# TPU's February 2015 WCG Challenge planning thread



## Norton (Feb 8, 2015)

Hey Team,
It's getting pretty dreary this time of year with the short days and the snow, etc... so let's try and break towards Spring on a high note and plan our annual *February Challenge.*

Let's use this thread to toss around some ideas and see what we can do for this year 
Post your thoughts, ideas, suggestions for:
- challenge date(s)
   - thinking about going for *2/26* thru *3/6*.
- format (points, runtime, results, etc)
- recruiting ideas
- prizes (hardware, games, etc)
   - A cruncher rig will be a great prize 
- etc...
*UPDATES:
TBA

Let's hear from YOU!!! *


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## stinger608 (Feb 8, 2015)

Them dates look perfect @Norton !

I have a brand new Seagate 2tb 3.5" drive with warranty until Dec 2017 that can be put in the list of prizes. 

Its a drive designed for video surveillance and to run 24/7/365 so should be a good drive for a grand prize system. 

I also have the 2 x 2gb Mushkin ram that you sent me on the last system that I didn't use, so that can sure be "paid forward" for the grand prize system as well.


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## ThE_MaD_ShOt (Feb 8, 2015)

I have some stuff to start a decent cruncher rig with for the grand prize. Anyone interested in donating the final pieces pm me what for what else is needed.


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## TRWOV (Feb 8, 2015)

Count me in with games for the giveaway.


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## t_ski (Feb 8, 2015)

Should be renamed "t_ski's birthday challenge."  Just sayin'...


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## theonedub (Feb 8, 2015)

I'd love to see a 'Newbies' bracket in the prizes where only new WCG Enlistees qualify for a AAA game or mid-range GPU, etc. Only because I think team growth is something that hasn't been going as well as all of us 'OGs' would like.

(Would still of course have other qualifiers to win, thinking at least 85% run time over the duration of the challenge or something to that effect)


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## Norton (Feb 8, 2015)

theonedub said:


> I'd love to see a 'Newbies' bracket in the prizes where only new WCG Enlistees qualify for a AAA game or mid-range GPU, etc. Only because I think team growth is something that hasn't been going as well as all of us 'OGs' would like.
> 
> (Would still of course have other qualifiers to win, thinking at least 85% run time over the duration of the challenge or something to that effect)



Good idea- will need to put in some thoughts on setting up some new cruncher prizes.

Thanks for the input so far Team!


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## manofthem (Feb 8, 2015)

I'm in for it, definitely excited about this Challenge! 

It's awesome to see the generous attitude already coming forth.    I'll try to contribute in some way, either game donation or hardware piece.


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## Toothless (Feb 8, 2015)

I'll be joining this! I know that I'm not on a lot via my desktop, but I gotta join a WCG challenge some day!


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## twilyth (Feb 9, 2015)

As I said in another thread, not sure which one, I have a Crosshair V Formula and FX 8350 both NIB to offer.


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## stinger608 (Feb 9, 2015)

Awesome @twilyth !!!!!

That gives us the motherboard, cpu, hard drive, and ram so far. Well on our way to getting a grand prize system put together!


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## Norton (Feb 9, 2015)

twilyth said:


> As I said in another thread, not sure which one,* I have a Crosshair V Formula and FX 8350 both NIB to offer*.


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## ThE_MaD_ShOt (Feb 10, 2015)

ThE_MaD_ShOt said:


> I have some stuff to start a decent cruncher rig with for the grand prize. Anyone interested in donating the final pieces pm me what for what else is needed.





twilyth said:


> As I said in another thread, not sure which one, I have a Crosshair V Formula and FX 8350 both NIB to offer.





stinger608 said:


> Awesome twilyth !!!!!
> 
> That gives us the motherboard, cpu, hard drive, and ram so far. Well on our way to getting a grand prize system put together!




I guess I will save my stuff for another challenge.


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## T-Bob (Feb 10, 2015)

t_ski said:


> Should be renamed "t_ski's birthday challenge."  Just sayin'...


How about "t_ski & T-Bob's birthday challenge." The February challenge starts one day after my birthday. I couldn't help myself...


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## BUCK NASTY (Feb 10, 2015)

stinger608 said:


> Awesome @twilyth !!!!!
> 
> That gives us the motherboard, cpu, hard drive, and ram so far. Well on our way to getting a grand prize system put together!


I can help with the PSU. Will also have both servers onboard for the challenge with fresh OS installs.


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## Norton (Feb 10, 2015)

ThE_MaD_ShOt said:


> I guess I will save my stuff for another challenge.



How about if we do one rig for a new cruncher built by @ThE_MaD_ShOt and offer the CH V/FX 8350 from @twilyth as a combo for a grand prize?



T-Bob said:


> How about "t_ski & T-Bob's birthday challenge." The February challenge starts one day after my birthday. I couldn't help myself...



We can add that in as a secondary title for the challenge


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## ThE_MaD_ShOt (Feb 10, 2015)

Norton said:


> How about if we do one rig for a new cruncher built by @ThE_MaD_ShOt and offer the CH V/FX 8350 from @twilyth as a combo for a grand prize?


That will work


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## T-Bob (Feb 10, 2015)

Norton said:


> How about if we do one rig for a new cruncher built by @ThE_MaD_ShOt and offer the CH V/FX 8350 from @twilyth as a combo for a grand prize?


+1 I think this is a good idea as well. Also I can contribute a psu and a case if needed.


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## Bow (Feb 10, 2015)

Count me in
I need a  new CPU and a new GPU


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## T-Bob (Feb 10, 2015)

Norton said:


> Let's use this thread to toss around some ideas and see what we can do for this year
> Post your thoughts, ideas, suggestions for:
> - challenge date(s)
> - thinking about going for *2/26* thru *3/6*.
> ...


@Norton Are the challenge dates set in stone? If not how about 2/25 thru 3/6? I'm only bringing this up cause my birthday is on the 25th. Anyway, it's just a thought and IMO it's upto the team to decide.


