going to take years to knock Ady from the top )

FWIW - I don't crunch 24/7, only when my PC is on and would otherwise be showing a screensaver.

 

[bootneck02]

Thanks guy's for the response and yes I understand many people have done a lot of crunching and also the cost, I am having to look at only crunch only when my PC (and not 24/7 as I have been doing) is on as I have had a bit of a shock when my electric bill came in. And yes it seems to mainly the same contributors to the site conversations unless someone has a problem then they post and you never see them again until they have another problem, or only see them once when they sign up.

Yes Ian I think that I will be in another place before Andy gets knocked off the top, so I wont see that day

 

[crazylegs]

I have been crunching for many years on various projects, and I have always crunched only when my machine would have been on screensaver after I had made a cuppa or something or left the machine whilst doing something else..

I never did understand why everybody started leaving the nest so to speak as all they had to do was run it as a screensaver only...I'm sure WCG and others out there that provide the crunching never meant for anyone to have umpteen machines running 24/7 365
which is what a majority of people were doing here, leaving just your standard PC running the client in the background is surprisingly effective and you are doing no more harm to your electric bill than if it wasn't running at all.

 

[Taffycat]

Much kudos to the retired crunchers for their outstanding generosity and contributions to the crunchy-cause.

And, hear-hear to Crazylegs' eloquence, very well put Mr Legs.

It would be such a pity though, if other, would-be volunteers, chose not to crunch, just because they might assume that only 24/7 crunching counts. 24/7 Crunching is not necessary, every crunched unit helps, regardless of whether someone crunches for 2 hours per day, or 24! It all adds up to make a huge difference to humanity, imho.

It's good to be part of a team, plus, the daily stats thread is a nice way to keep in touch (a bit like having a shout-box in a way ) There are congrats when someone achieves a milestone, or gradually climbs the ladder, but, chart positions are not the most important thing. Taking part is. Letting BOINC run in the background, whilst doing your normal thing, is what counts; most of us probably forget that it's even there. It can just do its thing whilst you are social-networking, Youtubing, or doing whatever you like to do.... simplez.

 

[bootneck02]

I think that TC and crazy legs have put things into perspective it it the participating that counts and perhaps not the amount of points one earns. It more about the members of the team crunching for as much as they can afford financialy and time wise to produce the results that may benifit the the team as a hole and more importantly the health of the world.

 

[Abarbarian]

When I started to crunch all the info I got was about running at 100% and 24/7 etc etc . I did try to point out that you can set up Bionc to run at say 10% all the time which would mean pretty low results but would not cost the earth and be kinder to your pc and would not interfere with daily tasks.
I see now that some folks have stopped crunching because of cost which is a shame and I am sure that a lot of newcomers are put of by this factor.

I feel that new and old crunchers may be tempted to join if more "advertising" were to point out the benefits however small of running Boinc at a 10 % or similarly low usage which would reduce user costs to a much more aceptable level yet still enable the user to help out with Boinc's important work.

That is just how we look at things in tykeland, look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves. Or as the local vicar said "I do not care if you put a penny or a pound into the collection box as long as you put something into the box as every penny will be put to good use" .

 

[bootneck02]

Hi Abarbarian I agree whole heartedly with you I don't think we put enough information out there on how to set up WCG to what an individual wants to do on their PC. For example I did not know that I could crunch on multiple PC's it was not RAMMIE came on the site that I investigated what I had to do. I think advice would help on the software would help. I would guess that many of PCR members are like me amateurs and need to be pointed in the right direction

 

[RAMMIE]

It's always going to be a challenge to get people crunching, bootneck - but I understand why you are keen to try and draw attention to the cause . Many people crunched for a while and contributed lots to the cause (it's going to take years to knock Ady from the top )

FWIW - I don't crunch 24/7, only when my PC is on and would otherwise be showing a screensaver.

It's hard to get people to start crunching.Harder for those people to keep at it.They don't see an immediate benefit for themselves.Just the way our society is at this time.I crunch for my grandchildren and their children.If the cost of these machines and the power to run them ever took away from my ability to put a roof over our head or food on the table I would quit in a heartbeat.

(it's going to take years to knock Ady from the top )

.

Ya think so?

 

[crazylegs]

I'm sure if Rammie put his mind to it it would be a matter of weeks!

He racked up 10 years in just over 21 days of crunching..

 

[Taffycat]

One of the things which always impresses me the most, is the number of years' worth of research being clocked-up for the researchers. Collectively, our own PCR team has managed more than 197 years' worth!

To put that into perspective, answers which would otherwise have taken the researchers until the year 2208 to achieve, are already in! (If my maths is not letting me down that is )

Each one of us is making a valuable contribution. Significant scientific and medical breakthroughs are already being achieved, so even the smallest contribution is a welcome contribution to the overall cause.

Sadly, disease is something which touches most families and, even those who are fortunate enough to have a healthy family, will probably be acquainted with someone who is not so fortunate. That's life these days. So to be able to be even a small part of the greater research picture, is so worthwhile imho.

There can be very few families in the country, who don't own at least one computer. What an enormous difference they could make, if only they would give crunching a chance.

As others have already commented, crunching does not have to be 24/7. It can be as much, or as little, as an individual feels they can comfortably - and affordably - allow. But evidently, much more publicity is needed to educate and inform people about crunching.

 

[Abarbarian]

So here is a thought.

Why not have a joint effort to produce a step by step guide to joining the PC Review Team.

This could be accomplished by using MINUS

https://minus.com/

Three or four people could or more could take one small part of the process,

How to get Boinc

How to join WCG

How to set up Boinc

How to behave at the Team parties

How to set up for differnt os's

etc etc etc

By collaborating and using the Minus account (everyone has the password) as a central repository the entire task would not be too onerous on any individual. Everyone would see what was being done and be able to make suggestions for improvement etc etc.
Then for every new registered user to the site a welcoming message could be sent (automated) including a message about the team inviting them to join.

Once the guide had been set up and running we could do a one of mail shot to bloggers magazines etc etc etc to give the guide a decent launch.

After that it is in the hands of the great unwashed and any gods that may be interested.



For inspiration take a look at my super excellent Idiots guides to GNU/Linux that I used to post.

I could find some time to help in a few weeks but at the moment I am too busy rescuing my reputation from being trashed by a vindictive witch hunt.

 

[bootneck02]

That is a good idea Abarbarian I would be willing to have a go at imputing on one of the areas you mentioned, but someone would have to read through what I have written as I get a bit confused on long writing long instructions as I am dyslexic and what I mean does not always reflect in what I write and am a heavy user of spell checker and dictionary, but am willing to have an input as I will also learn as well.

 

[Abarbarian]

That is a good idea Abarbarian I would be willing to have a go at imputing on one of the areas you mentioned, but someone would have to read through what I have written as I get a bit confused on long writing long instructions as I am dyslexic and what I mean does not always reflect in what I write and am a heavy user of spell checker and dictionary, but am willing to have an input as I will also learn as well.

https://www.pcreview.co.uk/forums/mandriva-one-2009-1-install-walkthrough-t3806628p2.html

Have a look here for ideas from the idiots guides I made. Then all you need is a couple more folks and you are of and running.

Set up a Minus folder and you will have taken the first step. All you have to do then is find some willing hands to give the access to it.

Remember the movie about baseball out in the boonies. Build it and they will surely come.

 

[bootneck02]

OK so who else is up for it