Text of letter posted earlier on the Seti@home forums. (Short version for the impatient: Success! They're listening. They're doing something about it. DON'T stop proccessing your WU's for Seti@home. But keep an eye on 'em, oui!;-)
Seriously. Seems that all our ranting has indeed borne good fruit. If you reread my original furious "open letter" post, you'll note the part about forwarding a copy directly to the Top Dogs...
Well, it got through. And suspect it had companions banging at the Gates of the City, too -- if you keep your eye on the stats you might notice some "high-rollers" are suddenly finding their high numbers "zeroing out". Shucks! Bye-bye birdies, don't let the door hit you on the posteriors on the way out...
I've been in correspondence with Dr. David Anderson, Seti@home's Project Director, over this past day, and he's been kind enough to grant permission to quote from his emails to me in response to our concerns:
First off, a caveat in perspective:
"Dealing with SETI@home statistics and cheating is normally low on our list of priorities."
Wonder why? Could it be they have "actual science" distracting them from all the "Mine is bigger than yours" guerrilla warfare going on out there?
"But we realize... that the recent surge of "mega-cheaters" could cause major problems both in terms of participant morale and possibly result integrity (though actually I don't think it's had an impact there so far)."
The "result integrity" was at the top of all our concern-lists (right, ye guerrillas?;-), so they're keeping a close eye on that. And they're sensitive to the morale issue. Excellent! Now will all those posters over on Ars Technica and SlashDot and other free-fire zones out there saying they're quitting the field in disgust please come back? Pretty please? There are WU's waiting for you...
As for the cheaters:
"So we're going to start a process of detecting cheaters and zeroing their accounts. Some of this involves manual labor; We only have a few man/minutes per day to devote to this, but I think you'll see significant results immediately, and I hope this deters the cheaters."
There you have it. Success! They heard us. And they're doing something about it. Pat yourselves on the back, you all! Let there wine, and song, and dancing in the streets!
Oh, and people -- in case you've ever bemoaned your "amateur status" of being an uncompensated volunteer, it might cheer you up to learn Dr. Anderson doesn't get a dime for being Project Director. To wit:
"My work on SETI@home has been as a volunteer, sandwiched around various day jobs... I don't even get a paycheck!"
He adds:
"Fortunately, this will change soon because we got an NSF grant to work on BOINC."
For the one person who's been hiding in the basement over the past months, BOINC is Seti@home's successor (and it is being coded from the ground up with anti-cheating features). As for the National Science Foundation, perhaps we should pool our energies and send the good folks at the NSF a note of appreciation and a bouquet of flowers to thank them for using our (well, yours actually -- I'm Canadian;-) tax dollars to help the Seti@home project continue the good fight. (At least, some of the project team will be able to upgrade from Kraft Dinner Lunch Special and hiding the equipment in a broom closet down the hall...)
Seriously, a short and polite note (and *don't* you dare mention *anything* about "cheating problems" !!!) to the NSF thanking them couldn't hurt. They may be bureaucrats, but they're also human beings, and it's nice to feel the (tax-paying) public appreciates the projects you fund. Remember that it's BOINC, and not the current Seti@home, that they're helping to support.
~Thomas N. Cooley, NSF Chief Financial Officer and Director: tcooley@nsf.gov
~Donald G. McCrory, Deputy Chief Financial Officer and Director: dmccrory@nsf.gov
Now let's allow the good Doctor and his long-suffering colleagues get back to work, shall we? Or, as he wryly states:
"We're all generally overworked and swamped with emails, and we do a balancing act between writing grant proposals, writing papers, dealing with database and server issues, maintaining our web site, doing some actual scientific or programming work, and so on."
I shudder to think what their email Inboxes must look like by now . Kudos to all who took the time to address this issue and don't give up on the project! Keep those WU's rolling and pass on your valuable and well-appreciated efforts to BOINC once it gets going!
Dr. Anderson has already posted a message to this forum earlier today and has certainly privately enmailed other concerned parties on the side. Please pass on the news to all who are still ranting and raving. Tell them to come back @home, SETI stil loves them...;-)
Scientists and administrators of the Seti@home project, I have two words for you: Element 118.
Why are you ignoring these extremely serious allegations? You have a duty as scientists to insure your work is legitimate and above board. Not only is your silence an insult to each and every one of the honest subscribers who make your project possible, but there is a distinct possibility that the cheating may be CORRUPTING YOUR DATA.