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## Norton (Feb 10, 2015)

T-Bob said:


> @Norton Are the challenge dates set in stone? If not how about 2/25 thru 3/6? I'm only bringing this up cause my birthday is on the 25th. Anyway, it's just a thought and IMO it's upto the team to decide.



The challenges start at 0:00 GMT so the actual start time for the Eastern US will be 19:00 (7pm) on the 25th 

That should still work right?


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## T-Bob (Feb 10, 2015)

Norton said:


> The challenges start at 0:00 GMT so the actual start time for the Eastern US will be 19:00 (7pm) on the 25th
> 
> That should still work right?


Yes that will work. Thanks Capt'n


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## thebluebumblebee (Feb 11, 2015)

24th


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## AlienIsGOD (Feb 11, 2015)

as always im in  love the Kraken X41 i won from the last challenge


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## Tallencor (Feb 11, 2015)

AlienIsGOD said:


> as always im in  love the Kraken X41 i won from the last challenge


Yeah me too. Lol. Lucky bugger.
P.s. Im in full throttle guys.
18 cores 22 threads


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## krusha03 (Feb 11, 2015)

I would join also. I just changed my board so I have perfectly working 970 Pro R2.0 laying around but as I am on the other side of the pond idk how that will work... What about some game giveaway. i need to see if I still have some unused keys (older games but it's something) or I gave away to friends everything. And love the new cruncher category. Gives a change the new guys on the team (aka the likes of me)


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## Bow (Feb 16, 2015)

Count my in for a $20.00 PP donation.


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## ThE_MaD_ShOt (Feb 16, 2015)

krusha03 said:


> I would join also. I just changed my board so I have perfectly working 970 Pro R2.0 laying around but as I am on the other side of the pond idk how that will work... What about some game giveaway. i need to see if I still have some unused keys (older games but it's something) or I gave away to friends everything. And love the new cruncher category. Gives a change the new guys on the team (aka the likes of me)


Or you can offer it as a prize for that side of the pond.


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## Norton (Feb 16, 2015)

Bow said:


> Count my in for a $20.00 PP donation.



I'm in for a $50 Paypal gift, donation of the psu for @ThE_MaD_ShOt 's rig build and another item (or two)

Should be listing out the prizes available at some point later today... please post here or PM me if you would like to donate an item


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## Tallencor (Feb 17, 2015)

Would love to donate this time around guys but I'm still hard luck from the holidays and 5 family b-days. Which in itself sux because id really like to grab a 290x right now. Man are they ever dropping. Things should be better for a future challenge though.


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## Nordic (Feb 18, 2015)

How do I miss most of these planning threads for so long?

I also need to get my pentium running again. I had to move it and have been too lazy to set it up again.


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## manofthem (Feb 18, 2015)

Time to commandeer my bro's CPU again for the challenge, it's approaching quickly and quietly


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## Peter1986C (Feb 18, 2015)

Darwin will run 4 WUs at a time 24/7 during the challenge. Edison is no more (board being to bothersome to be considered reliable, RAM sold, CPU in auction at E-bay).


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## TRWOV (Feb 18, 2015)

I guess it's time to find out how far will the little 5350 go


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## manofthem (Feb 18, 2015)

Been thinking about the game giveaway and an AAA title for Grand prize. Which do you guys think would be good? 


Dying Light
Batman Arkham Knight (pre-order) 
GTA V (pre-order) 
Evolve 

The obvious answer is all of them, but let's try to narrow it down


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## theonedub (Feb 18, 2015)

Either Dying Light or GTA V is what I would vote for. 

Thing is, the second after you buy it, its going to go on sale somewhere. 100% always happens


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## twilyth (Feb 18, 2015)

TRWOV said:


> I guess it's time to find out how far will the little 5350 go



Here are my stats which includes the 24 thread dual hex - the chips are 5660's I think so very close to the 50's in speed







Screen print brought to you by Greenshot.  I love this utility.  It sits in your sys tray and when you want to grab a part of the screen, just mouseover the area you want and it automatically gets uploaded to the service of your choice.



manofthem said:


> Been thinking about the game giveaway and an AAA title for Grand prize. Which do you guys think would be good?
> 
> 
> Dying Light
> ...


Do you get these for free?  Because if you're paying for them, it might be better to offer the cash.  Of course if you get a steep discount or something that's not an option but I mention this because not everyone is into games and even if they are, you're never going to make everyone happy.


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## manofthem (Feb 18, 2015)

@theonedub: I too think that a strong single player game is always better for a prize among the WCG team.

@twilyth: no, I don't get games for free. The whole game giveaway thing started a while back, and since it got some good response, we started throwing in a new AAA game. Since others tend to donate some cash prizes, the game thing stuck with me.

Of course, I'm open to any and all suggestions


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## thebluebumblebee (Feb 18, 2015)

Okay @twilyth , where's that SS from?


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## Nordic (Feb 18, 2015)

thebluebumblebee said:


> Okay @twilyth , where's that SS from?


It is from boinc stats. It is real, I checked.

Here is the whole team.
http://boincstats.com/en/stats/15/user/list/0/0/22175/0


Here is you.
http://boincstats.com/en/stats/15/host/list/0/0/645792/1


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## TRWOV (Feb 18, 2015)

twilyth said:


> Here are my stats which includes the 24 thread dual hex - the chips are 5660's I think so very close to the 50's in speed



I was speaking about the Athlon 5350 on my main? secondary? rig but thanks nonetheless.


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## twilyth (Feb 19, 2015)

manofthem said:


> @twilyth: no, I don't get games for free. The whole game giveaway thing started a while back, and since it got some good response, we started throwing in a new AAA game. Since others tend to donate some cash prizes, the game thing stuck with me.
> 
> Of course, I'm open to any and all suggestions


I thought of that because I've worked for companies in the past where you got a pretty hefty employee discount.  So you could buy stuff at the company store that would cost a lot more than what people would have to pay in the store and much of the time these were things that didn't really go on sale.  So I thought maybe that also applied to your situation.  But thanks for the explanation.  Maybe if we get a few prizes that have similar value, we can let winners take their pick.  Maybe do it in the order they were drawn.  IDK, just thinking out loud here.


