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wlonh · Jan 18, 2000, 03:34 PM

Hey wouldn't it be a good idea to have a "Team MacNN" for SETI? I mean, it is only the largest computing network/effort in the history of mankind... lots of websites have teams... shouldn't MacNN have one too?!

wlonh · Jan 19, 2000, 11:26 PM

what a rousing response... now, don't everyone post at once... it'll eat up bandwidth...

disectamac · Jan 20, 2000, 12:15 AM

heheh.....I'd love to be part of a MacNN team, I don't know about SETI though........

wlonh · Jan 20, 2000, 12:21 AM

well SETI is a screensaver/app which will run whenever you are not using your Mac...
see the SETI homepage: http://setiathome.ssl.berkeley.edu/

I guess I took for granted that everyone knows about SETI (Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence), it is as I said the largest computing effort ever performed... on a shoestring, yet. Your Mac will analyze data gathered by the Arecibo radio telescope, after you download the software and launch it, it will download a data unit from UC Berkeley and proceed to analyze it... and so on and so on...

a worthy effort for your Mac when it is idle!

[This message has been edited by wlonh (edited 01-19-2000).]

disectamac · Jan 20, 2000, 12:30 AM

I just tried to learn more abou t it by clicking on the link. The following comes up on the page:
Forbidden
You don't have permission to access / on this server.
Additionally, a 403 Forbidden error was encountered while trying to use
an ErrorDocument to handle the request.
I have the same prob when trying to access my university's web site

except my university site tells me my IP address is on a list of forbidden IP's

[This message has been edited by disectamac (edited 01-19-2000).]

wlonh · Jan 20, 2000, 12:32 AM

wow, i just hit it no prob... the SETI homepage that is...

try this link to the SETI download (it will have a ReadMe and the whole deal is a no-brainer to use), two mirrors:

ftp://ftp.cdrom.com/pub/setiathome/setiathome_mac_1_06.hqx (Should be the fastest, but if you get a page that says: "FTP Error", try hitting the Reload button)

ftp://alien.ssl.berkeley.edu/pub/setiathome_mac_1_06.hqx

[This message has been edited by wlonh (edited 01-19-2000).]

wlonh · Jan 20, 2000, 03:58 PM

wow, i'm underwhelmed.

doesn't ANYBODY run SETI on their Macs around here?

Misha · Jan 20, 2000, 09:11 PM

I did for a few weeks when it came out... then I realized I could help mankind out more by just putting my Macs to sleep and saving resources.

wlonh · Jan 20, 2000, 11:33 PM

so, you think SETI is a waste of time??

i understand that having a computer 'up' all the time consumes power therefore contributes to pollution, etc, but come on...

SETI is a worthwhile effort.

disectamac · Jan 21, 2000, 02:49 AM

I feel that a search for extra-terrestrial life is important and a worthwhile effort. I hope I live to see the day that we do make contact. I watch a lot of History Channel & Discovery Channel, some think I watch too much. I may not be the brightest person on earth but if there is life out there somewhere, the chance that this life would even understand a radio signal or even know that contact was attempted in my opinion is more than very unlikely. Let me say again that I think the search is important, to me and to the world. I just don't think this method is the best one.
The radio method reminds me of an old flick where a man tried to fly studying the flight of birds and then attempting it by tying light weight wings to his arms and attaching real bird feathers to it. He didn't get too far, BUT his work inspired many and later it was actually achieved.

beverson · