BitBOINC: News

A curious rise in worldwide radiation levels

Fri, 06 Nov 2026 13:24:02 GMT

A curious rise in worldwide radiation levels

Last night (European time) we noticed something interesting: radiation readings around the world climbed along a clear curve, and today's levels are still higher than the older data would lead us to expect.

First, the important part: the levels are low and harmless. This is a small rise on top of normal background radiation, nowhere near anything that would matter for health. A nuclear accident or similar disaster would look completely different, with numbers far, far higher than this.

What caused it? Honestly, we do not know yet. Our best guess is something solar, such as a solar flare or a related space-weather event. Public space-weather bulletins for the last few days do mention an elevated geomagnetic outlook (a minor storm is forecast for the coming days), ongoing high-energy electron activity and a radio burst on the Sun yesterday evening. None of them confirms a flare or a radiation storm, so this is a hypothesis for now, not a conclusion. Other ordinary causes, such as weather, are also possible.

We will keep watching the curve. If it turns out to be solar, the readings should fall back to normal over the next few days. We will post an update here once we know more.

If you have your own readings or know a likely explanation, please tell us in the replies.

New: year of birth in your account (age rules in the EU and Turkey)

Thu, 05 Nov 2026 16:01:31 GMT

Across Europe, and now in Turkey too, special rules and laws set age limits for social content platforms. Because BitBOINC is not hosted directly by a university or a similar institution, we are treated as a social content platform. For that reason, and to follow the EU and Turkish rules, I have added a year of birth option to the site.

You can enter it under Account information. Only the year is stored, never the day or month.
Volunteers in the EU and in Turkey are required to state their age (the account page reminds you until you do). For all other countries it is optional for now.
You decide whether your age is shown on your public profile with the new switch Show my age on my public profile (off by default). Project administrators can see it to meet these rules.
The legal age limit was already defined on the site (see the privacy page). Nothing about it changes: this is only a field where you enter your year of birth. That is all for now.

These rules and laws change all the time. In Turkey a large revision of the internet laws is under way, and the conditions are getting more complicated. If the requirements become unworkable for a small volunteer project, it is possible that I will have to move the server and the domain to another country (for example Switzerland, the USA, Japan or South Korea). This is only a possibility at the moment, not a decision. If it ever happens, I will announce it here well in advance.

Thank you for your understanding.

Phygas new datasets

Tue, 27 Oct 2026 01:06:29 GMT

Phygas: strengthening the results for publication

https://zenodo.org/records/23680281
Phygas has finished tracing the Gaia DR3 stars back against young clusters, and the first comparison with chance-alignment control runs shows a clear excess of slow, cluster-linked candidates over what chance alone produces. We are now preparing these results for a peer-reviewed journal (Physics and Astronomy Reports, Istanbul University), and a published claim needs more than one control run.

What is changing in the work you receive
Over the coming days and weeks Phygas tasks will come in two extra kinds. You do not need to do anything: they run exactly like the tasks you already know, with the same application and the same credit.

Control runs (20 of them): the whole star catalogue is screened again after each star has been given the motion of a similar star nearby in the sky and at a similar distance. This breaks the link between a star and its cluster while keeping the Galaxy's large-scale motions. Repeating it with 20 different random draws tells us how much the chance level itself varies.
Measurement-error runs (20 of them): the real catalogue is screened again after every star's parallax, proper motion and radial velocity are re-drawn within their published Gaia uncertainties. A real cluster link should survive this; a link that only exists because of noise will not.

Why this matters
A candidate list is only worth publishing if we can show how often the same list appears by chance. With 20 control draws and 20 error draws we can give every cluster an honest probability, correct for the fact that we looked at 663 clusters at once, and state clearly which excesses are real.

Every task is checked twice
Each of these tasks is sent to two different volunteers and only counts when both results agree, so the published numbers rest on independently verified computations. Because every task goes to two people, there is plenty of work for everyone who wants to take part.

What you will see
Your normal Phygas credit and badges keep counting. The tasks are the same size as before. All results, real and control, will be published openly on Zenodo with the paper, and everyone who contributed computing time is credited by their BOINC user name.