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## stinger608 (Feb 19, 2015)

manofthem said:


> Been thinking about the game giveaway and an AAA title for Grand prize. Which do you guys think would be good?
> 
> 
> Dying Light
> ...



I say GTA V myself. Very anticipated PC version game.


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## thebluebumblebee (Feb 19, 2015)

james888 said:


> It is from boinc stats. It is real, I checked.
> 
> Here is the whole team.
> http://boincstats.com/en/stats/15/user/list/0/0/22175/0
> ...


I knew I'd seen that before.  Second bookmark in my folder of "DC bookmarks."


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## Norton (Feb 19, 2015)

twilyth said:


> I thought of that because I've worked for companies in the past where you got a pretty hefty employee discount.  So you could buy stuff at the company store that would cost a lot more than what people would have to pay in the store and much of the time these were things that didn't really go on sale.  So I thought maybe that also applied to your situation.  But thanks for the explanation.  Maybe if we get a few prizes that have similar value, we can let winners take their pick.  Maybe do it in the order they were drawn.  IDK, just thinking out loud here.



We break up the challenge prizes into a game giveaway either as a kickoff or midway through the challenge (this varies) and then we do the main prizes of hardware, software, paypal etc prizes at the conclusion of the challenge. This format seems to be popular and @manofthem does an awesome job sourcing some great games and hosting the giveaway 

Thanks for the input!


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## twilyth (Feb 19, 2015)

Norton said:


> We break up the challenge prizes into a game giveaway either as a kickoff or midway through the challenge (this varies) and then we do the main prizes of hardware, software, paypal etc prizes at the conclusion of the challenge. This format seems to be popular and @manofthem does an awesome job sourcing some great games and hosting the giveaway
> 
> Thanks for the input!


Oh, ok.  Sorry.  Sort like a Russian nesting doll of prizes.  Got it.


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## Norton (Feb 19, 2015)

*Preliminary prize list*

*Grand Prizes:*
- *Challenge Giveaway Rig*- donated/built by @ThE_MaD_ShOt  with additional support by various members of our crunching/folding Teams
Specs- TBA
*this will be donated to a new Team member- details TBA when challenge thread goes live
-* Asus Crosshair V & FX-8350 mobo/cpu combo*- donated by @twilyth

*Hardware/Software/Etc prizes*
- *$50 Paypal gift* donated by @Norton
- *$20 Paypal gift* donated by @Bow
- *$35 Paypal gift* donated by @theonedub
- *Fractal Design Kelvin S36 AIO cooler* donated by @sneekypeet

*Game Giveaway- *hosted by @manofthem

MORE PRIZES COMING SOON- WATCH THIS THREAD FOR MORE DETAILS 

*Post here or PM me if you want to donate an item*


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## theonedub (Feb 19, 2015)

I'll do a $35 PP Gift as long as you don't mind being the middle man as usual, Norton


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## Norton (Feb 19, 2015)

theonedub said:


> I'll do a $35 PP Gift as long as you don't mind being the middle man as usual, Norton



Done!  and thanks!


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## manofthem (Feb 19, 2015)

So many awesome donations by our amazing members!  


Anything else needed like hardware on the grand prize giveaway rig?


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## yotano211 (Feb 19, 2015)

I can donate all of the shipping labels. I have tons of extra Fedex next day shipping labels that wont expire for another month. I just need the info from point A to point B, I'll make the labels over at Fedex website and email them to whom ever. The person will have to print the labels and packages the items.


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## ThE_MaD_ShOt (Feb 19, 2015)

manofthem said:


> So many awesome donations by our amazing members!
> 
> 
> Anything else needed like hardware on the grand prize giveaway rig?


Pm'd you buddy with the list of what is still needed.



yotano211 said:


> I can donate all of the shipping labels. I have tons of extra Fedex next day shipping labels that wont expire for another month. I just need the info from point A to point B, I'll make the labels over at Fedex website and email them to whom ever. The person will have to print the labels and packages the items.



This is great bud.  I will be sending you details after the winner is drawn.


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## manofthem (Feb 19, 2015)

So challenge dates are set for 2/26-3/6, right? Sounds pretty good to me. I was going to try to redo my rig before the challenge, but I'm going to hold off til after. You never know what can happen when redoing a rig, and whatever it is, it always happens to me


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## krusha03 (Feb 19, 2015)

As i said earlier I am willing to give away my AM3 board to US or EU does not matter for me as long as the person getting it pays for the shipping  I checked my library of steam keys and unfortunately only GRID hasn't been claimed by any of my friends (had a list of 10 games that i had double and send around to people). It's a old game but someone may find joy in it.


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## twilyth (Feb 19, 2015)

I have a question.  With the mobo and chip I'm donating, how does shipping work if the winner is overseas?  I haven't shipped anything in a few years so I don't have any idea what it costs and these items probably weigh at least a few pounds.  Domestic shipping shouldn't be a big deal but I just looked up what it would cost to send a large flat rate box to Germany, just as an example, and it's about $80.

Maybe we could restrict this to US and Canada?  Let me know how this normally works.


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## Norton (Feb 19, 2015)

twilyth said:


> I have a question.  With the mobo and chip I'm donating, how does shipping work if the winner is overseas?  I haven't shipped anything in a few years so I don't have any idea what it costs and these items probably weigh at least a few pounds.  Domestic shipping shouldn't be a big deal but I just looked up what it would cost to send a large flat rate box to Germany, just as an example, and it's about $80.
> 
> Maybe we could restrict this to US and Canada?  Let me know how this normally works.



