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capreppy Interview +++++ HARD DC'er of the Month April 2009
Please join me in congratulating capreppy for being selected as the [H]ard DCer of the month for April 2009. This is quite an honor when you consider that the [H]orde has over 1,100 active folders. capreppy is currently ranked #55 on our team, and he has 5 million points. He started folding for the [H]orde in March of 2008. Until recently he was producing about 200,000 points per month. But things changed in the last two months. In March of 2009 he produced about 900,000 points, and in April he produced double that... over 1.8 million points! Wow! Quite a ramp from 200,000 to 1.8 million! WOOT! He is ranked #802 in the world. capreppy is now producing about 60,000 points per day. This places capreppy in spot #5 in the top producers on Team 33.
He has no one on his threats list... no one set to overtake him:
http://www.hardfolding.com/fh_stats/index.php?pz=102&tnum=33&id=595009
And he is progressing up the ranks of our team. Within one month he will jump up to spot #44 on our team.
How many F@H points do you have?
Just shy of 5M, but at just over 70K PpD, it changes often
How about United Devices and WCG points?
WCG - just over half a million
How many boxen do you have? Break this number down between borgs and your personal machines.
All are personal. 1 dedicated boxen and 3 that run F@H & WCG
When did you start folding? What kind of project or projects did you participate in?
March 2008 (just had my one year anniversary of folding). I've never really run any of the previous DC projects (dabbled in them, but did NOT inhale.)
When did you start folding for the [H]orde?
March 2008.
What is your average F@H points per month?
My average is changing as I'm in the middle of a ramp. Given my current PpD, my monthly average should get to about 2.1M.
Did you contribute to United Devices?
Before my time.
How about WCG?
Yes. Currently running Linux SMP for CC '09 (Chimp Challenge), but will likely go back to WCG on the CPUs after.
Any other DC projects?
Nope.
What operating system do you primarily use?
Vista Ultimate x64 on all of personal machines. WinXP Pro x64 on the dedicated boxen.
If you use Linux, how familiar with Linux are you?
Total Linux noobie, but it looks easy enough.
How many boxen do you have running the following clients?
regular client 0
SMP client 10
GPU client 10
PS3 client 0
Have you tried Affinity Changer (AC)? If so, what were your results?
I actually use WinAFC which is slightly different than AC. I've had very good results with it regardless of the CPU type.
Have you tried using Virtual Machines (VMs)? If so, what were your results? Please explain your VM setup if you have used VMs.
I use a combination of notfred's and Ubuntu VMs. I've actually written a How To Guide specifically for notfreds and Vms.
Here is the link: http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1410289
Personal Information:
Name: Tom
Location: Fort Worth, Texas.
Occupation: Independent Software Consultant.
Hobbies: Photography & Bicycling.
What is your [H]ard OCP username? What is the meaning or significance of your [H]ardOCP username, if any?
capreppy. Way (and I mean way) back when, a friend of mine told me I looked Preppy. I laughed at that as I lived in California and wasn't trying to look "Preppy". capreppy is short for California Preppy.
Want to link to a picture of yourself?
I have a picture in the show your mug thread.
Yes you do! I copied this from the Lets see your mug thread started by Digital Exhaust: http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1282675
Me and my wife in Napa, California in February 2007 (right after we got married).
On to the interview:
Congratulations on being chosen the [H]ard DC'er for the month. How does it feel to be chosen by your peers for such a prestigious award?
It's actually very cool. I've only been folding for a little over a year, but only until recently do I feel that I'm actually able to contribute not just in points, but in knowledge. I may not know computers as well as many on this forum, but my F@H and WCG knowledge has increased dramatically.
Why do you think you were chosen?
I wrote a notfred VM guide and it has helped quite a few people increase their overall PpD with little to no effort on their part. I tried to make the guide simple, but complete. I REALLY hate guides that make assumptions about what people know or don't know. I tried my best not to make assumptions and put all of the information needed to do the setup correctly.
Why do you participate in Distributed Computing?
