SETI.USA NEEDS A STEERING COMMITTEE NOW.

Consultant: Someone who gets paid to tell your boss what time it is by asking you to tell him the time on your own wrist watch because the boss wouldn't believe you when you told him.

I think most of us know what the problems are and a steering committee isn't going to change them. What we need are involved members. Sic has 293 members and are totally kicking our backsides. Yes, Sic has 5 people who outscore our big dog, but the reality is that if our 2000 members each had a single low to mid range GPU, we'd be kicking every team. The only other option is to recruit members with GPUs or buy more ourselves. The latter is not an option for me unless I shut down several machines to add one more GPU since the electric bill is almost three Franklins a month and she who holds the checkbook is not pleased about that.

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Originally Posted by Slicker

So... democracy only works when people vote the way you want them to? Actually, I do agree with you to a certain extent. We never determined what criteria make a POTM a good POTM. Doing that is like herding cats. Is it to move up in FB? Move up a few positions in a project? For a good cause? There are many reasons and we won't ever all agree on one or the order or precedence.

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I'm just saying I liked having a PotM. It's like a default. If you don't like the default choose what you do like.

I am not saying I want a "Steering Committee". I don't.

Can't we send out an email to team members to let them know or remind them about the forums?

Well this has been interesting reading. It looks like many of the other threads concerning making a decision here: that have some serious responses, both pro and con, and some funny but useless posts. But the end points looks like the usual nothing will get done.

It also contains some incorrect and manufactured assumptions. The SC is not telling members or dictating what will be done. It's making team recommendation and providing guidance where needed. It can't force anyone to do something they don't want to do. To try to do that would be self as defeating as it was in the past. It is composed of members who are aware what occurred before and will work to avoid that since the collective conscience of the team has changed. So have confidence in the current membership and give them a chance.

One person can't tell you what to do nor can 1000. So start with 13 and see what happens. You might be pleasantly surprised and the team will benefit. If you are OK with where the team is now with fragmented solutions then stay the course but a little structure or planning can go a long way towards where this team and it's members seem to want to go.

If someone can't do one of the tasks mentioned in Post 1 then assign or get someone else to do it. I only named names to keep the ball rolling and have them above board.

Why don't you try becoming an active member of this team for ...oh, I don't know....3 months or so. Join us in some other projects and participate a little more here. Get to know us better. More importantly, let us get to know you better. Perhaps some of us may actually take you more seriously then.

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Originally Posted by Zytozux

Can't we send out an email to team members to let them know or remind them about the forums?

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Yes, we used to do that. We also used to have a really nice newsletter but that fell by the wayside. We don't have a good way of contacting/sending out bulk emails and that is something we need to have a plan for. $$$ of course fixes everything and one idea could be to collect donations to pay for the email service that we could use.

I am intrigued more with this post than the last, even. Look, guys, it doesn't matter who is behind this ID. Who cares?! Really. This is the same stuff several of us have been saying for a loooong time; just by someone from the "outside looking in".
Do you really think this is someone we don't know? Riiiight...he/she/it pegged us pretty well in that first post. It's obvious to me that our team lost its identity when SETI lost the "crown" of BOINC. Suddenly, there was a concept shift (i.e. new projects with varying credit output), further compounded by a paradigm shift: viz. CPU dominated crunching turning to GPU dominated crunching, not overnight, but much faster than most expected.
Unfortunately for our team, these changes were not accompanied by a clear and decisive change in tactics, purpose, or strategy, all of which are necessary for any organization to survive in a changing environment, let alone THRIVE in a hostile, competitive zone such as BOINC!

I'm not telling anyone here anything new, just re-capping. This is like the USA on the brink of WWII; do you remember from history how far behind we were in aircraft technology to get something to beat a Zero in a dogfigt? It took major time and resources, but the truth is, WE, the people of The United States of America, did it. And we can do it again in BOINC as well.

Now, I don't care who is telling us this info, I don't even care if it's your mom, or someone from another team. The bottom line is, our team has a STRONG core of dedicated crunchers (anyone who reads this) surrounded by an aging framework of outdated philosophy, equipment, and disinterested members (the 13K or so folks with CPUs that at one point or another in their life, thought, "Hey, I'd like to try that").

Let me finish by saying, it's all about ENERGY. I shouldn't have to give you references, but if you don't believe me, go study some quantum physics and come back to the table. (and leave your rig crunching while you're studying) So, if you're going to be negative, please re-think your post and phrase it in the most positive manner possible.

Back to the energy thing. There are no coincidences. I was just thinking about limiting my time here. If you hadn't noticed, I've been posting less this week, I suppose because, to be honest, I didn't feel like anything I had contributed thus far had been to much effect. And then this being, whoever it is, posts...and the effect to me, is like wind in the sails of a corsair that had been left to rot in the doldrums.

Sure, S.USA needs more than a committee; we need a blasted mother load of things, and if y'all have so much better ideas, then let's hear 'em, because frankly, I'm getting a little tired of circling as we go down further every day in the stats. But why not humor Uncle Sam a little. Let's drop the insanity of pretending we're fine with 5th place output in the world. How long are we all going to maintain the illusion of wonderfulness? Spare me, people. We are The USA, and we shouldn't take 2nd to anyone.

There are so many great folks here, it's hard for me to choose. That's a good thing, but please don't anyone get offended, I'm trying to think of people who would actually enjoy serving. With that in mind...
I nominate Hankey, Tera, Beer, Zombie, Dorsilfin, NJCans, Mike029, JPM, CrazyBob, Slickr, STM, Fire$torm, and, if I may be so bold, myself.
Edit: if you want 15, I add Mumps and Zytozux. Or as alternates for any of the 13 above who might bow out.

What we will accomplish, I don't know, and that doesn't even matter. If we put out the energy, it will come back to the team - even if it's in a way or from some other source than what we all expect.

I agree with DrPop.

Except the part about amusing SUncleSamA. It should be done because the TEAM needs it. I wouldn’t let him see the interworking until some more info as disclosed but they are right.

In the end people are going to do what they want to do. That’s the nature of a hobbie. I just want those people to have the support they need to do the best at what they want to do. We need races and team projects exc exc.

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Originally Posted by trigggl

That's a good focus if you posses an ATI card. I would think a team focus should be something that changes periodically based on circumstances and can be something non-
ATI users can participate in (and feel like they're accomplishing something). Don't want to pull anyone off of MW, but not everyone crunches MW and might want a different focus.

I liked the POM, though I didn't always crunch it. It was done by a vote, if I'm not mistaken. We just didn't always pick the right project for it.

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I was just trying to lighten the mood around here and was only referring to the http://setiusa.free-dc.org/vbforum/s...-MilkyWay-Home thread. I did not mean to imply that MW is or should be an official team focus project. Ok now back to lurking mode!

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Originally Posted by Harley

...just trying to lighten the mood around here...

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Point well taken, I suppose I should lighten up too. I just can't stand the drubbing we're getting these days in the world standings. Oh well, to each their own, I guess. I'm here if anyone wants to put their heads together and see if we can figure anything out...
...Or we could just stare blankly at each other, too! :D