We usually restrict certain items to US/Canada due to shipping costs- we will go worldwide once in a while if we get a volunteer to assist with shipping.

Was planning going US/Canada only on your offering but wanted to verify that with you first.


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## manofthem (Feb 19, 2015)

If winner pays shipping, don't we start to deal in the lines of a B/S/T and things start to get more difficult. I suppose if we all volunteer to pool the money, it's different.




krusha03 said:


> I checked my library of steam keys and unfortunately only GRID hasn't been claimed by any of my friends (had a list of 10 games that i had double and send around to people). It's a old game but someone may find joy in it.



Shall I put you down for donating the game for sure?


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## krusha03 (Feb 19, 2015)

manofthem said:


> If winner pays shipping, don't we start to deal in the lines of a B/S/T and things start to get more difficult. I suppose if we all volunteer to pool the money, it's different.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Yes sure  I will check the shipping prices for the board to US and some countries in EU but if it's in the line of what @twilyth said I unfortunately can not afford that being a student with a part time job


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## manofthem (Feb 19, 2015)

krusha03 said:


> Yes sure  I will check the shipping prices for the board to US and some countries in EU but if it's in the line of what @twilyth said I unfortunately can not afford that being a student with a part time job


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## Norton (Feb 19, 2015)

manofthem said:


> *If winner pays shipping, don't we start to deal in the lines of a B/S/T and things start to get more difficult*. I suppose if we all volunteer to pool the money, it's different.



Correct we need to avoid this so we don't cross the B/S/T line.

If someone donates gear it needs to be at no cost to the winner. That said, it is fine for another person to volunteer to assist with shipping costs.

Case in point- I usually cover shipping costs on items donated by sneeky, AthlonX2, etc.. out of pocket often but I do get donations from time to time to assist with these shipping costs.....


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## Norton (Feb 20, 2015)

Sorry for the double-post 

The Challenge is on the schedule at WCG:
http://www.worldcommunitygrid.org/team/challenge/viewTeamChallenge.do?challengeId=7150

15 Teams have signed up already!


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## yotano211 (Feb 20, 2015)

I will cover all shipping costs to anyone within the US only. The Fedex labels I have only allow me to cover within the US only. I ship tons of items on ebay and Fedex has lost some items last year. So they can provide me with some compensation.

So who ever wants me to make a label for them, just PM me with the full details but within US only. I only have about 4-6 weeks left until most labels expire.


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## TRWOV (Feb 20, 2015)




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## twilyth (Feb 20, 2015)

I don't get it.  

Anyway, thanks @yotano211.  I might take you up on that as long as it doesn't cost you anything.


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## thebluebumblebee (Feb 20, 2015)

TRWOV said:


>


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## theonedub (Feb 20, 2015)

My PC might lose its WiFi connection lol


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## Caring1 (Feb 20, 2015)

TRWOV said:


>


We could use some of those with all the rain we're getting at the moment, damn cyclone dumping rain on us for days now.
Time to get sandbagging I suppose


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## manofthem (Feb 20, 2015)

twilyth said:


> I don't get it.



I think I'll shoot you a pm


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## yotano211 (Feb 20, 2015)

twilyth said:


> I don't get it.
> 
> Anyway, thanks @yotano211.  I might take you up on that as long as it doesn't cost you anything.


It doesnt cost me anything. The shipping labels I get are free to me.


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## BarbaricSoul (Feb 20, 2015)

yotano211 said:


> It doesnt cost me anything. The shipping labels I get are free to me.



Dont matter what they cost you, You sharing with the team is what matters, and for that I thank you.

I don't have anything to donate for this challenge, but I'll have the give-away system for the next challenge.


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## Zachary85 (Feb 21, 2015)

I need to read the topics below the sticky threads more often. I almost missed this one.  Time to spool up the mighty laptop fleet for a few days again.


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## mjkmike (Feb 21, 2015)

Sorry I can't offer any thing this time.  But if it helps I'm helping a friend.


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## 64K (Feb 21, 2015)

I can put a Samsung 840 EVO 250 GB SSD with all original packaging for a prize that's never been used but it will have to be lower 48 USA due to shipping which I will pay for.


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## Norton (Feb 21, 2015)

64K said:


> I can put a Samsung 840 EVO 250 GB SSD with all original packaging for a prize that's never been used but it will have to be lower 48 USA due to shipping which I will pay for.




My 4P is back running- 48 more cores crunching!


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## thebluebumblebee (Feb 21, 2015)

Caring1 said:


> We could use some of those with all the rain we're getting


Bags of coffee and cocoa beans?


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## ThE_MaD_ShOt (Feb 22, 2015)

Okay guys once the specs are nailed down on the giveaway rig Norton or I will post them.


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## krusha03 (Feb 22, 2015)

Norton said:


> Correct we need to avoid this so we don't cross the B/S/T line.
> 
> If someone donates gear it needs to be at no cost to the winner. That said, it is fine for another person to volunteer to assist with shipping costs
> 
> Case in point- I usually cover shipping costs on items donated by sneeky, AthlonX2, etc.. out of pocket often but I do get donations from time to time to assist with these shipping costs.....


Sorry about that I wasn't aware how things work since I have never done it before and me perosnally woundn't mind paying 80$ for that sweet am3 mobo + cpu from @twilyth or how much the shipping of that SSD from @64K  would cost since i am sure it would be less than half what it cost here



manofthem said:


>



I checked and it's about €20 for EU and €40 to US. I think the motherboard new can be have for about the same price in the US so that wouldn't be worth it. Instead of limiting it to EU only I will see what is the used price around here and donate another game or 2 instead.

Edit: Are people open to games from Origin (example BF4) or is steam preferred?


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## Norton (Feb 22, 2015)

krusha03 said:


> Are people open to games from Origin (example BF4) or is steam preferred?



Please check in with @manofthem on game preferences.. at this point I would only guess that Steam is the preferred source?

