...and so it's nearly the end of 2016

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UBT - Timbo
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...and so it's nearly the end of 2016

Post by UBT - Timbo »

Hi all,

I've been thinking about what 2016 has been like for the Team and what we've achieved in the year.

I'm glad to see that we're still the UK's #1 BOINC Team and that our membership is continuing to grow. Hopefully in 2017 that will continue. :-)

Likewise, the new forum has seen a small influx of new members, although the growth in popularity of social media behemoths, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter et al, has meant that the forum is perhaps just filling a niche, rather than being the "go to" for postings about general day to day stuff - although we have created some good posts related to BOINC, even if they might be a bit tricky to find.

So, one idea I've had is to perhaps archive off some of the earlier posts which are less relevant 10 years on...perhaps I need to create a new section where older stuff can live, and then newer more recent posts might be easier to find?

Another idea that has been suggested in a couple of posts, is to create an FAQ section, where very basic BOINC functions and tweaks can be located. This is fairly simple to do and I'll await any feedback from anyone about how we go about keeping such a section relevant and interesting.

During 2016, a few of us banded together to generate some credits on specific projects, in order to ensure a good position on the Formula BOINC Championship. For 2016, we finished in 7th place in League Two, and I think our RAC, during November, is higher than 10 Million credits, and so I think we'll be in League One for 2017 - we'll have to wait and see if Formula BOINC admins update the website for 2017 and run the Championship again.

If they do, and we are in League One, then we will need to "up our game" to compete with some of the big guns.

As far as the projects go, some have now closed down and a couple have sprung up...though at present, some new "major" projects, using BOINC have yet to appear. Of course, some of the older projects are still publishing results and there does appear to have been some benefits coming from the likes of WCG, Einstein and Rosetta - even if SETI@home has still yet to find any signs of ET - maybe the new Breakthrough Listen campaign might do better, although there is news that SETI@home (as it is now) may be ending sometime soon, to be replaced by Nebula - http://setiathome.berkeley.edu/nebula_web/

And so, what should we be looking to do in 2017?

Keep on crunching for as many projects as we can.
Keep on spreading the word about BOINC and encouraging people to join in (but not on tablets or laptops, due to heat issues).
Try to create a critical mass of members to give the Team a "good shot" at Formula BOINC League One
and most of all:
Stay safe and healthy and look after your loved ones - as we've seen too many good people pass away in 2016 :-(

Hope you all have a happy and prosperous 2017 and see you all next year !!
regards
Tim
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