SETI: The Search For Extraterrestrial Intelligence by Guido Dorssers
In 2390 we all know that there is life all around us in this big galaxy. But,
(un)fortunately we do not know those things right now, in 2002. However,
although we do not know these things, mankind has been wondering whether we are or aren't alone in the universe since the beginning of civilisation. And hence, in late 1959/early 1960 the SETI-Project was born.
In the late 1960s/early 1970s NASA took part into the project on a low lever. Unfortunately in the early 1990's, less then a year later that NASA on Columbus Day in 1992 had initiated a formal and more intesive SETI program it got cancelled by the Congress. And so SETI got on it's own again.
One of the SETI programs still running these days, is the SETI program at UC Berkeley. It is here were the SETI@Home program has originated.
So, what is SETI@Home?
According to their own website: "SETI@home is a scientific experiment that uses Internet-connected computers in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI). You can participate by running a free program that downloads and analyzes radio telescope data."
Now, what does this all mean?
As they explain at their own website, a lot of people in these days have one or multiple computers at home. Those computers are often turned on and still running when they are not in use. Wasting electricity and processing power on a screensaver that only draws some nice figures on the screen. And this is where SETI@Home comes in. Instead of running that 'simple' screensaver you can install the SETI@Home Screensaver. Now, when the screensaver kicks in, your PC starts searching for signs of extraterrestrial life! All it needs to do is occasionally synchronize with a server to send back the currently analyzed packet and to retrieve the new one.
The time in between these synchronisations depends on several environmental things. Like: how fast is your CPU, is the program always running or merely as a screensaver, is the program running with or without graphics, etc. Additionally it is possible to install a queueing program like SetiQueue. This will cache packets for analyzing and for returning and will do this only between the times you enter.
In short, wanna do something usefull with your spare CPU time? Join SETI@Home.
ST Frontier Fleet is supporting the SETI@Home project with it's own Team, which is located at: http://setiathome.ssl.berkeley.edu/stats/team/team_127658.html.
(The link can also be found in our COMM section of the website).
Current Team Statistics are:
1. Guido: 1203 packets, 1.548 years CPU time
2. Bram: 224 packets, 3658 hr 32 min CPU time
3. Ian: 27 packets, 671 hr 00 min CPU time
Total: 3 members, 1454 packets, 2.043 years CPU time