On the hardware items we list- please PM me if you're outside of the shipping area and we'll see what we can work out


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## ThE_MaD_ShOt (Feb 22, 2015)

I for one am not opposed to Origin, may have to see what others preferences are.


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## manofthem (Feb 22, 2015)

@krusha03: while Steam keys are the easiest to deal with, Origin codes are welcomed! In fact, any codes for the main digital distribution platforms, meaning Steam, Origin, and Uplay, are usually easy to give out and activate.



ThE_MaD_ShOt said:


> I for one am not opposed to Origin, may have to see what others preferences are.



This is a different story; I don't hate on Origin either. There are some that hate Origin and/or Uplay, but that is not our main concern. Those that have issues with the digital provider will simply not opt in. Honestly, I don't think many in the team have those issues.


Thus, game codes from Steam, Origin, and Uplay are welcomed, as long as they are _valid_! 

Thanks guys


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## krusha03 (Feb 22, 2015)

manofthem said:


> @krusha03: while Steam keys are the easiest to deal with, Origin codes are welcomed! In fact, any codes for the main digital distribution platforms, meaning Steam, Origin, and Uplay, are usually easy to give out and activate.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Decided to stick to steam. Please add Toxikk, XCOM Enemy Unknown and The Bureau: XCOM Declassified to the list


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## manofthem (Feb 22, 2015)

krusha03 said:


> Decided to stick to steam. Please add Toxikk, XCOM Enemy Unknown and The Bureau: XCOM Declassified to the list



Awesomesauce, thanks so much!


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## n3rdf1ght3r (Feb 22, 2015)

I got keys for Crysis 2 Maximum Edition, Dead Space, and Mirrors Edge on Origin.


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## manofthem (Feb 22, 2015)

n3rdf1ght3r said:


> I got keys for Crysis 2 Maximum Edition, Dead Space, and Mirrors Edge on Origin.



More Awesomesauce! 


And BTW, I think Dead Space was a really fantastic game that deserves more credit.


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## Norton (Feb 23, 2015)

30+ Teams signed for our Challenge so far! 

http://www.worldcommunitygrid.org/team/challenge/viewTeamChallenge.do?challengeId=7150

Going to announce the Challenge on the WCG forum also


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## BUCK NASTY (Feb 23, 2015)

thebluebumblebee said:


> Bags of coffee and cocoa beans?


Cocoa Beans are like Gold now. I was gonna buy some chocolate bars, but the paperwork for the 2nd mortgage made me say no.

*I know I've said it before, but this time I will go dark 24 hrs before the challenge in order to have a good 1st day.*


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## twilyth (Feb 23, 2015)

BUCK NASTY said:


> Cocoa Beans are like Gold now. I was gonna buy some chocolate bars, but the paperwork for the 2nd mortgage made me say no.


Has the price really gone up that much? I know it's gone up around 10% over the past month, but given how much actual cocoa is most chocolate, it's weird that it's had much of a effect on price.


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## brandonwh64 (Feb 23, 2015)

I am in! I have been pushing my work machine more and more with crunching due to creating a VM for all my work related stuff.


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## AlienIsGOD (Feb 23, 2015)

the 3570K is ready to put in some work  i5 2400 is ALWAYS working


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## TRWOV (Feb 24, 2015)

Little Athlon has been crunching for 2 days now and no crashes so far. The 2.52Ghz overclock is probing solid.


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## ThE_MaD_ShOt (Feb 24, 2015)

TRWOV said:


> Little Athlon has been crunching for 2 days now and no crashes so far. The 2.52Ghz overclock is probing solid.


2.52 over base?  poor thing I hope it has a cooling blanky.


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## SirKeldon (Feb 24, 2015)

Well, I was hoping to add my cousin's old Sapphire HD6850 to the prize but since I think it was the responsible to fry my PSU in an incredible shortcircuit past saturday I think I'm not doing it, I won't risk anyone's system (card seemed faulty under my dad's computer, I wanted to try and be sure and that was the result ...) 

Also after that my secondary rig was in doubtful conditions to join since I didn't know if that fried the whole system ... buuuuuut here comes the good news, bought a new PSU and realized SO HAPPY that everything was still working ... so count "The Survivor" (I think he deserves the name) to join the challenge!!! 

That makes 4 cores from i5-2500K @ 4.4GHz & 4 cores from Q8200 @ 2.3GHz .... and if I have the time to set it up and see if the temps hold, some more extra juice from a server with a Xeon E3-1225V2 @ 3.3GHz ... but 8 cores are assured. A real shame that no GPU work is available =(
*So everybody get ready and hold on to your cruncher-hat!*


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## BUCK NASTY (Feb 24, 2015)

Need help figuring out the exact time the Challenge starts in EST please.


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## Norton (Feb 24, 2015)

BUCK NASTY said:


> Need help figuring out the exact time the Challenge starts in EST please.



Wednesday 2/25 @ 7pm Eastern ..... 44 hrs from now


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## Peter1986C (Feb 24, 2015)

Chevalr1c said:


> Darwin will run 4 WUs at a time 24/7 during the challenge. Edison is no more (board being to bothersome to be considered reliable, RAM sold, CPU in auction at E-bay).



Darwin went from 2/4 WUs to 4/4 WUs today, in order to "ramp up production" pre-challenge. The Athlon II X2 250 has been sold now BTW.


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## manofthem (Feb 24, 2015)

BUCK NASTY said:


> Need help figuring out the exact time the Challenge starts in EST please.



You're not the only one, I always have a hard time figuring out the start and finish times of these challenges.  Shows how ignorant I am, always looking at things EST 



Norton said:


> Wednesday 2/25 @ 7pm Eastern ..... 44 hrs from now



 thank you sir, much obliged.


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## BUCK NASTY (Feb 24, 2015)

manofthem said:


> Shows how ignorant I am, always looking at things EST


Bhah....who needs that Metric System anyway.