Perhaps you fear "rocking the boat" as you approach the inception of Seti@home II. Perhaps you dismiss the entire matter as irreverent, a "tempest in a teacup". Believe me, it is not! Address this matter NOW, before all your - and our - efforts are destroyed by sensational headlines in the mainstream media. Wake up! Ostriches end up drowning in sand.
There is a thread currently running over at Slashdot.org on this very subject. If you know anything at all about geeks (and make no mistake, it because of geeks that your project was viable in the first place and continues to this day) then cold dread should be running down your spines. Have you any idea at all how many of the geeks who run the major processing clusters and server farms which return the majority of your results read Slashdot? Or maybe you now know - ever hear of the "Slashdot Effect"
There are many other places people are expressing their outrage at what is going on. Google it -- I believe the blood will drain from your collective faces...
Or you could just check your own forums -- do you not even bother to moderate or look them over from time to time?
I have been a supporter since the very first month Seti@home went online. I am member of no team and care not a whit about competition. Period. I have supported you and given you my CPU time because I believe in the project and the promise of SETI as a whole. I never ended up becoming the scientist I so wanted to be as a boy -- life can be unfair that way:-( -- so this is a way that I can contribute, albeit in a small way, to the advancement of science and growth of our collective knowledge about the Universe. So I am sickened and disgusted, not only at the irresponsible small-minded idiots who are cheating, but at your refusal to acknowledge this very serious problem.
We await -- no, WE DEMAND -- your response forthwith, not to mention your assurance to us all, your supporters and the greater scientific community, that you are addressing and investigating this matter, thoroughly and honestly (as opposed to PR noises).
I just visited the site using Opera 6, which not incidently happens to be the creation of developers I can respect, and by a business which has legitimately earned its place in the browser market, as opposed to the practices of certain others. (We shall name no names.)
But let this (default-enabled on Opera install) warning dialogue speak for itself:
"Cookie security breach. The server tried to set a cookie for a domain with no registered IP address. For security reasons this is not acceptable, and the cookie has therefore been rejected."
http"//adx.sdremalinesk.sk/asrun.dll?action+1&id +3 51&target+_top&border+o&bgcolor=FFFFF&link+0000FF& ref+&rnd=35096 UNICOOK=0;pat=/;expires=Fri,1 May 2020 12:00:00GMT;domain=adrenaline.sk;
Now that I think of it, I apologize to the compost. Compost is useful, and doesn't try to pretend it's anything other than what it is.
There is chaos in the hearts of little children,
As the machine grows the chaos dies.
-- ChaosMatrix
Slashdot Mirror
Text of letter posted earlier on the Seti@home forums. (Short version for the impatient: Success! They're listening. They're doing something about it. DON'T stop proccessing your WU's for Seti@home. But keep an eye on 'em, oui!
---------------- START ----------------
Ladies, Gentlemen, Others-Who-May-Be-Observing-Humanity
Seriously. Seems that all our ranting has indeed borne good fruit. If you reread my original furious "open letter" post, you'll note the part about forwarding a copy directly to the Top Dogs...
Well, it got through. And suspect it had companions banging at the Gates of the City, too -- if you keep your eye on the stats you might notice some "high-rollers" are suddenly finding their high numbers "zeroing out". Shucks! Bye-bye birdies, don't let the door hit you on the posteriors on the way out...
I've been in correspondence with Dr. David Anderson, Seti@home's Project Director, over this past day, and he's been kind enough to grant permission to quote from his emails to me in response to our concerns:
First off, a caveat in perspective:
"Dealing with SETI@home statistics and cheating is normally low on our list of priorities."
Wonder why? Could it be they have "actual science" distracting them from all the "Mine is bigger than yours" guerrilla warfare going on out there?
"But we realize
The "result integrity" was at the top of all our concern-lists (right, ye guerrillas?
As for the cheaters:
"So we're going to start a process of detecting cheaters and zeroing their accounts. Some of this involves manual labor; We only have a few man/minutes per day to devote to this, but I think you'll see significant results immediately, and I hope this deters the cheaters."
There you have it. Success! They heard us. And they're doing something about it. Pat yourselves on the back, you all! Let there wine, and song, and dancing in the streets!
Oh, and people -- in case you've ever bemoaned your "amateur status" of being an uncompensated volunteer, it might cheer you up to learn Dr. Anderson doesn't get a dime for being Project Director. To wit:
"My work on SETI@home has been as a volunteer, sandwiched around various day jobs
He adds:
"Fortunately, this will change soon because we got an NSF grant to work on BOINC."
