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SETI@Home 2nd Look at Possible Hits
cpk0 writes "This article from MSNBC discusses how data returned from SETI@Home users is beign retested by the Institue for a possibility of alien radio signals being included. At just over 4 years old, I think this would be the first big break for SETI@home."
This is a followup to a December Slashdot story. Apparently this is getting some major attention in the mainstream media lately.
No doubt actually finding and verifying(good luck) alien signals would a great discovery. But at the same the practically speaking its a complete waste. All of these people could and should be donating to something like Folding or some other distributed effort that actually will probably help humanity by finding a cure for cancer or some other disease. But I guess actually helping your fellow humans is less glamourous then being the first nerd or geek to discover some faint signal which when discovered probably won't even be accepted by the rest of the world and will be debated forever.
Seti being first and all earned its user base, but since other more practical and worthy uses for distributed computing have come about its time to shift resources to tasks which will actually may improve the world's quality of life.
If you wanna get rich, you know that payback is a bitch
while(get.nextIpAddress()) { if (downloadedSETISoftware==true) intelligentLifeFound=false; }
What
excerpt from wired
"Lighten Up, Carl: Remember when we reported on Carl Sagan's new nickname over at Apple Computer (for your edification, it was "butthead astronomer." Apple developers had code-named a secret new computer "Sagan," only to be threatened by Sagan's lawyers that the use of his name on a product, even in prototype stage, was infringement). Well, ol' Carl's now suing Apple for libel, claiming that the "butthead astronomer" moniker is defamatory and subjects him to "hatred, contempt, ridicule, and obloquy." The Wall Street Journal pointed out that the outcome of the case will hinge on the definition of "butthead." Thanks for helping us understand, Carl. "
Small correction:
"Greetings. I am the Democratic, peaceloving, openminded, and elected President Eroeg W. Hsub, from the plant Htrae."
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