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## TRWOV (Feb 24, 2015)

ThE_MaD_ShOt said:


> 2.52 over base?  poor thing I hope it has a cooling blanky.



I mean 2.52Ghz total (120x21)


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## Peter1986C (Feb 24, 2015)

BUCK NASTY said:


> Bhah....who needs that Metric System anyway.


Nothing metric about that.


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## krusha03 (Feb 24, 2015)

So it starts on 26th of February 00:00 UTC?


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## BUCK NASTY (Feb 24, 2015)

Chevalr1c said:


> Nothing metric about that.


It was a joke. I guess you have to be Americun to get it.

Guy's, I've got to be in Chicago March 4th-6th and I'm not too keen on letting these servers run while I'm away. I may cut back to a single server before I leave and pray it stay's online for that time frame. Ambient temps are a big factor as well. It's been getting warm around here lately during the day. Keep your fingers crossed.


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## thebluebumblebee (Feb 24, 2015)

BUCK NASTY said:


> Guy's, I've got to be in Chicago


There are MicroCenter's there.


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## Tallencor (Feb 24, 2015)

2 Days Spool man, SPOOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## BUCK NASTY (Feb 24, 2015)

thebluebumblebee said:


> There are MicroCenter's there.


Leave it to Bruce to call me out! I'm actually stuck in a hotel for 48 hrs with meetings and no time to break away.


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## krusha03 (Feb 24, 2015)

Newbie here, what's exactly spooling?


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## Tallencor (Feb 24, 2015)

krusha03 said:


> Newbie here, what's exactly spooling?


It takes a little while for wcg, boinc and your pc to co exist perfectly together. If you start running a few days before the challenge you can be sure that when the challenge starts you will be getting the best possible points per day.


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## krusha03 (Feb 24, 2015)

Tallencor said:


> It takes a little while for wcg, boinc and your pc to co exist perfectly together. If you start running a few days before the challenge you can be sure that when the challenge starts you will be getting the best possible points per day.


I was thinking (spooling + going dark as @BUCK NASTY said) is you load up your pc with WUs, block the connection of Boinc and when the challenge starts, upload 2 days worth of tasks giving you unfair advantage to others. I like my idea better


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## t_ski (Feb 24, 2015)

BUCK NASTY said:


> It's been getting warm around here



(looks at post)

(looks at local temps)

Screw you Buck


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## ThE_MaD_ShOt (Feb 24, 2015)

krusha03 said:


> I was thinking (spooling + going dark as @BUCK NASTY said) is you load up your pc with WUs, block the connection of Boinc and when the challenge starts, upload 2 days worth of tasks giving you unfair advantage to others. I like my idea better


No that would be sandbagging. Spooling is when you first start crunching on a rig, it will first start throwing some of you results in the pending pile until you hit a certain point where it levels the going into pending with the valid results.


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## krusha03 (Feb 24, 2015)

ThE_MaD_ShOt said:


> No that would be sandbagging. Spooling is when you first start crunching on a rig, it will first start throwing some of you results in the pending pile until you hit a certain point where it levels the going into pending with the valid results.


Is that a common thing for challenges? Just wondering because either way with my 5 threads, during the challenge I may go up to 17 at times if i include my laptop + a uni workstations, it doesn't matter when compared to you big shots


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## ThE_MaD_ShOt (Feb 24, 2015)

Nah not really. And the "spooling up" only takes a couple day to a week if the rig is ran steady. You'll see your ppd stabilize when it's done. It will kinda plateau out after a steady climb.


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## krusha03 (Feb 24, 2015)

ThE_MaD_ShOt said:


> Nah not really. And the "spooling up" only takes a couple day to a week if the rig is ran steady. You'll see your ppd stabilize when it's done. It will kinda plateau out after a steady climb.


Well i left now the uni workstation overnight (here is hoping nobody needs it tomorrow) and will start spooling up my laptop also then


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## BUCK NASTY (Feb 24, 2015)

ThE_MaD_ShOt said:


> No that would be sandbagging. Spooling is when you first start crunching on a rig, it will first start throwing some of you results in the pending pile until you hit a certain point where it levels the going into pending with the valid results.


Sandbagging or spooling.....it's all about the biggest dump. I have a feeling my servers will get constipated up until the start of the challenge, when a hefty dose of Ex-Lax will relieve them of their completed work LOL.


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## krusha03 (Feb 24, 2015)

BUCK NASTY said:


> Sandbagging or spooling.....it's all about the biggest dump. I have a feeling my servers will get constipated up until the start of the challenge, when a hefty dose of Ex-Lax will relieve them of their completed work LOL.


lol. So @Norton any news on the actual WCG Challenge thread? If I am correct we have less than 26 hours remaining. Also are there any tips to increase PPD except for increasing thread / clocks? Do choosing the right projects matter etc?


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## manofthem (Feb 24, 2015)

t_ski said:


> (looks at post)
> 
> (looks at local temps)
> 
> Screw you Buck



Shorts, sleeveless shirts, clear skies, humidity... I got sunburned today 




BUCK NASTY said:


> Leave it to Bruce to call me out! I'm actually stuck in a hotel for 48 hrs with meetings and no time to break away.



Buck, you going to brush up on your _ABCs_?


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## ThE_MaD_ShOt (Feb 24, 2015)

BUCK NASTY said:


> Sandbagging or spooling.....it's all about the biggest dump. I have a feeling my servers will get constipated up until the start of the challenge, when a hefty dose of Ex-Lax will relieve them of their completed work LOL.


That reminds me, whoopsie now for some reason my network switch has turned off. Damnedest thing to for it to do that right before a big challenge.


Oh and I just noticed all 7 rigs that are running off that switch mysteriously upped there buffers to atleast 3 days Hmm.


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## thebluebumblebee (Feb 24, 2015)

manofthem said:


> I got sunburned today


Would you like some cheese with that whine?


