15/11-22/11 William Herschel - theSkyNet POGS-complete

Alez · Post by **Alez** » Sat Aug 17, 2013 10:22 pm

http://boincstats.com/en/stats/challenge/team/chat/422

Name William Herschel - 275 anniversary of the birth
Status Upcoming
Project theSkyNet POGS
Issued by Astronomy.Ru Forum
Start time 2013-11-15 05:00 UTC
End time 2013-11-22 05:00 UTC
Late entrants allowed? No
Number of teams participating Â» 6
Number of users participating 0

Alez · Post by **Alez** » Wed Nov 13, 2013 1:05 am

Only 2 days to go...get those credit pendings in

it's chicken counting time again

Janos (retired) · Post by **Janos (retired)** » Wed Nov 13, 2013 5:50 am

No bunkering for me as I have lost control of my farm

Alez · Post by **Alez** » Thu Nov 14, 2013 1:35 pm

No bunkering here either. Running with a 0.25 day cache so can't be bothered.....plus I reckon that as I am up to over 450 pendings, there are lots of people out there bunkering for me

19 teams signed up so far, think it will be a dog fight to get a decent position.
Looking at the stats coming in on TJ's site I do believe that Mr Mega is doing a wee bit of hording though

Silver · Post by **Silver** » Thu Nov 14, 2013 3:13 pm

I think I have well and truly screwed this up. Didn't realise it starts tomorrow at 05:00 not tonight

Alez · Post by **Alez** » Thu Nov 14, 2013 5:42 pm

Silver wrote:I think I have well and truly screwed this up. Didn't realise it starts tomorrow at 05:00 not tonight

lot's of bunkering going on I suspect. Dump all the completed units now and start again. Good chance a lot of them will go pending anyway

Alez · Post by **Alez** » Thu Nov 14, 2013 10:18 pm

7 hrs to go....nearly all the big hitters are signed up now. This will be a challenge to get a decent result.

Post by **Megacruncher** » Thu Nov 14, 2013 10:56 pm

Alez wrote:No bunkering here either. ... Mr Mega is doing a wee bit of hording though

Not as much as you might hope.

Still I'll definitely be on it - good project, reasonable credits, lets go for it! :diabloanifire:

Alez · Post by **Alez** » Fri Nov 15, 2013 1:07 am

The fleet is prepped

, lets crush some amphibians

All hands on deck, we need skywalker to join in and Mr Gunn to show us pups the way

and since Mark is #2 in the stats, time to top up your total.

Post by **MarkRBright** » Fri Nov 15, 2013 9:46 am

OK I think I can guess - but I might as well let my noobiness shine here - but what is bunkering? hording? Why would you want to "Dump all the completed units"?
I think I am looking for a beginners guide to tactics for Challenges - it might bee a good FAQ or new Thread come to that. It seems that I could have usefully done some preparation here, but too late now.

Anyway at your request Alez I have thrown away a perfectly good TeraBok to join the challenge

, though my processing power leaves a lot to be desired (particularly by me) I shall do my wee bit. :bounce:

Alez · Post by **Alez** » Fri Nov 15, 2013 12:24 pm

Challenge well and truly off and running. We just managed to slip past Poland for 9th place. 1st is Seti.usa, long gone already. Apparently over 7000 units uploaded at 5am see here for news http://pogs.theskynet.org/pogs/forum_th ... d=302#1789

Mark, a FAQ is probability in order. Will try and put something together later.
To answer some of the questions just now, bunkering is indeed hoarding, caching etc of units. Basically fill your cache up with units some time before the challenge ( how long depends on your cache size you set and what else you are running ) When your cache is full you then suspend network ( or block the ip of the project in question ) and crunch away. Hopefully by the start of the competition you have a bunch of units ready to upload , which you do after the comp starts. You then crunch away as normal on the competition. This is regarded as normal practice ( not cheating ) and is actively encouraged. Some people will bunker for a week before the challenge

In my case I didn't bunker because my GPU's go through units too fast and I would have to run a ridiculous cache to get even a days bunker, or start blocking individual ip's. Instead I just started running flat out a day or two before the comp and had over 550 pending units, a large portion of which will validate in the first day as people return the units they have bunkered for me

In Paul's case,he misjudged the start of the comp by 12 hours. At that point it is better to dump ie. upload the units and start again, building a 12 hour or more bunker. If you were about to miss the start by a couple of hours then it would be prudent to simply sit on the completed stash until the start and then return them at that point.
Doing your wee bit is all we can ask. The more the merrier and all gratefully received.
The project stats are here http://boincstats.com/en/stats/challenge/team/chat/422
There is also a shout box for the comp and individual stats pages where you can find your position within the comp and team. I post updates every now and again.
If you look at the individual stats you will notice one of the biggest issues we have as a team. Namely there is not enough of us

