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***** digital_exhaust Interview HARD DC'er of the Month May 2008 *****
Please join me, Pocatello, in congratulating digital_exhaust for being selected as the [H]ard DCer of the month for May 2008. This is quite an honor when you consider that the [H]orde currently has 1,274 active folders, a number which seems to rise every month! digital_exhaust is currently ranked #298 on our team, and he has about 550,000 points. In March and April of 2008 he produced about 100,000 points per month. He is ranked #5,034 in the world.
And he is progressing up the ranks of our team. Within one month he will jump up to spot #264 on our team.
Basic Information:
How many F@H points do you have?
Just under 500k, and depending on how quickly I get this done, it may well be just over 500k.
How about United Devices and WCG points?
None. I plan on getting WCG set up on some older boxen, but havent had time to mess with it yet.
How many boxen do you have? Break this number down between borgs and your personal machines.
I have four boxen in my home farm currently, and 15 borged boxen.
When did you start folding? What kind of project or projects did you participate in?
I fired up my first client on New Years Eve 2006 , and completed my first unit on the 3rd of January. F@H is the only project I participate in.
When did you start folding for the [H]orde?
December 31, 2006.
What is your average F@H points per month?
Right about 60k a month currently, but it fluctuates quite a bit as most of my boxen run the console client. Its been as high 100k. I anticipate it returning to that level as soon as the stats settle down now that the Chimp Challenge is over.
Did you contribute to United Devices?
No.
How about WCG?
Not yet, but I plan to.
Any other DC projects?
No.
What operating system do you primarily use?
At home I split my time between Vista and Ubuntu Linux. I have been running Vista since the first betas, and have used Ubuntu since Hoary 5.04.
If you use Linux, how familiar with Linux are you?
Familiar enough to be really good at clean installs.
How many boxen do you have running the following clients?
regular client 18
SMP client 1
GPU client
I dont even want to talk about that... I had two, but no more thanks to Stanford killing the GPU1 client with no warning.
Have you tried Affinity Changer (AC)? If so, what were your results?
No.
Have you tried using Virtual Machines (VMs)? If so, what were your results? Please explain your VM setup if you have used VMs.
I have used VMs as a test bed for other software in the past, but have not used them for folding purposes yet.
Personal Information:
Name: Zac Medsker
Location: Denver, Colorado. The southwest corner, to be exact... in the ghetto.
Occupation: Im a vocational teacher. I teach automotive technology.
Hobbies: Computers, folding, eating tamales and drinking beer.
What is your [H]ard OCP username? What is the meaning or significance of your [H]ardOCP username, if any?
digital_exhaust... please note thats a small d and a small e. If relic hasnt earned a capital R, I sure as hell havent earned a capital anything. It represents the remnants of most of my forays into the wide world of overclocking... its the magical smoke that I am so good at releasing from my hardware.
Want to link to a picture of yourself?
Theres already one in the DC forum. First post in the Lets see your mug thread I started awhile back.
Here it is:
There you go, that's me and amethyst_dragon in Key West having more fun than we should have, but damn.. it was worth it
On to the interview:
Congratulations on being chosen the [H]ard DC'er for the month of May 2008. How does it feel to be chosen by your peers for such a prestigious award?
Overwhelming, if you want to know the truth. I was really flattered that so many chose to nominate me, but I honestly didnt think Id actually win. It truly is an honor to be chosen, there are so many here that are deserving. Its really amazing to know that so many [H]orde members think so highly of me.
Why do you think you were chosen?
Participation in the forum, and perhaps being a bit of a joker helped a bit as well. Were all here for the same fundamental reason, and I think that trying to lighten things up and make things fun from time to time is a good idea. And as EvilAlchemist said when he nominated me, he and I put a TON of effort into the Community Outreach Program, trying to get some of the quiet folks more involved in the DC forum. My involvement in the Community Boxen Program and the Chimp Challenge might have had something to do with it as well.
Why do you participate in Distributed Computing?
Because I honestly believe in the project. I believe that in the end, it will work, and it will save lives. I know that probably sounds really simple and idealistic, but thats the truth.
Why do you DC for the [H]ard [H]orde at [H]ard OCP?
I have been a reading [H]ard|OCP for a long time, and I really enjoy the forums here a lot. The [H]orde was the only choice for me when I decided to start folding, and the other members here make it a really great place to be. This place is a big part of my life... it really is.
If DCing could find a cure for just one disease tomorrow, which one would it be and why?
Alzheimers disease. I watched my grandfather suffer with it for way too long, and it was horrible. But honestly, if folding can find a cure for any disease, Ill be thrilled... theyre all horrible and the world will be a better place once they have all been cured.
What would you like the [H]orde to know about you that might surprise them?
I have no idea... All you need to know can be found on the forums. I dont hide much.
Where do you see your DCing activities in the next year or two?
If my wifes bonus ever comes through, which I think it will, I have two dedicated quads around the corner. The folding bug has bit me pretty hard, but with three boys, finances are pretty tight around here. I suppose it depends on what Stanford does with future clients and what hardware changes bring. Regardless, I will keep on folding as long as I have a boxen that will fold and an outlet to plug it into.
Have you been successful borging? If so, what kind of borging worked for you? (For example, friends, family, and/or work?)
Yeah, I have finally succeeded with a borg that seems to be holding up really well. My wife manages a veterinary clinic and I was able to show the powers that be within her organization that folding is a noble cause and they agreed to donate their hardware and power to the cause. And the bonus is that I have 15 boxen crunching 24/7 under my name. And if anyone here needs any help talking to a corporate IT department about folding, hit me up, I just might be able to help you out.
Where do you see the [H]ard DC sub-forum in the near future? Long term?
I hope it continues to grow the way it has lately. We sure have seen quite a few big time producers join the [H]orde recently, and I really, really hope this is a long term trend. Its really cool to see some of the old timers getting to know the newer members and I would like to see that continue, and I think it will... the [H]orde is #1 for a reason, and its the members... period.
Tell us about the Community Boxen Program. Where did it start, where is it now, and what does the future hold?
The Community Boxen Program is the brain child of EvilAlchemist. The whole thing was his idea, and after reading his proposal thread, I immediately wanted to be a part of it. We talked on the phone quite a bit and decided it was something that could work and something that would help the team as a whole. Once we partnered up with Kendrak and had a plan put together, we approached the administration here and got their nod, and its really taken off. Ive got a pile of hardware here and we should have a few boxen out to new homes within a week or two. The generosity of the [H]orde is absolutely overwhelming. We are amazed at the response. As long as we dont run into any unforeseen obstacles, I see no reason that we wont have six to eight boxen out folding for the [H]orde in the near future... and from there, who knows!!
Any ideas on improving the [H]ard DC sub-forum, or suggestions or improvements for our Team?
Not really... Im pretty happy with the way things are around here, although it would be nice if we could find a way to draw some of the lurkers out. Its always nice to hear from some of the quiet folks.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Nothing other than a big thank you to everyone here. I really do appreciate this. That being said...
/beers and tamales all around!!!!
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Did I forget to ask you anything?
Not that I can think of.
On behalf of the [H]ard [H]orde, I thank you as well for your contributions to this team and I thank you for your time to talk about it. Thanks for the nice chat! Keep on folding! Fold on For The Win! For the [H]orde!
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