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## Nordic (Feb 24, 2015)

Over this last month or so I have gone from snow, to cold and rainy, to sunny and really warm (60f), and now sunny but cold (20f).


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## Norton (Feb 25, 2015)

krusha03 said:


> lol. So @Norton any news on the actual WCG Challenge thread? If I am correct we have less than 26 hours remaining. Also are there any tips to increase PPD except for increasing thread / clocks? Do choosing the right projects matter etc?



Will try to get the Challenge thread up in a few hours... had a horrible day at work due to someone getting injured/me picking up his stops so I'm quite tired atm.

Consider the thread a draft when I post it and expect frequent updates as I fix stuff


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## stinger608 (Feb 25, 2015)

Norton said:


> Will try to get the Challenge thread up in a few hours... had a horrible day at work due to someone getting injured/me picking up his stops so I'm quite tired atm.
> 
> Consider the thread a draft when I post it and expect frequent updates as I fix stuff



Isn't a big deal @Norton ! Just wait until you are rested and feel like making the post brother!


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## BUCK NASTY (Feb 25, 2015)

manofthem said:


> Buck, you going to brush up on your _ABCs_?


LOL, you know it. Our yearly Manager's meeting in beautiful Chicago. Funny thing is my branch is still a "Bradco"......last one in Florida(maybe even the entire Southeast U.S.)


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## t_ski (Feb 25, 2015)

manofthem said:


> Shorts, sleeveless shirts, clear skies, humidity... I got sunburned today



You just made it on my list, too buddy


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## stinger608 (Feb 25, 2015)

t_ski said:


> You just made it on my list, too buddy



yea, no kidding @t_ski !!! 
Not going to get out of the 20's here for the next 10 days and these butt hooks are talking about sweating in sleeveless shirts! Grrrrr.


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## t_ski (Feb 25, 2015)

I think I'm going to have to go down there and teach Matt a lesson


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## manofthem (Feb 25, 2015)

t_ski said:


> I think I'm going to have to go down there and teach Matt a lesson



Bring your bathing suit 




Sorry guys, I really do feel for you all. But soon enough I'll be dying down here with 100F and 99% humidity, probably right when you guys are loving your weather! 




BTW @t_ski I can't help but think of this clip, just put Matt in place of Kevin


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## thebluebumblebee (Feb 25, 2015)

manofthem said:


> Bring your bathing suit


You heard him.  Party at Matt's!


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## Arjai (Feb 25, 2015)

thebluebumblebee said:


> You heard him.  Party at Matt's!


I get the Sofa!! Called it!!


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## stinger608 (Feb 26, 2015)

Arjai said:


> I get the Sofa!! Called it!!



Dang it @Arjai I was just going to call dibs on that...........Oh well, I guess I'll just kick Matt and the wife out of bed and take that................Bhahahahahaha


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## Norton (Feb 26, 2015)

stinger608 said:


> Dang it @Arjai I was just going to call dibs on that...........Oh well, I guess I'll just kick Matt and the wife out of bed and take that................Bhahahahahaha



Just park yer RV in the driveway!


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## thebluebumblebee (Feb 26, 2015)

So who gets diaper duty?


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## stinger608 (Feb 26, 2015)

thebluebumblebee said:


> So who gets diaper duty?




Dang it @thebluebumblebee I was right in the middle of eating a piece of pizza when I read that........................About choked laughing man!


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## ThE_MaD_ShOt (Feb 26, 2015)

Umm I'll take the kitchen and maybe @Toothless will join in and we can do some baking.


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## Nordic (Feb 26, 2015)

ThE_MaD_ShOt said:


> Umm I'll take the kitchen and maybe @Toothless will join in and we can do some baking.


I'll bring some intel heatsinks for the occasion. Could we do some cookies too, because heatsinks aren't very tasty


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## Toothless (Feb 26, 2015)

ThE_MaD_ShOt said:


> Umm I'll take the kitchen and maybe @Toothless will join in and we can do some baking.


I'll bring my laptop to use as a stove top.


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## thebluebumblebee (Feb 26, 2015)

Anyone else notice that we get a little silly when a Challenge starts?


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## manofthem (Feb 26, 2015)

thebluebumblebee said:


> Anyone else notice that we get a little silly when a Challenge starts?


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## Nordic (Feb 26, 2015)

thebluebumblebee said:


> Anyone else notice that we get a little silly when a Challenge starts?


Its a celebration!


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## Tallencor (Feb 26, 2015)

manofthem said:


>


Um.........Starting to think Bill and Matt have a thing for Redheads. I'm not picky like that. I like Emma Stone no matter what color hair she has this week.


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## manofthem (Feb 27, 2015)

Tallencor said:


> Um.........Starting to think Bill and Matt have a thing for Redheads. I'm not picky like that. I like Emma Stone no matter what color hair she has this week.



My brother and dad are red heads, and I'm thinking that my new daughter is going to have some red in her hair too.  So yeah, redheads are awesome in my book


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## t_ski (Feb 27, 2015)

thebluebumblebee said:


> So who gets diaper duty?


I am NOT changing Matt's diapers again.  I did it last time


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## ThE_MaD_ShOt (Feb 27, 2015)

t_ski said:


> I am NOT changing Matt's diapers again.  I did it last time


You would think by now he would have learned to use the potty.


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## thebluebumblebee (Feb 27, 2015)

ThE_MaD_ShOt said:


> You would think by now he would have learned to use the potty.


I think that's taking "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em" too far.


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## manofthem (Feb 27, 2015)

ThE_MaD_ShOt said:


> You would think by now he would have learned to use the potty.