Individually 3 of us in the top 100 and probably 1 or 2 more will get there, but we never have enough supporting cast. Look at the huge number of LAF or Seti.usa team members all putting in fairly modest totals which will end up with them having large team scores, compared to us in 9th at the moment but with only 6 ( maybe 8 ) of us taking part.
Punching well above our weight again

Alez · Post by **Alez** » Fri Nov 15, 2013 8:01 pm

Knocked this together http://www.dunadd.co.uk/seti/forum/view ... =17&t=2092.
Does this help ?

Silver · Post by **Silver** » Fri Nov 15, 2013 10:31 pm

Thanks for pointing out my lack of ability to read and count back the start time of the comp Alez

Another way to look at it Mark is that bunkering allows us people without huge crunching farms a chance to rack up some units before the comp starts, gives us a bit of a chance of keeping ourselves off the tail end of the leaderboard :)

Post by **MarkRBright** » Fri Nov 15, 2013 11:02 pm

It certainly does help Alez, thanks for that. Not sure my processing power justifies the effort in my case, I certainly wouldn't call what I have a huge crunching farm! but I will bear it in mind for the next time. Some useful information in there though, it's good to have contact with people in the know.
The one thought that strikes me is that if everyone agreed not to do this then it would be completely obsolete. Obviously, stupid and naive, I know. Mind you I expect that some groups (perhaps all) would laugh and say to the world "Of course we agree not to do this" and then do it anyway. It's only like it's not cheating because everyone does it!

Alez · Post by **Alez** » Fri Nov 15, 2013 11:52 pm

I would say it's not cheating because really there are no rules

Some people will always take it more serious than others. On this challenge I am running all my computers on POGS, but I am also running some servers on AWS. Is that cheating because I can't physically touch the equipment? As I said we are really a small team punching way above our weight, ever little helps.... oh ...and I am a pirate, so the rules don't apply

Post by **MarkRBright** » Sat Nov 16, 2013 12:38 am

LOL That is good enough for me!

Post by **PinkPenguin** » Sat Nov 16, 2013 9:02 am

Alez wrote:.... oh ...and I am a pirate, so the rules don't apply

...Yep! At least the normal one's don't apply. ...For the sake of authenticity I believe most pirate ships and corsairs operated under some kind of chasse-partie or code which was sworn to on a human skull (or some suitably gruesome reminder of the consequences of breaking the roolz).

Silver · Post by **Silver** » Sat Nov 16, 2013 9:26 am

We're sitting in 9th just now 250K behind Sicituradastra and 60K above the Knights who say Ni.

Janos and Alez are fighting over 26th, Mega is almost in the top 50, Skywalker, Pink Penguin and I are in the top 200 and Mark is sitting just outside the top 200 so far.
Fairly respectable performance so far chaps, keep up the good work

Alez · Post by **Alez** » Sat Nov 16, 2013 1:02 pm

Storme is chipping in to at 335th. 8 of us on the challenge now. Pity Buster hasn't joined us yet....and maybe McDitch or anyone else that fancies it

Seems the competition is also breaking all previous records for the project http://pogs.theskynet.org/pogs/forum_thread.php?id=303

We are holding off the Knights who say Ni and are ahead of our normal rivals of SETIKAH@KOREA, BOINC@Poland, and AMD Users. We are the top dogs of the smaller teams so far. Sicituradastra in front of us is probably a bridge too far, but staying where we are would be an achievement in itself.
Crunch on all

Silver · Post by **Silver** » Sat Nov 16, 2013 9:36 pm

WTF happened

We just got whipped by the Knights!

Post by **PinkPenguin** » Sat Nov 16, 2013 9:56 pm

Silver wrote:WTF happened
We just got whipped by the Knights!

Well, one actually... Count Cuckoo... someone probably just woke him up!

Alez · Post by **Alez** » Sat Nov 16, 2013 11:36 pm

Two of them now

Me and Janos only 100 points apart in 24th and 25th, but there are just more of them

Their team is already 27k past us. As I have said before, we need more members to take part. We are still ahead of the teams that we are always scrapping with, we just can't fight with the big boys......yet.

Alez · Post by **Alez** » Sun Nov 17, 2013 1:04 am

A drop to 10th it may be for the moment but we are up to 23rd in the world and canada should fall for 22nd in the next day. Can we make top 20 by the end of the challenge ?

