Team Lambchop Needs You!

[Larry Loen]

This is a solicited post (thanks ColinT).

I am not asking those loyal to free DC to pay any attention to this. This is for those who are members in good standing with free DC, but who have invested months and years of time and money into making Team Lamb Chop the number one team in SETI. Or, those who are just looking for a king sized challenge and have no commitment to free DC teams, especially in SETI.

Cutting to the chase: We in TLC are going to lose if things don't change. We define "losing" as any position except the number one team, especially in SETI@home.

Item 1: There are several teams who are beating Team Lamb Chop at daily production. Those who know me know exactly what comes next: The team that wins daily production wins period. We aren't.

Item 2: There is a particular team, SETI Germany, doing a heck of a job, already in second place. Because big guns move around surprisingly often, it is a bit hard to know what their production really is. However, it is somewhere between 8,000 and 10,000 work units per day .

Item 3: Team Lambchop is a little hard to follow for the same reason. But, we are doing no better than 6,000 work units per day (possibly not that good).

Item 4: Ars has changed. Besides the free DCers that have moved on, many have become comitted in greater or lesser part to new efforts, changed jobs, and so on. So, an immediate and massive response has not happened.

Item 5: The scale of 2,000 SETI WU per day is almost beyond imagination (or at least mine ;) ). It is between 450 and 500 GHz Athlon machines. That's the minimum. We may actually need double that.

Item 6: The (still) large lead has encouraged complacency. Too many figure we can come in "Ars Flying Squad" style and stem the tide. This most assuredly will not cut it. A burst of energy isn't going to matter. Sustained effort alone will.

So, for those who still feel for their former accomplishment, now is the time.

I by no means wish anyone to abandon the home and the friendships they have here. While I don't post daily, I do have warm regards for free DC generally and certainly for the many individuals with whom we built TLC into its current (now threatened) position.

But, if TLC is to stay on top, immediate and long term sustained growth is simply required. We've already put it off too long.

Those who don't want to see our lead decay and die should get on the frieght train today!

[ColinT]

Well said Larry.

Now what are we going to do about this?

a) I doubt many will want to convert all their boxes full time to TLC-Seti, so how much can we give?

b) One possibility is to move your seti WUs back to TLC. That would give them an immediate boost. Guru alone could make a difference, but this is a personal choice. I can't speak for anyone but myself. I no longer command a Flying Squad of Highly trained DC Commandos.

c) For our members who are not former Arsites, we built Free-DC from a few vagrants from Ars. Many of us are responsible for the successes of Ars, particularly Team Lamb Chop. If you want to help, it's your choice.

d)I know a move back to Seti will mean reduced effectiveness for our lead in Distributed Folding. But I think the challenge is fair. further, I think all our Free-DC Seti Crunchers should jump on this. It will give you a REAL challenge:)

Let's start a discussion here.

[Daza]

there is a setti gauntlet comming up real soon here, if you were quick and asked nice you might be able to have the gauntlet run over TLC so they get the WU's, just an idea

[ColinT]

Yes, that's the spirit. Please tell them.

[IronBits]

Ars TLC Team number is 14240

[Richard Clyne]

Well this was a surprise. I do feel that this so out of order. Any ex-TLC member who has an interest in what is happening over at TLC would already know what is going on.

I do not feel that the movement of TLC'ers to Free-DC actually hurt TLC that much. Most Free-DC members left their work units behind with TLC.

I will not move my work units back to TLC. I have set up home here. Although still small, this team is a good team, and I enjoy being part of it. Start posting these kind of messages will kill it.

The Free-DC gauntlet was set up by this team for this team and most the people taking part I doubt have ever been part of TLC.

The members of this team have worked hard to build up the active membership, and this gauntlet is a chance for the members to have some fun, while building up the team.

[Darkness Productions]

Being an Ex-Ars man myself, I'm torn between what I want to do, and what I feel is right. However, after the Sub-Team Gauntlet for Free-DC is over (14 days from this Friday), I will move my machines over to my old SETI account that is still with TLC. It's only ~8 GHz, but that's closer than we were to getting there.

Larry, I think it's about time for another one of those TLC Sub-Team Gauntlets... We need an up of production, and that's the best way for it to happen... I personally plan to challenge some people once I get back. :)

[Dyyryath]

Heh, this is going to be a touchy thing. :D

Here's my opinion...I'll help TLC as much as I can without impacting Free-DC at all.

Basically this means I'll create a new account called 'Dyyryath_Free-DC'. I will join TLC with this account (actually, I think I'll just rename my existing SETI account which is still over there). Then, I'll put any machine that I don't have running something for Free-DC on it. For me, this means my Sparcs and possibly an Alpha.

I love TLC, and I will do what I can to help, but I'm not going to pull systems away from Free-DC to do it. I want to see TLC succeed, but not enough to let Free-DC suffer for it. ;)

Now, for the rest of you guys...the whole point of Free-DC has been "do what you want, this is supposed to be fun". If some of you want to switch over and fight the good fight with TLC for a little while (or even for a long while), that's your decision and nobody here will give you any grief about it.

On the other hand, if you *don't* want to do this, once again, you won't get any grief over it! This is purely a personal decision. The option is out there, take it if you'd like in whatever fashion you'd like.

At this point, any further pimping for TLC should probably be discouraged. Those of us who came from TLC still have a special place in our hearts for it so Larry's post is completely acceptable. He needed to get the word out to us and he has. Let's leave it at that and let each person here do as much or as little as they'd like on their own.

[mr_mann]

i dont see why they need us.. we need help ourself :\