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Apollo Interview +++++ HARD DC'er of the Month March 2009
Please join me in congratulating Apollo for being selected as the [H]ard DCer of the month for March 2009. This is quite an honor when you consider that the [H]orde has 975 active folders. Apollo is currently ranked #8 on our team, and he has 22.5 million points. In June and July of 2009 he produced about 1.8 million points per month. He is ranked #110 in the world.
He is scheduled to overtake ROC and FLECOM in about two years. He has two people on his threats list: (1) beekeeper([H]ardOCP) and (2) Axdrenalin. However, those two guys are eight months or more away before the overtake. This should give Apollo plenty of time to adjust the settings on his home folding farm.
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Basic Information:
How many F@H points do you have?
22.5 Million.
How about United Devices and WCG points?
I have no involvement in either project.
How many boxen do you have?
Currently, there are 7 systems (6 cases) and another system but it is down.
Break this number down between borgs and your personal machines.
I have no borgs, so all of my production comes from my home machines.
When did you start folding? What kind of project or projects did you participate in?
I believe it was spring of 2001, but my memory is a little sketchy (which comes with age I suppose) and it may have been as far back as late 2000.
When did you start folding for the [H]orde?
Same time as above. I never folded for any other team.
What is your average F@H points per month?
ATM, it varies between 55,000 and 60,000 points per day.
Did you contribute to United Devices? How about WCG?
No, I didnt participate in UD, and have no plans to get involved in WCG. However, this does not mean that I will not participate in other projects in the future. Im intending to try some other projects to help the [H] Commandoes.
Any other DC projects?
I only participated in G@H in 2001, and if I recall correctly, I achieved the #6 spot on the team when Stanford cancelled the project.
What operating system do you primarily use?
As a host OS, Windows XP is installed on most of my machines. I have Windows 2000 running on two or three machines and Windows Vista on my laptop. I tried Win 7 for a couple of weeks and liked it a lot but I was experiencing many problems with Vmware. Im intending to reinstall it again perhaps in the next couple of months when the release candidate is slated for download. This OS has a lot of promise.
If you use Linux, how familiar with Linux are you?
I have Linux (Fluxbuntu) currently installed on many VMs, but Im not overly familiar with it besides its installation and getting around in the environment on a basic level. I tried many distros before finally settling with this one. I dont recommend a Fluxbox-based distro for anyone wishing to get their feet wet with Linux. It is very user-unfriendly and hardly anything about it is similar to a Windows environment.
How many boxen do you have running the following clients?
Keep in mind, the following client breakdown is not the optimal setup for my current list of hardware, and I'm going to be reconfiguring things.
regular client about 14, but this number changes a lot and is usually less
SMP client 15 but I've been down several clients for a long time due to a hardware conflict
GPU client 9 GPU clients (one Ati and 8 nVidia clients)
PS3 client none so far
Have you tried Affinity Changer (AC)? If so, what were your results?
Yes, last year I tried both the standard and newer version that supports 8-cores. In both cases, I saw no discernable difference and stopped using it after a short while.
Have you tried using Virtual Machines (VMs)? If so, what were your results? Please explain your VM setup if you have used VMs.
Absolutely. Currently there is no better approach to run both the GPU client and SMP client. I run one VM for every two CPU cores on a system except for my primary system where I need at least two free cores, and greater available memory for a host of other applications. This is still the basic configuration I employ even if an entire core is allocated for a GPU client, which in reality reduces the amount of available CPU cores to a bit fewer than 2 cores per SMP VM.
Personal Information:
Name: James
Location: Greater Montreal metropolitan area, Quebec, Canada
Occupation: currently unemployed
Hobbies: general reading, writing, history, philosophy, music, current events, most sciences, computer technology, etc.
What is your [H]ard OCP username?
APOLLO
What is the meaning or significance of your [H]ardOCP username, if any?
Apollo is the Greek god of music, knowledge, prophecy and the arts.
Want to link to a picture of yourself?
Regrettably, I dont have a recent digital picture and my digicam is of a 90s vintage.
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 is a great honor and privilege to have won this award.
Why do you think you were chosen?
I believe my long-standing presence in the forum is one of the main reasons. Perhaps not winning several recent votes was another reason, but this is only a guess. Mind you, I never expected to win this year despite that, and was shocked when it happened in March.
Why do you participate in Distributed Computing?
By far the biggest reason is furthering our understanding of biological processes, for the development of new treatments to combat debilitating diseases. Essentially, to improve the quality of life and civilization overall.
Why do you DC for the [H]ard [H]orde at [H]ard|OCP?
[H]ard|OCP was one of the first hardware sites I visited from way back in the 90s, and thought that would be a good choice for a DC team membership.
If DCing could find a cure for just one disease tomorrow, which one would it be and why?
No doubt, it would be cancer, but Im interested in all kinds of possible medical benefits this research could provide us in the future. Ill be pleased for any kind of advance in our knowledge.
What would you like the [H]orde to know about you that might surprise them?