Thank you for every task you have returned so far: the controls are the part that turns a long candidate list into a result other astronomers can trust.

☢️ Yarrow is out of beta: it reads more Geiger counters, and we need your help to spread the word ☢️

Tue, 20 Oct 2026 13:25:43 GMT

☢️ Yarrow is out of beta: it reads more Geiger counters, and we need your help to spread the word ☢️

Yarrow, our radiation-monitor project, has left its test phase: it is now open to every volunteer, no special setting needed. It started with one pocket counter. Since then we have added support for the counters people already have at home, so you do not need to buy anything new to take part. Here is what works today.

🧰 Supported detectors

FNIRSI GC-03 with the Yarrow firmware. The cheap pocket counter with a J321 tube. The open Yarrow firmware gives it an adaptive dose rate, a calibration wizard, alarms, a log and 16 languages. Plug it in over USB and the monitor finds it.
Radioactive@Home counters. The USB counters of the old Radioactive@Home project (the V-USB boards, revisions 2.01 to 2.60 and the kit, and the 3.01 board with the Microchip chip). If you still have one in a drawer, it is welcome again. Nothing to flash: plug it in and the monitor reads it directly.
GQ Electronics GMC counters (the GMC-300, 320, 500 and 600 family). The monitor talks to them over their USB serial port and takes the calibration from the device. If you own one, please tell us how it goes.

Not on the list? Tell us what you have. The monitor has a driver layer, so a new counter is one small driver away.

🖥️ New: Yarrow Hub, the desktop app
Yarrow Hub works without BOINC. It shows the live dose rate, keeps your history, draws statistics and graphs, shows the dose in nSv/h, µSv/h or µrem/h, rings an alarm at levels you choose, and exports CSV. It runs with a GC-03 and now also with a Radioactive@Home counter. Download: the Releases page at https://github.com/alplix/yarrow/releases
📊 New: the data, city by city
Besides the map there is now a table of every city: the median dose rate of the last 24 hours, 7 days, 30 days and of all time, with the detector types used, and a history page for each city (hourly or daily, with a CSV download). In your project preferences you can name the detector you use, and it is shown next to your city.

Map: https://bitboinc.athena.org.tr/yarrow.php
Data by city: https://bitboinc.athena.org.tr/yarrow_history.php
Project site: https://yarrow.athena.org.tr

🚀 How to join in three steps

Join bitboinc and attach your computer in the BOINC Manager.
In the project preferences select the Yarrow monitor, and enter your country, your city and (if you like) your detector.
Plug in the counter and leave the computer on. The monitor finds it by itself and sends a measurement every ten minutes or more.

Only the city is shared, never a more exact place. Credit is given per checked measurement.

📣 Please spread the word
The map is only as good as the number of cities on it, and one counter per city is where it starts. If you have a team, a forum, a Discord, a Telegram group or a mailing list, please post a few lines there. A text you can copy:

Yarrow is a BOINC project that builds a live map of natural background radiation from volunteers' Geiger counters. It works with the FNIRSI GC-03, with old Radioactive@Home USB counters and with GQ GMC counters, and there is also a free desktop app. Join: https://bitboinc.athena.org.tr Map: https://bitboinc.athena.org.tr/yarrow.php

Know someone with a Geiger counter, a physics teacher, a radio amateur, a school lab? Send them the link. Every new city is one more point on the map. Thank you!

Important

Sat, 17 Oct 2026 10:38:55 GMT

We are not listed on any statistics websites. (Alternative: https://aster.athena.org.tr/en/)

The BOINC administrators have no intention of ever adding this project to such lists or similar platforms, and I will no longer put any effort into trying to change this.

Inclusion in these lists and statistics depends entirely on the whims of one or two individuals; there are no established standards—even abandoned or defunct applications remain listed, yet we are rejected.

We ask that you keep this in mind when contributing.

If this is an important issue for you, you are free to leave the project.

Furthermore, the project possesses enough raw data to continue for at least another two years, meaning it will remain active.

