I can definitely understand getting weary and discouraged, especially when the rules of the game suddenly change so dramatically as they have with HCC. I don't think that has factored into your decision from what you've said, but if it had, I wouldn't blame you. It can really bum you out when one machine with a high end video card is able to generate more ppd than a whole farm of 4 2P servers and 3 PC's - which is what happened in my case.

And that was after I'd already invested a pretty good chunk of change not to mention time in building those rigs. I knew that GPGPU computing was coming to WCG but we'd been talking about it for so long I didn't really see as being an issue for planning purposes. But once it was . . . well, it was, so I assumed the position and started over. More accurately, I tried to build on what I already had, but that was only partly successful.

Part of my motivation was recognition I guess, but really it was more a sense of competition. I'd fantasized for so long about having a really kickin' crunching farm. I'd imagined having a server rack with it's own 220v custom installed outlet and breaker. I can't tell you how many times I hit ebay shopping for Opteron or Xeon chips. I dreamed of having a farm that would just leave a swath of writhing road kill (apologies to those of you I've passed ) and I saw this as golden opportunity to finally realize that fantasy for a relatively modest cost - at least compared to what I had already invested.

But I have to admit to being a little bit like a junkie in terms of my motivations. The higher you go the harder it is stay pumped about what you're doing. That's how it is for me at least, so on some level I understand what you're saying. And when summer comes and my electric bill really becomes obscene, I know I'll have to cut back. But the idea of bowing out completely . . . IDK. WCG is a part of me at this point.

You are confusing motivation with recognition.

Most of the motivation comes from within although it lessens my motivation to have BladeD specifically calling me out to brag about how much better BladeD is doing when compared to me, serving only to devalue my accomplishment.

Recognition comes from the WCG Admin who do not themselves feel motivated to recognize both the investment and the sacrifice that we make on behalf of the scientists. After 100 years, I am no longer fulfilled by posting my own 'bragging posts' which provide me no motivation and may be seen as insulting to many others.

WCG needs, and has always needed, a complete recognition system that speaks to all levels of accomplishment so the project so longer depends on comparing yourself to others.

The recognition provided determined the value of the work. Without recognition there is no value. The scientists still win because they can find value in the results of their work for which they will be recognized by those outside of WCG.

I basically only look at run time results as the truly accomplished'

WELL DONE ASTROLABE

leave points up to boinc stats....

True. That's one of my nightmares - zombie road kill. You think that you squished a fellow cruncher long ago only to find that some necromancer has conjured them back from the dead and transformed them into a ravenous, work unit devouring hellhound. I look into those red, glowing eyes just before it tears out each and every PSU in my farm and all I see is boundless thirst - for my blood!!! That's usually when I wake up. {shivers}