Potties are for suckers.  Why waste time getting up, walking, getting undressed, wiping, washing hands... when I could just have @t_ski do it for me.  He used the soft wipes by Pampers


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## Tallencor (Feb 27, 2015)

Well...........................Looks like i'm down to just crunching here at work for the challenge. Times are a tad tighter than I thought they would be. No net service when I got home last night. Payday comes a week from today so I can pay the bill.
Wish I could bring my server and tower in here but alas it's not my business. No wu's means no crunch. Sorry team.
When I moved into the place were at now I thought small abode means little wood to burn but shes per drafty and I'm outta wood. Using the Electric rads but that just makes the power bill higher. Come on spring. lol. It's actually not bad it's only a week. I just feel bad for the timing is all.
Also I'm not sure if you guys noticed but I haven't been around or active much. That is due to my Mom(57) She was rushed to the hospital 3 weeks ago with dizzy spells and shortness of breath. She thought she was just getting sick but turns out she was not producing enough red cells to carry oxygen to her brain. You guessed it. After a 2 bag trans. She was told it looked like AAL. (she should have had 4 bags but they didn't want to bork the tests)
That was 3 Sat's ago. Two days later they had a spot for her at the Victorian General's Leukemia ward in Halifax. After some more tests( Marrow and Spinal tap) They determined that it was indeed A.A.L.
She has been going through Chemo for just over a week.(Still has her hair) and Myself and direct family have been down there every chance we get. Dad is off for 4 weeks( He had that much time built in back sick days .Gov job) So he has been making the 1.5 hr trip everyday. His union kicked in to donate some prepaid Visa's for fuel so he is very happy. I'm on weekend patrol with a day extra mid week for an extra trip. ( My Boss rocks ).
As of yesterday her white cells ere gone and Platlets were at 12% so she is under quarrantine now. The doc's say it's to early to tell if she is getting better but she is slated for another round of Marrow and Tap aft the weekend.
The small spark in all this is my Mom's personality and drive. She is well humored to the point of making the staff at the hospital blush. But they are all awesome and act like she is at a private clinic in palm springs. It's great.
She is right at the point where her chances of remission are better than they would have been 5 yrs from now so that's a relief. I on the other hand am impatient for the next test results.
Been a busy few weeks guys. I'll be back full swing some time soon but for now it's just popping in at work from time to time to keep up to date.
Want to welcome all the awesome new members as well. Congrats on joining the best team in the world. You'll like it here. Everyone is awesome.
One for each of you.( 5 right? .)


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## Peter1986C (Feb 27, 2015)

Hang in there bud.


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## BUCK NASTY (Feb 27, 2015)

@manofthem , Do you still have the Castle set up from your Daughters B-Day party? I'll crash in there. Always wanted to be a Princess LOL!


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## manofthem (Feb 27, 2015)

BUCK NASTY said:


> @manofthem , Do you still have the Castle set up from your Daughters B-Day party? I'll crash in there. Always wanted to be a Princess LOL!



Buck, you'd look great in a little dress, glass slippers, tiara, and glitter all stuffed inside the cardboard castle... But the castle has been destroyed lol. Funnily enough my daughter asked me 2 nights ago to make a new one for her, but this weekend we are going to Disney so I don't have to bother building one since she's off to see the real thing. 

I do, and by that I mean my daughter, have princess dresses so if you're a slim size, might be perfect 


The couch is here, though someone may have claimed it. Word of warning though: a man with 2 little girls that take up space in his own bed has to take advantage of that couch (and I don't mean sleeping), so I can't vouch for its cleanliness.  (wife would kill me for this lol) plus it's right next to 3 crunchers


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## Norton (Feb 27, 2015)

@Tallencor sorry to hear about your Mom and I hope she pulls through this ok 

This is why we do what we do with crunching/folding... even if it may not be doing the research for something that affects us/our family directly, it can free up resources for other research that does.

Crunch on!!!


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## ThE_MaD_ShOt (Feb 27, 2015)

manofthem said:


> . Word of warning though: a man with 2 little girls that take up space in his own bed has to take advantage of that couch (and I don't mean sleeping), so I can't vouch for its cleanliness.  (wife would kill me for this lol) plus it's right next to 3 crunchers


Someone else can have the couch. I'll stick to a sleeping bag in the kitchen. Closer to the ice and fridge anyway.


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## manofthem (Feb 27, 2015)

ThE_MaD_ShOt said:


> Someone else can have the couch. I'll stick to a sleeping bag in the kitchen. Closer to the ice and fridge anyway.



Yeah and about the kitchen......


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## ThE_MaD_ShOt (Feb 27, 2015)

manofthem said:


> Yeah and about the kitchen......


Damnit I am seeing now that I have take the approach your house is like mine. Now room is safe except the kids rooms.


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## manofthem (Feb 27, 2015)

ThE_MaD_ShOt said:


> Damnit I am seeing now that I have take the approach your house is like mine. *Now room is safe except the kids rooms.*



Let's just say that my mother-in-law won't sleep in the bed in the kids room out of fear of what have transpired in said bed 

Now anywhere else is fine


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## ThE_MaD_ShOt (Feb 27, 2015)

manofthem said:


> Let's just say that my mother-in-law won't sleep in the bed in the kids room out of fear of what have transpired in said bed
> 
> Not anywhere else is fine


 I think i will sleep in me car. LOL


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## Arjai (Feb 28, 2015)

manofthem said:


> The couch is here, though someone may have claimed it. Word of warning though: a man with 2 little girls that take up space in his own bed has to take advantage of that couch (and I don't mean sleeping), so I can't vouch for its cleanliness.  (wife would kill me for this lol) plus it's right next to 3 crunchers


I'll bring my own sheets, then burn'em when I leave.


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## thebluebumblebee (Feb 28, 2015)

manofthem said:


> I can't vouch for its cleanliness.





manofthem said:


> Yeah and about the kitchen......





manofthem said:


> my mother-in-law won't sleep in the bed in the kids room out of fear of what have transpired in said bed


Party pooper.


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## manofthem (Feb 28, 2015)

thebluebumblebee said:


> Party pooper.



It's just that I'm all about full disclosure! I'd hate to have peeps start smelling/feeling something and get all funky


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## t_ski (Feb 28, 2015)

I never knew Matt was such a horn-dog


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