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.
Here at Internet Brothers, we help you do your part by creating our
SETI@home Group to combine the efforts of like-minded individuals.
Helpware for the Cybercommunity joins in the spirit of discovery. Where will
you be on the day we make contact?
Most of the SETI programs in existence today, including those at the University
of California-Berkeley build large computers that analyze electronic data from
the telescope at Arecibo in real time. None of these computers look very deeply
at the data for weak signals nor do they look for a large class of signal types.
The reason for this is because they are limited by the amount of computer power
available for data analysis. To tease out the weakest signals, a great amount of
computer power is necessary. It would take a monstrous supercomputer to get the
job done.
The UC Berkeley SETI team has discovered that there are already thousands of
computers that might be available for use. Most of these computers sit around
most of the time with toasters flying across their screens accomplishing
absolutely nothing and wasting electricity to boot. This is where SETI@home
(and you!) come into the picture. The SETI@home project hopes to convince you
to allow them to borrow your computer when you aren't using it and to help
them "...search out new life and new civilizations." They do this with a screen
saver that can go get a chunk of data over the internet, analyze that data, and
then report the results back to them. When you need your computer back, their
screen saver instantly gets out of the way and only continues it's analysis when
you are finished with your work.
Start by downloading the SETI@home software from Berkeley.
This is a small, fast download and a cool, well-behaved program -- not to
mention it makes a killer screen-saver!
8th of September 2000
SETI programs could never afford to build or buy that computing power.
There is a trade-off that they can make. Rather than a huge computer to do the
job, they could use a smaller computer but just take longer to do it. But then
there would be lots of data piling up. What if they used LOTS of small computers,
all working simultaneously on different parts of the analysis? Where can the
SETI team possibly find thousands of computers they'd need to analyze the data
continuously streaming from Arecibo?
System Requirements
For Windows systems (95/98/NT) you'll need a computer with at least 32 MB of
RAM, the ability to display 8-bit graphics in 800x600 resolution, 10 MB of
disk space, and an Internet connection (dialup is AOK). For Macintosh systems
you'll need the above, as well as a PowerPC processor and Mac OS 7.5.5 or later.
You can use SETI@home on a PC or laptop that is connected only sporadically or
used occasionally... the software will just pick up quietly wherever it left
off last, working in the background.
Once you're set up and have completed at least one unit of processing, you can join the Internet Brothers SETI@home Group, and track your statistics on demand at the SETI@home Group stats page. Statistics are updated daily.
We would like to welcome you to the Internet Brothers SETI@home Group, and hope you enjoy this unique participation in scientific discovery. If you have any questions, or need any help, please don't hesitate to send us email.
Current members of the Internet Brothers SETI@home Group:
Jezebel
Elise
PatT
net.weblogs.com
...an experiment in freeform discourse