If you wish to delete your account, you can do so via this link: https://bitboinc.athena.org.tr/delete_account_request.php

Thank you for your contribution.

Boinc Forum Moderator `Jord` banned me.

Fri, 16 Oct 2026 16:38:13 GMT

At the request of an individual named Ian, a volunteer moderator for BOINC named JORD has banned me.

It is apparently acceptable for everyone else to smear and insult me, yet I am forbidden from offering any criticism. He had been deleting everything I wrote, and now he has banned me.

🔬 Have an Idea for a BOINC Project? BitBoinc Can Help You Build It!

Thu, 15 Oct 2026 01:15:18 GMT

🔬 Have an Idea for a BOINC Project? Let's Bring It to Life! 🚀

Do you have an idea for a BOINC project? Are you a scientist, university researcher, academic, student, or simply someone with a scientific idea you'd like to turn into reality?

BitBoinc wants to help you make it happen!

If you've ever dreamed of developing your own distributed computing project but lacked the infrastructure, computing resources, or technical expertise to get started, this is your opportunity.

📌 Share your idea in the "Puzzle and Science" subforum!

Describe your project idea in as much detail as possible. Explain the scientific problem you want to solve, your research goals, what kind of calculations or simulations you need, and what you hope to achieve.

We will review your proposal, assess its technical feasibility, and explore how we can turn your idea into a working BOINC project.

🛠️ What can BitBoinc offer you?

- Project design and development: We can work with you to design and develop the infrastructure and software required for your project.
- A dedicated subproject: If your proposal is feasible and accepted, we can integrate it into BitBoinc as a dedicated subproject.
- Subproject Manager status: You will be recognized as the manager of your subproject and provided with an access panel to manage and monitor its activities.
- Results and progress monitoring: You will be able to follow computational progress, monitor results, and manage your research workflow.
- Support for your research: Whether you're conducting scientific research, exploring a mathematical problem, testing a hypothesis, or working toward a university thesis, we can help provide the computing infrastructure needed to support your work.

🎓 Are you a university student working on a thesis? A researcher who needs computing power? A scientist with a problem that requires large-scale calculations?

Don't assume that building a distributed computing project is beyond your reach just because you don't have a development team or your own computing infrastructure.

You bring the idea and the scientific expertise. We'll explore how to build the technology around it.

⚡ Computing resources and infrastructure shouldn't be the reason a promising idea never gets off the ground.

We have sufficient computing capacity to support meaningful projects, and I can build the necessary technical infrastructure in a relatively short time, depending on the project's requirements and complexity.

Of course, every proposal needs to be evaluated individually to determine its feasibility, resource requirements, and development scope. But don't let technical limitations stop you from presenting an idea worth exploring.

🌍 Let's turn ideas into research, research into results, and results into discoveries!

If you have an idea for a BOINC project, please don't hesitate to share it in the Puzzle and Science subforum.

Tell us what you want to achieve. Let's discuss the possibilities and see if we can bring your project to life as part of BitBoinc.

Your idea could be the beginning of something remarkable. Let's build it together! 🚀🔬

Enough Is Enough: Stop the Personal Attacks

Thu, 15 Oct 2026 01:07:20 GMT

😡 A MESSAGE TO THOSE ATTACKING BITBOINC AND ITS DEVELOPER

--------------------------------------------------

To those who use other websites, forums, Reddit, social media platforms, and communication channels to attack BitBoinc, insult me personally, spread false accusations, or attempt to damage the project's reputation: please take your hostility elsewhere. We have no need for this kind of behavior.

😠 YOU DON'T KNOW ME, SO STOP MAKING PERSONAL ATTACKS!

Some of you insult me and make accusations without even knowing who I am, what I do, what kind of work I am involved in, or how much time and effort I dedicate to my projects.

You don't know me, you don't know my background, and you have absolutely no idea what I work on or what it takes to bring my projects to life. Yet you feel entitled to make personal accusations, spread false claims, and attack me.

Honestly, I don't understand what you are trying to achieve. What exactly is your objective in attacking someone you don't even know?

