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Alan2308 Interview +++++ HARD DC'er of the Month October 2008
Please join me in congratulating Alan2308 for being selected as the [H]ard DCer of the month for October 2008. This is quite an honor when you consider that the [H]orde has over 1,400 active folders. Alan2308 is currently ranked #192 on our team, and he has 1.3 million points. In October of 2008 he produced over 200,000 points per month, while in September and November of 2008 he produced over 170,000 points per month. He is ranked #2,782 in the world. In the next sixty days he will move up ten spots to #182 on our team.
Alan2308 is well known around the DC sub-forum due to his Horde News for the Week threads, like this one, as well as his Horde Spotlight threads of fellow folders such as jfb9301, Majic, crawford60 and Wheresatom.
Basic Information:
How many F@H points do you have?
I'm just over 1.2 Million.
How about United Devices and WCG points?
I never tried UD, I didn't have enough boxen while it was going to spread things around. As for WCG, I'm just shy of 25,000, but I haven't ran it in a while.
How many boxen do you have? Break this number down between borgs and your personal machines.
My Boxen:
E6400 Running LinSMP
BE2400/GF8800GS running a GPU2 client
T2390 Laptop running two console clients at 85%
PS3
and of course, more to come.
Borgs:
P3 Celeron @ 850MHz, console client
Athlon XP 1900+, console cleint
What is your average F@H points per month?
I did 204,000 in October, but my numbers almost always go up every month. I doubt that I'll ever be competing with the likes of AssM@N or Tigerbitten, but I'm not going to sit idle for too long and just accept good enough.
How about WCG points per month?
Currently none, I'm running F@H exclusively.
What operating system do you primarily use?
I run Linux on my box (currently Ubuntu 8.10), and the rest of my boxen run Windows XP.
If you use Linux, how familiar with Linux are you?
Very familiar. I started dual booting with SuSE 6.4 back in 1999, and have been running Linux exclusively since 2002. Yes, that's SuSE, before Novell bought them out, and when they could still afford 3 capital letters.
How many boxen do you have running the following clients?
regular client 5
SMP client 1
GPU client 1 running, 1 that is a nice paperweight
and 1 PS3
Have you tried Affinity Changer (AC)? If so, what were your results?
Haven't had any need for it thus far.
Have you tried using Virtual Machines (VMs)? If so, what were your results? Please explain your VM setup if you have used VMs.
Nothing long term, but as I'm a student I need to switch my main box over to Windows from time to time and running Ubuntu in a VM is the best way to proceed. Linux in a VM under Windows feels smoother than Windows in a VM under Linux. I run VMWare Server, allocate 8GB of storage, 512MB of RAM, and install/configure Ubuntu like I would if it were running on the bare metal. This means turning off every service that I possibly can, and only activating the X Server when I'm actually going to use it. I <3 CLI.
Personal Information:
Name: Alan
Location: Suburban Detroit
Telephone number: 1-900-Mix-A-Lot (too old?)
Occupation: Full time student. Quit my dead-end job a while back and am living off of my remaining GI Bill benefits. Is 32 too old to be finally deciding what you want to be when you grow up?
Hobbies: Computers, music, movies, NHL hockey, playing with my daughters.
What is your [H]ard OCP username? What is the meaning or significance of your [H]ardOCP username, if any?
When I got home from Okinawa (stationed there for close to a year in 1998/99, it was awesome) and went to sign up for an internet account, AOL was the only thing that had a local dial up number. After several failed attempts at picking a username that wasn't already used, I just went with the one that was suggested, and cut it down to a reasonable amount of numbers.
Want to link to a picture of yourself?
I'm in the Let's see your mug thread, but here's a link for anyone who doesn't want to search through it:
On to the interview:
How does it feel to be chosen by your peers for such a prestigious award?
Its quite an honor to have been chosen, and very impressive company to be in. Not too many of these are given out, so just being nominated is quite an accomplishment.
Why do you think you were chosen?
I would guess most of the votes came from the weekly news threads, a few possibly for the Spotlights.
What would you like the [H]orde to know about you that might surprise them?
I don't think that there's really anything about me I'm willing to say that everyone doesn't already know.
Where do you see your DCing activities in the next year or two?
I'll still be here with the same drive and enthusiasm as ever. If not folding, I'll be doing another worthwhile project. Hopefully with significantly more horsepower than today.
Where do you see the [H]ard DC sub-forum in the near future? Long term?
The [H]ard DC sub-forum is already the place to be when it comes to DC discussion. We already do so many things well, and so few things not well, so its hard to imagine any drastic changes. One thing that I would like to see, though, is other projects getting some respect. We occasionally have some good discussion of projects such as LHC@Home, but there is still negativity towards people who are not doing F@H.
Are you involved in any other special DC activities?