For the one person who's been hiding in the basement over the past months, BOINC is Seti@home's successor (and it is being coded from the ground up with anti-cheating features). As for the National Science Foundation, perhaps we should pool our energies and send the good folks at the NSF a note of appreciation and a bouquet of flowers to thank them for using our (well, yours actually -- I'm Canadian
Seriously, a short and polite note (and *don't* you dare mention *anything* about "cheating problems" !!!) to the NSF thanking them couldn't hurt. They may be bureaucrats, but they're also human beings, and it's nice to feel the (tax-paying) public appreciates the projects you fund. Remember that it's BOINC, and not the current Seti@home, that they're helping to support.
~Thomas N. Cooley, NSF Chief Financial Officer and Director: tcooley@nsf.gov
~Donald G. McCrory, Deputy Chief Financial Officer and Director: dmccrory@nsf.gov
Now let's allow the good Doctor and his long-suffering colleagues get back to work, shall we? Or, as he wryly states:
"We're all generally overworked and swamped with emails, and we do a balancing act between writing grant proposals, writing papers, dealing with database and server issues, maintaining our web site, doing some actual scientific or programming work, and so on."
I shudder to think what their email Inboxes must look like by now . Kudos to all who took the time to address this issue and don't give up on the project! Keep those WU's rolling and pass on your valuable and well-appreciated efforts to BOINC once it gets going!
Dr. Anderson has already posted a message to this forum earlier today and has certainly privately enmailed other concerned parties on the side. Please pass on the news to all who are still ranting and raving. Tell them to come back @home, SETI stil loves them...
Peace on you all.
---- END (and sorry for the massive wordage -----
OPEN LETTER TO SETI@HOME
:-( -- so this is a way that I can contribute, albeit in a small way, to the advancement of science and growth of our collective knowledge about the Universe. So I am sickened and disgusted, not only at the irresponsible small-minded idiots who are cheating, but at your refusal to acknowledge this very serious problem.
Subject: Result return cheating allegations.
Friday Nov 1, 2002
Scientists and administrators of the Seti@home project, I have two words for you: Element 118.
Why are you ignoring these extremely serious allegations? You have a duty as scientists to insure your work is legitimate and above board. Not only is your silence an insult to each and every one of the honest subscribers who make your project possible, but there is a distinct possibility that the cheating may be CORRUPTING YOUR DATA.
Perhaps you fear "rocking the boat" as you approach the inception of Seti@home II. Perhaps you dismiss the entire matter as irreverent, a "tempest in a teacup". Believe me, it is not! Address this matter NOW, before all your - and our - efforts are destroyed by sensational headlines in the mainstream media. Wake up! Ostriches end up drowning in sand.
There is a thread currently running over at Slashdot.org on this very subject. If you know anything at all about geeks (and make no mistake, it because of geeks that your project was viable in the first place and continues to this day) then cold dread should be running down your spines. Have you any idea at all how many of the geeks who run the major processing clusters and server farms which return the majority of your results read Slashdot? Or maybe you now know - ever hear of the "Slashdot Effect"
There are many other places people are expressing their outrage at what is going on. Google it -- I believe the blood will drain from your collective faces...
Or you could just check your own forums -- do you not even bother to moderate or look them over from time to time?
I have been a supporter since the very first month Seti@home went online. I am member of no team and care not a whit about competition. Period. I have supported you and given you my CPU time because I believe in the project and the promise of SETI as a whole. I never ended up becoming the scientist I so wanted to be as a boy -- life can be unfair that way
We await -- no, WE DEMAND -- your response forthwith, not to mention your assurance to us all, your supporters and the greater scientific community, that you are addressing and investigating this matter, thoroughly and honestly (as opposed to PR noises).
Let's add more compost to this pile then.
d +3 51&target+_top&border+o&bgcolor=FFFFF&link+0000FF& ref+&rnd=35096 UNICOOK=0;pat=/;expires=Fri,1 May 2020 12:00:00GMT;domain=adrenaline.sk;
I just visited the site using Opera 6, which not incidently happens to be the creation of developers I can respect, and by a business which has legitimately earned its place in the browser market, as opposed to the practices of certain others. (We shall name no names.)
But let this (default-enabled on Opera install) warning dialogue speak for itself:
"Cookie security breach. The server tried to set a cookie for a domain with no registered IP address. For security reasons this is not acceptable, and the cookie has therefore been rejected."
http"//adx.sdremalinesk.sk/asrun.dll?action+1&i
Now that I think of it, I apologize to the compost. Compost is useful, and doesn't try to pretend it's anything other than what it is.
There is chaos in the hearts of little children,
As the machine grows the chaos dies.
-- ChaosMatrix