If you have legitimate criticism, present your arguments and facts. Personal insults, baseless accusations, and attempts to damage my reputation are unacceptable.

--------------------------------------------------

🤖 IF YOU HATE AI, TAKE THAT DEBATE ELSEWHERE!

If your problem is with AI-assisted development, take that debate somewhere else.

Without AI-assisted coding, bringing a project like BitBoinc to life could have required a team of 5–10 developers and approximately a year of development time.

I choose to use the tools available to me to build, develop, and improve this project. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. What matters is the work being done, the results, and the value the project brings to the community.

AI is a tool. Using it to build something meaningful is a practical decision, not something I need to apologize for.

You are free to disagree with AI-assisted development. However, that does not give you the right to personally attack me or discredit my work.

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⚠️ LET'S CLEAR UP THE CONFUSION ABOUT ETERNITY!

I want to make one thing absolutely clear:

BITBOINC HAS NO AFFILIATION WITH THE ETERNITY PROJECT.

I am not developing Eternity. I am not even a member of that project, and I have no involvement in its development.

Please stop associating me or BitBoinc with a project that has nothing to do with us. If you want to discuss Eternity, take those discussions to the people actually involved with it. Do not drag my name or BitBoinc into something unrelated.

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😤 PERSONAL ATTACKS ARE NOT CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM!

I have no interest in people who attack BitBoinc on Reddit or elsewhere without valid reasons, make baseless accusations, spread misinformation, or resort to personal insults instead of having a meaningful discussion.

Constructive criticism is welcome. Different opinions are welcome. Reasonable questions and technical discussions are welcome.

Personal attacks, false accusations, and deliberate attempts to discredit the project are not.

There is a big difference between criticizing a project and personally attacking its developer. Please learn the difference.

--------------------------------------------------

🙌 BITBOINC IS FOR PEOPLE WHO GENUINELY CARE ABOUT THE PROJECT!

BitBoinc is for people who are genuinely interested in the project and want to contribute constructively.

If you want to help improve BitBoinc, share ideas, report bugs, suggest features, or contribute in any meaningful way, you are welcome here!

However, if your only purpose is to attack me personally, criticize the use of AI out of hostility, or spread negativity without understanding the project, this is not the place for you.

I am here to build and improve BitBoinc, not to waste my time constantly defending myself against people who have already made up their minds without knowing the facts.

Genuine contributors are welcome. Constructive criticism is welcome. Personal attacks and pointless drama are not.

--------------------------------------------------

😏 AND FINALLY, HERE'S THE IRONY...

There's something almost comical about people who constantly attack me while continuing to use the anonymous applications I've developed for other BOINC projects.

You criticize me and my work, yet you still benefit from the very contributions you're attacking. You seem perfectly happy to use those applications when they serve your needs, but that doesn't stop you from attacking me personally elsewhere.

🤦‍♂️ Isn't that a little hypocritical?

You don't have to like me personally, and you don't have to agree with every decision I make. But if you use software I've developed while simultaneously trying to discredit me, at least recognize the contradiction.

The irony speaks for itself. 😏

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🚀 MY FOCUS REMAINS ON BITBOINC.

I will continue working on BitBoinc, improving it, and using the tools available to me to move the project forward.

Those who are genuinely interested in BitBoinc and want to help it grow are welcome.

Everyone else is free to move on.

If you're here to contribute, welcome aboard! 🤝

If you're here only to attack me or the project, please take your negativity elsewhere. We don't need it, and I won't waste my time entertaining it.

🔥 Let's focus on building something great instead of tearing people down! 🔥

Two new research projects: Nostos and Phygas

Fri, 09 Oct 2026 20:57:53 GMT

🌠 Two new research projects: Nostos and Phygas 💫

bitboinc now runs two new astronomy projects alongside Kampylos and the puzzle hunt. Both use Gaia's measurements of 33 million stars and run the clock backwards through the Milky Way, to find where things came from.