Cancer is a mean SOB. I want to do my part to kick its nasty butt back where it belongs. I lost my mom to cancer and most of my wife's family that have passed have passed due to cancer.
Why do you DC for the [H]ard [H]orde at [H]ard OCP?
I fell upon [H] just shy of two years ago when I started researching a computer build. I'd never built one before and I wanted to do it right. I had posted for help on many forums, but [H] was where I found ALL of my answers. Because of that, I've never left this forum. In addition, once I found out about F@H and DC in general, I realized that the DC subforum was full of good and kind people. So I fold WITH the greatest bunch of guys and gals on the web.
If DCing could find a cure for just one disease tomorrow, which one would it be and why?
Breast Cancer. It is unfortunately very prevalent and also is a concern of my wife.
Where do you see your DCing activities in the next year or two?
I'm trying to ramp up a little more. In the next year or two, I see one or two more dedicated boxen. Both boxen are likely to have Quad Core CPUs as well so I can run WCG (or Linux SMP, or according to Xilikon, SMP2). I have to have everything I run fit inside a 24U Server Cabinet so I need to maximize PpD for the space. I'll probably be looking at GTX295s for the first boxen. We'll see what GPUs are available when the second boxen is built.
Are you involved in any other special DC activities?
Nope. F@H or WCG is it for now.
Have you been successful borging? If so, what kind of borging worked for you? (For example, friends, family, and/or work?)
I've not really tried.
Where do you see the [H]ard DC sub-forum in the near future? Long term?
In the near future, it is hard to say. Given the current economy (and it has effected all of us directly or indirectly), some may not be able to run their machines all day and all night. Participation has (at least from what I see) dropped a little over the last several months. I hope with CC '09 we can get new blood and maybe get some of the folks who have stepped away back into DC'ing and back into the forum. Long term, as the economy improves, I suspect that the forum will once again flourish.
Any ideas on improving the [H]ard DC sub-forum, or suggestions or improvements for our Team?
I think we have a pretty diversified team. Not much can be improved.
What challenges have you faced in your F@H efforts?
None really.
Are you married, single, etc?
I am married to my bestest friend.
Does your significant other support your F@H activities?
She does support it. She also realizes that I am able to write off the vast majority of my $ investments into F@H as well as the electrical costs so that helps to ease the acceptance.
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 spend probably 100 a month on electricity (probably less, but I'm still ramping so hard to gauge). I'd rather not say how much on equipment. I try to visit the forums daily and provide help where I can. I sit in front of a computer all day long so getting to the forums isn't that hard.
Do you have friends, family, or neighbors that know about your F@H activities? What do they think?
Most of my family and friends still don't know what I do for a living (yes I've told them, but they don't get it) so I don't even try to explain F@H to them.
Do you think that your folding activities might improve your chances with the opposite sex?
Probably not. I'm pretty sure if I couldn't write off most of my DC activities, my wife would kick my behind.
Do you game? If so, how long and what types do you prefer? Consoles or PC?
I built my last two rigs specifically for gaming. I love to game. I'm more of a PC gamer although I do own an xBox 360. Fantasy RPGs have always been near and dear to me. I played D&D when it was paper and pencil and you let your imagination rule the world. I have gotten into FPS of late and love Crysis & CoD.
What is your idea of the perfect vacation? Where, when, and how long? What would you do?
My wife and I have been planning our perfect vacation since we've been together. 4 weeks in Western Europe (mostly in the UK, but include France & Germany). Both of us have a love of medieval history so being able to see the castles is most important. My wife is of Irish & Scottish descent so she wants to go see where her family once lived. I've always had an affinity for Arthurian Legends.
If you could have dinner with two or three people from history, living or dead, who would you choose and why?
Ludwig von Beethoven I love his music. King Arthur (assuming he actually was a real person) I would love to hear about the real history behind him. Christy Canyon (I'd rather not try and explain that one for fear of offending someone).
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 Cure! For the [H]orde!
Congratulations once again for being chosen as the [H]ard DCer of the month.
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