Alez · Post by **Alez** » Sun Nov 17, 2013 2:14 pm

6 of us in the top 100 now and we have got back past the shrubbery collectors

Post by **Megacruncher** » Mon Nov 18, 2013 1:08 am

Our grip on 9th place is strengthening!

Post by **MarkRBright** » Mon Nov 18, 2013 1:35 am

Can you stick up a link to where these top 100 challenge stats are? I know I have seen it somewhere but can't find it now. Thanks.

Alez · Post by **Alez** » Mon Nov 18, 2013 2:07 am

No problem Mark, but you have seen them. Same as every challenge. Go to the link I post up for the challenge, in this case http://boincstats.com/en/stats/challenge/team/chat/422
this gives you the top 10 teams, the time ran and time to go of the challenge and the shout box. Below the top 10 teams you will find 4 links like this

See full Team stats on credits or position
See full User stats on credits or position

the first gives you all the teams competing, ordered by credit or by position
the second gives all the users competing ordered by credit or position
It's the same for all comps.
so click the user stats , credits and you get the top 100 ordered by credit, scroll down and you get the option for the next 100 and there you are, currently sitting 156 and still climbing

TSBT in 9th, 75K clear now. Petrol powered hedge / shrubbery trimmer has been deployed

a list of all challenges is here http://boincstats.com/en/stats/challenge/team/overview

Alez · Post by **Alez** » Mon Nov 18, 2013 2:24 am

I should also add that we are now #22 in the world having just past Canada. Good eh.

Post by **MarkRBright** » Mon Nov 18, 2013 9:15 am

Thanks for that Alez - I think I was a bit tired last night - and couldn't see it for looking - it was late.
Keep up the good work you guys,

but I want to point out that whilst you lot are doing a fine job in the top 100, I am keeping us in the 2nd top 100 all on my own!!!

Thank goodness for Storme, Joe PC and Thin Boab keeping us in the big numbers! :drunken:

We need more forum members!! I can see why you were so welcoming when I signed up! (I mean of course besides being such naturally lovely welcoming people)

Silver · Post by **Silver** » Mon Nov 18, 2013 10:27 am

MarkRBright wrote: We need more forum members!! I can see why you were so welcoming when I signed up! (I mean of course besides being such naturally lovely welcoming people)

Are you saying you thought we just wanted you for your credits and output

There is an alternative to new members - although that would be ideal - we all need to buy some more equipment, thereby increasing our collective output

Alez · Post by **Alez** » Mon Nov 18, 2013 11:41 pm

Silver wrote:
MarkRBright wrote: (I mean of course besides being such naturally lovely welcoming people)

all need to buy some more equipment, thereby increasing our collective output

of course we are all lovely welcoming people....apart from the penguin of course, tricky creatures penguins

ok Paul, if your offering I'll have an i7 cheers

and at the half way point we are still holding 9th and me and Janos have made top 20, Mega top 50, skywalker, paul and pink penguin top 100 and Mark and storme providing the foundations. keep it up all.

Silver · Post by **Silver** » Tue Nov 19, 2013 12:02 am

Sorry Alez, If I don't have an i7 i'm not buying anyone else one :)
We seem to have hit our stride now, I'm fairly happy with my position anyway. Keep on crunching folks :headbang:

Alez · Post by **Alez** » Tue Nov 19, 2013 12:16 am

Personally I want 15th

I'd also like to catch Norway but I suspect will have to settle for them getting beaten at the football on Tuesday night

Post by **PinkPenguin** » Tue Nov 19, 2013 7:30 am

Alez wrote:Personally I want 15th I'd also like to catch Norway but I suspect will have to settle for them getting beaten at the football on Tuesday night

Which will, hopefully, make up for that minor setback at Murrayfield this weekend...

Alez wrote:of course we are all lovely welcoming people....apart from the penguin of course, tricky creatures penguins

I'm a critter not a creature!

Alez · Post by **Alez** » Tue Nov 19, 2013 1:40 pm

Well I got 15th...very briefly...before tanos came past me like an express train

Silver · Post by **Silver** » Tue Nov 19, 2013 2:34 pm

Alez wrote:Well I got 15th...very briefly...before tanos came past me like an express train

that's usually how I feel on challenges, probably a bit more unusual for you Alez

I'm guessing tanos has a celeron or two at his disposal!

Post by **MarkRBright** » Tue Nov 19, 2013 5:48 pm

Hey what happened? - I was doing quite nicely till that Tanos guy set me right back!

