The Original 'Ode To Joy' thread

[rogue]

Originally Posted by cheesehead

Log? Where? Actually, I'd be happy with just a 10-gallon pin.

I wasn't aware that they still give pins.

I'm over five gallons, but don't know the actual amount. Fortunately for me the Blood Center comes to my office three or four times a year.

[Uncwilly]

Originally Posted by cheesehead

Log? Where? Actually, I'd be happy with just a 10-gallon pin.

If you are giving through the American Red Cross go to http://redcrossracing.com/

If you are going to join, PM me your e-mail address so that I can get the bonus for referring you. Note, of interest to GIMPS folks, you can turn the points in to Best Buy rewards program points. You can salvage points from the start of 2011 onward.

Where I give (a bricks and mortar donor centre) they have a whole bunch of pins in the canteen area.

BTW: my 10 times is for this calender year. There is one fellow that I often see that is up over 400 donations.

[jyb]

Originally Posted by Uncwilly

Likely that has expired. It is a 12 month period.
http://www.redcrossblood.org/donatin...a-topic#travel

You might be surprised by the travel-related restrictions some blood centers impose. I am unable to donate because the blood center in my area won't take blood from anyone who lived in England anytime from 1980 to (something like) 1986. Since I moved away from there in June of 1980--over 30 years ago!--they don't want my blood. Yes, England! WTF?

[Uncwilly]

Originally Posted by jyb

You might be surprised by the travel-related restrictions some blood centers impose. I am unable to donate because the blood center in my area won't take blood from anyone who lived in England anytime from 1980 to (something like) 1986. Since I moved away from there in June of 1980--over 30 years ago!--they don't want my blood. Yes, England! WTF?

Mad cow related. You have enough time in the UK. IIRC it is 3-5 years that will get you nixed.

[jyb]

Originally Posted by Uncwilly

Mad cow related. You have enough time in the UK. IIRC it is 3-5 years that will get you nixed.

No, in my case it was 1 year. They said that living there for *any* length of time during the period in question was enough to disqualify me.

And yeah, it's because of mad cow, but is there really no way of testing blood for something that may or may not be in there more than 30 years later?

[cheesehead]

Originally Posted by jyb

And yeah, it's because of mad cow, but is there really no way of testing blood for something that may or may not be in there more than 30 years later?

For some things, there are tests, but for other things, including the prions involved in "mad cow" and vCJD, there are no tests yet.

http://www.redcrossblood.org/donatin...l-listing#arc5

There is now evidence from a small number of case reports involving patients and laboratory animal studies that vCJD can be transmitted through transfusion. There is no test for vCJD in humans that could be used to screen blood donors and to protect the blood supply. This means that blood programs must take special precautions to keep vCJD out of the blood supply by avoiding collections from those who have been where this disease is found.

[davieddy]

Originally Posted by Uncwilly

Mad cow related. You have enough time in the UK. IIRC it is 3-5 years that will get you nixed.

I've been eating beef in the UK for 61 years and I am completely sane

The Mad Cow was a nickname for a certain female prime minister.
Beware of that carnivorous Palin!

David

[xilman]

I've reached the top-25 in trial factoring and top-100 in overall contributions this year, purely through running mfaktc on a 460 gpu. I can't take much credit, IOW. At least, it's saved computing a few dozen LL tests.

However, I'm now getting a bit tired of the machine's display being so sluggish and will stop this particular exercise when the current allocation is exhausted.

Paul

[Christenson]

Odd...I can't find you on the top producer's lists...and I thought I had seen you before...what user name are you listed under? I thought it was Xilman....also, for me, the display was only sluggish on a low-end GT210 card. I upgraded drivers (and got a GT440) in April or May, started using a GT480 that arrived in perhaps March.

[davieddy]

Originally Posted by Christenson

Odd...I can't find you on the top producer's lists...and I thought I had seen you before...what user name are you listed under?

Nul points for sleuthing there, Eric

David

[davieddy]

Originally Posted by xilman

I've reached the top-25 in trial factoring and top-100 in overall contributions this year, purely through running mfaktc on a 460 gpu. I can't take much credit, IOW. At least, it's saved computing a few dozen LL tests.

However, I'm now getting a bit tired of the machine's display being so sluggish and will stop this particular exercise when the current allocation is exhausted.

Paul

Well done, Paul, and your hardworked GPU.
You both deserve a breather, especially if your GPU has more important
things to do like speedy high-res display!

More fodder for my "lost cause/dreaming spire":

55 factors from 7186 attempts.
(0.77 +/- 0.10)% success (Ask William)
If most had been P-1 ed, this is consistent with
my empirical estimate of its impact on the 1/70 hit-rate.
(Yet to be refuted or supported, but cruelly ridiculed by
he who shall remain nameless).

David