Well, I'm actually a very simple and ordinary guy. Theres not much I can say that might really surprise or interest anyone. This team is composed of many extraordinary individuals. I think I'm a rather regular person by comparison.
Where do you see your DCing activities in the next year or two?
Barring unforeseen circumstances, I don't see it changing much in a year providing no new major developments at Stanford occur, which would prompt restructuring things. Beyond that it's hard to say.
Are you involved in any other special DC activities?
Not any to date, besides helping around the forum to the best of my abilities.
Have you been successful borging? If so, what kind of borging worked for you? (For example, friends, family, and/or work?)
No, I borged my brothers and friends computers at the beginning of the decade, but I quickly discovered that unless borged computers are working 24/7, one will see little to no benefits. Other factors could have a major impact on success as well. One big thing that hampers borging is heat production. We are leaving it up to the discretion of the owners of these systems to operate them as they wish. Thus, knowledge whether or not cooling systems installed on borged computers are up to the task is an absolute must, even if their owners dont run them all the time.
Moreover, like any folding hardware, borgs necessitate more frequent maintenance and that requires trips one would not have to make otherwise. Furthermore, folding reduces the expected lifetime of components. I dont desire or wish to burden someone else with all the inherent issues that come along with folding for a small additional amount of production. It just doesnt seem worth it to me. Work borgs are another matter but there are a number of more serious associated concerns, which have been emphasized here and elsewhere several times in the past.
Where do you see the [H]ard DC sub-forum in the near future? Long term?
In the near future, I see the sub-forum progressively improving. With the annual Chimp Challenge here, there should be a lot more activity. For the long term, I expect many new faces following new recruitment drives. Well see how the state of the economy is in another year. I expect it will largely effect the number of people who can maintain folding at their present levels. There are positive indicators, so we shall see.
Any ideas on improving the [H]ard DC sub-forum, or suggestions or improvements for our Team?
The subforum is very engaging and in all honesty, it's really difficult to suggest improvements to an already high standard among DC forums. If I come up with any, Ill definitely post about my ideas. Come to think about it, someone recently suggested holding contests where members can benefit from the opportunity to win big prizes, but I seem to recall that has already been done, unless I'm mistaken or confusing it with something else at the [H].
What challenges have you faced in your F@H efforts?
Keeping up with the frequent reconfiguring of systems in both hardware and software areas. Just to stay up to date with all the changes in clients and WUs Stanford releases is probably the biggest challenge I face. The next biggest challenge is maintaining my systems so they continue operating at optimum performance levels. Other challenges include maintaining competitive levels and streamlining my small farm. I think most folders can identify with all of these things at one time or another.
Are you married, single, etc?
Unquestionably single, and try to avoid relationships whenever I can. I'm just not cut out for them. I dont like complex emotional entanglements, and it's nearly impossible to avoid them with the opposite sex. Too many problems in the past, and I would prefer to keep my bachelor status for the foreseeable future. So, unless the heavens open up with a panoply of rainbows, and I hear the melodious voices of angels singing it will likely stay this way.
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?
Its nearly impossible to quantify the expense because it fluctuates a lot. In the past, it was a significant amount. Excluding the occasional necessary repair, replacement or upgrade, it isnt too bad if one is able to apply practical limitations. I dont plan on making any large additions or upgrades this year to my farm. In overall terms, folding hasn't consumed too much of my life since I tend to have quite a bit of spare time available. That having been said, I could see how some might not have that liberty with family obligations and oppressive work schedules.
Do you have friends, family, or neighbors that know about your F@H activities? What do they think?
Hardly anyone I know really comprehends the way F@H works, i.e., what protein folding actually is or how our better understanding of it can eventually help humanity. Therefore, I seldom raise the topic in conversations. Aside from the occasional browsing, none of my friends and family is computer savvy at all to begin with. I dont socialize with people who know much about computers, so my DC involvement is far from common knowledge unfortunately.
What do you have hiding underneath your bed?
LOL, lots of dust.
What is the heaviest piece of furniture in your home?
LOL, dont know for sure, but I wouldnt be surprised if my computer desk is close to the heaviest. Besides all the equipment there is also a bookcase built into it and it's loaded to capacity.
Do you think that your folding activities might improve your chances with the opposite sex?
No, and I could see it even becoming a hindrance if it consumes an inordinate amount of resources (time and money). Folding and women dont mix, IMO, unless you're involved with a technician, LOL.
Do you game? If so, how long and what types do you prefer? Consoles or PC?
No, it has been a very long time ago when I played any kind of computer game. I think the last time I touched a game was back in the beginning of the decade, probably when I played Civ II or Baldurs Gate. Consequently, my knowledge in this area is quite limited, and the only reason I have kept myself abreast with new advances in GPU technology is largely due to F@H, which is a good thing all around because the research granted secondary benefits of increased technical knowledge. I think GPU folding has been one of the greatest developments ever in DC, and hope it will accelerate medical research by a huge amount as a result.
<<<end of part one>>>