I guess I am going to have to upgrade to Celerons after all!!!

Alez · Post by **Alez** » Wed Nov 20, 2013 12:30 am

Silver wrote: probably a bit more unusual for you Alez

I started doing this with a single I3 laptop, so no people flying past is not unusual, just...unpleasant

on this I have 2 I7's, an I5, one core of a pentium 4 and my droidbox plus a few AWS servers on hire

no secret that without the AWS I would not be as high as I am

still behind the noggies but 1-0, Bhwaaahhaa, Off there in the morning, will definitely be asking why the long faces ? the FB slagging started hours ago

Guess my goal now is holding 16th.
2 days to go and we are still holding 9th, keep it up all

I also have a dual core celeron, but that runs WCG 24/7. Awesome beasts Celerons

Silver · Post by **Silver** » Wed Nov 20, 2013 8:45 am

After your equipment list above I now reckon that it must be the one core from your pentium 4 that's making the difference for pogs

I know the unpleasant feeling you mentioned and can understand how it spurs you on to increase your capabilities. It's hard to remember that anyone with a rac in the millions had to start somewhere. I'm currently pondering; what I can afford to buy, what I can afford to run, what I can hide from the wife or at least justify somehow

Post by **MarkRBright** » Wed Nov 20, 2013 9:19 am

So there are advantages to not having resources, equipment or money to buy them after all! Not only do you get the chance to joke about Tanos whizzing past me (I couldn't have noticed if Alez hadn't mentioned it!) - but you get to climb 16 places since this time yesterday!

I actually dropped 4 overnight - but I will hopefully get those back later. (Yes I do turn off my PC's on a night as they are too noisy to sleep with them on

)
You guys do a terrific job, and should never feel down because effectively someone has more money to spend on the latest kit. It's all for a good cause, and even if you were at the very top of all the lists, it wouldn't be forever. That said It would be nice to have been there though!

Keep up the excellent work, I shall continue to look on in awe!

Silver · Post by **Silver** » Wed Nov 20, 2013 10:54 am

MarkRBright wrote:So there are advantages to not having resources, equipment or money to buy them after all!

Maybe you're just more mature than me, and can rise above my bizarre need to be higher up a list on some stats website

It's all for a good cause

I knew there was a reason other than glory and shiny trophies

You have hit the nail on the head though Mark. Everyone is just doing what they can to help out, doesn't matter if you're getting 10 credits a month or thousands an hour.
I :salute: everyone taking part

Alez · Post by **Alez** » Thu Nov 21, 2013 1:38 pm

Silver wrote:After your equipment list above I now reckon that it must be the one core from your pentium 4 that's making the difference for pogs :D

Imagine what I could do if I switched the Celeron onto this too.

and to be fair, the pentium beast isn't mine. It's on my better halfs laptop and is only available intermittently depending on the pressure of FB games being played

15hrs to go and 9th should be safe. My 16th is not quite so as this verstapp guy or girl keeps trying to overtake me

Dog fight to the end :boxing:
On the world stage we are now up to 21st and may take 20th from SETIKAH@KOREA or even 19th from Overclock.net as they are less than 200k in front of us by the end.
Project currently sitting at 49,992 GFLOPS, 50 should fall before the end. They are currently offering prizes to top cruncher and top team and to try and break 50k GFlops to the person who's RAC rises the most in the last 24hrs. I'm totally maxed out, so it wont be me without raiding AWS....again.

Alez · Post by **Alez** » Thu Nov 21, 2013 1:47 pm

Silver wrote:Maybe you're just more mature than me, and can rise above my bizarre need to be higher up a list on some stats website [

Not me, childish as they come....
Quote from Conan the Barbarian ( Arnie version )

Mongol General: What is best in life?

Conan: To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women.

Sums up every form of competition as far as I am concerned

Alez · Post by **Alez** » Fri Nov 22, 2013 7:49 am

And it's finished. 9th from 19 and above all our usual rivals. A very credible position given the records set and some of the team and individual numbers being put in.

individually :
alez [ TSBT's Pirate ] 16th
Janos of TSBT 21st
Megacruncher TSBT 41st
Skywalker TSBT 51st
Paul of TSBT 86th
PinkPenguin 88th
MarkRBright 141st
Storme 365th
Joe PC 512th
thinboab 547th

Congratulations to all.

And as a further bonus, competing in the challenge has zoomed us up to 19th in the world

Silver · Post by **Silver** » Fri Nov 22, 2013 3:55 pm

well done everyone.
Think we should all give ourselves a pat on the back after that