I fold, do the weekly Horde update, the weekly Horde Spotlight, and I'm active in more forums than I care to admit to (mostly folding discussion). That keeps me plenty busy.
Any ideas on improving the [H]ard DC sub-forum, or suggestions or improvements for our Team?
What, haven't I done enough in that regard already? Seriously though, I had a few ideas and threw them out there. If anyone else has an idea, I encourage them to do the same. You'll be amazed how supportive the team is of just about anything that you're taking the time to do.
What challenges have you faced in your F@H efforts?
The only challenge I've faced is trying to keep pace with all these new guy showing up and mowing me down. I've increased my PPD 100 times from what it was when I first started, and more than doubled from just 3 months ago, yet my position on the team PPD list has dropped over 30 places in that time.
Are you married or single?
I've been married for eight years, and we have two daughters. Allison is 6 and Violet is almost 4 months. This is them meeting for the first time in their matching Big Sister/Little Sister shirts:
And yes, I know where Violet got her red hair, and no, it wasn't the milkman.
Does your significant other, assuming you have one, support your F@H activities?
I wouldn't say support, but she tolerates it, so I tolerate her hobbies. But everyone in my house really loves getting a newer faster computer on a regular basis.
How much do you spend on F@H? If you consider equipment, electricity, and other activities that support F@H... how much of your life has DCing consumed?
I do a major round of upgrades a couple times a year, running anywhere from $500 to $1,000. I've lost track of how much of my electricity use is DC related.
Do you have friends, family, or neighbors that know about your F@H activities? What do they think?
I would say very few really get what its all about, and of those that do, there is little to no interest. I don't know what else I can do to counter the glazed over stares of confusion. I don't have small enough words.
When was the last time that you lied, and was it a good one?
Life is too short for that.
What do you have hiding underneath your bed?
That's where the dog hangs out... I'm not going down there.
What is the heaviest piece of furniture in your home?
I can say for sure it is the Ikea shelf unit in my daughters room. I had to put it together laid flat, then lift it up in place. I can still feel that it.
Do you think that your folding activities might improve your chances with the opposite sex?
I would think the opposite is true. There's not a lot of women hanging out in the DC forum. Coincidence?
Do you game? If so, how long and what types do you prefer? Consoles or PC?
I used to be big into it, but not so much anymore. I'm old enough to have gotten started on the Atari 2600, and I've tried just about everything else a time or two since. But my favorite still would be the classic Sonic games on the Sega Genesis and later Sega Saturn consoles.
Tell us about your plans to "spotlight" your fellow folders. How many interviews have you completed, and what does the future hold?
Well, as was pointed out, I did get the idea from MaxPC and OCF. I thought it would be a great way for the new folders and guys who aren't around the forums as much for whatever reason to get their moment In the Spotlight. The idea was really well received, both in the interest in reading the Spotlights, and in being able to find willing participants to do an interview for one. Within a couple days of looking for interest, I had 5 interviews ready to go, so there wasn't any need to even solicit, though I did for one. I've posted another one each week, with number 4 about to hit the press. But, that's subject to change if it starts getting to be too much, or I run
out. I can't say what the future holds, because that is all pending the feedback I receive and the team member's willingness to continue participating. Anyone can submit one to me at anytime, and if I get enough requests for someone, I'll go beg them to do one.
Are you really left handed and ex-military? What is up with that? Tell us about your military adventures.
Yes, guilty as charged on both counts. I went into the Marine Corps right after high school, about two weeks before I even turned 18. I spent 4 years in 29 Palms, California, which is
a giant sand pit an hour east of Palm Springs where its 130 degrees in the shade during the summer, and in the winter, you're freezing to death even though its nearly 70 degrees out. The real memorable part of 29 Stumps was getting to meet and work with our counterparts from Great Britain and Australia during joint training exercises. My final year was spent in Okinawa; that year was much more memorable than the first four combined. Okinawa is a small island a little northwest of Taiwan, which is part of Japan. The people were great, the island was very beautiful, and it was the shortest year I can remember. But what I'll remember most is the battle sites tour. Okinawa was the site of the bloodiest battle of WWII, and the island was pretty much leveled when all was said and done. So getting to travel around and see where the Marines landed and where many of the pivotal events of the battle happened in person was a powerful experience.
What is your idea of the perfect vacation? Where, when, and how long? What would you do?
Staying home for a couple weeks, sleeping in every day, nothing planned. I have a 3 month old, so sleep means more to me than anything right now.
Did I forget to ask you anything? Is there anything else you would like to add?
No, I think that just about covers everything.
On behalf of the [H]ard [H]orde, I thank you for your contributions to this team and I thank you for your time to talk about it. Keep on folding! Fold on For The Win! Fold on For The Cure!
For the [H]orde!
Congratulations once again for being chosen as the [H]ard DCer of the month.
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