🌠 Nostos: where did interstellar objects come from?
'Oumuamua and Borisov are the first two objects we have seen arrive from another star's planetary system. Nostos traces each of them back 100 million years against every one of the 33 million stars, to find the stars they passed closely and slowly: candidates for their home systems. 'Oumuamua is running now, Borisov comes next.
Nostos page · Full description

💫 Phygas: where were runaway stars and pulsars born?
Some stars are thrown out of their birth cluster, by a supernova in a binary or by a close encounter, and neutron stars leave with a kick of hundreds of km/s. Phygas traces every Gaia star with a known 3D motion and every pulsar with a measured motion back against 4,087 young star clusters, to find which cluster they left, when, and how fast. Pulsar tasks go out first, then the stars.
Phygas page · Full description

How to join
Both are CPU applications for Windows, Linux, macOS and Android. If you haven't changed your project preferences, you'll get them automatically. Otherwise, enable Nostos and Phygas under Project preferences. Both have their own badges.

All results, raw data included, will be published openly. Thanks for computing with us!

Name our Kampylos objects and get credited!

Wed, 07 Oct 2026 11:56:49 GMT

Kampylos has two new objects that need names: Object-2, a flaring dwarf nova we identified in a 2002 MOA alert, and Object-3, a 2003 microlensing event.

Suggest names in the forum thread until 14 October 2026: Help us name Kampylos Object-2 and Object-3!

Want your name in our publications? Results from Kampylos will be published in scientific notes, and we want to thank the volunteers who computed them. Add your official full name and country (as on your ID) on your account page under "Credit in scientific publications" (direct link). If you don't, you stay anonymous and are only counted.

Boincsynergy has listed us.

Sat, 03 Oct 2026 18:40:00 GMT

I am happy that they prepared a detailed page for us. Thanks to everyone.
https://boincsynergy.ca/wiki/BitBOINC

Scheduler and Validator Issues Resolved

Fri, 02 Oct 2026 12:56:57 GMT

The scheduler and validator problems have been fixed.

Due to Cloudflare's caching system, we ran into some issues, and during the process our scheduler log server and data compression server filled up. All of these problems have now been resolved.

We are currently seeing around 23,000 bot requests originating from the United States. We don't know exactly what this is it looks like a bot attack or a data-scraping attempt from the outside. Because of this, Cloudflare and the pfSense firewall on our network are currently rate-limiting all incoming requests. We are experiencing a temporary network slowdown, which means IPv4 connections are currently delayed and served through the cache.

For the best performance and the fastest connection to the server, please enable IPv6 on your device and network. Our server has supported IPv6 from the day it was set up.
Last 24-hour statistics:

🚀 BitBOINC is fully up and running! 🚀

Tue, 29 Sep 2026 14:35:10 GMT

🚀 BitBOINC is fully up and running! 🚀

Both of our search apps are now active and working real puzzles:

⚡ Keraunos (kangaroo search) -- currently on puzzle #140
🌊 Potamos (sequential scan) -- currently on puzzle #71

Full platform support is live: Windows, Linux, macOS, and Android on CPU, plus GPU acceleration via NVIDIA CUDA, OpenCL (AMD/Intel/Apple), and Apple Silicon Metal.

💰 Credit system fixed -- credit is now computed the native BOINC way, proportional to the real work your hardware actually does, instead of a mismatched estimate. If you felt Potamos credit looked low before, that's fixed going forward.

🏅 Also live: an achievement badge system (100 badges across 10 categories) and an infinite level/title system -- check your profile page, and the badge gallery to see what's still locked.

Thanks for crunching with us -- and if you hit any bugs, reply on the relevant pinned topic below. 🙏

The problem with statistics websites.

Mon, 28 Sep 2026 22:00:37 GMT

For some reason unknown to me, stats.free-dc.org has delisted us. I haven't managed to get in touch with them yet. We are transmitting the statistics every hour in the standard BOINC format.

Welcome

Mon, 28 Sep 2026 12:24:51 GMT

The project is being rolled out in stages. Custom applications for all platforms and device types, as well as for a wide range of CPUs and GPUs, are currently being compiled and should be fully ready within the next day or two.

You will be able to contribute to this project from virtually any device, from the oldest models to the latest ones.

Thank you very much for participating and supporting the project.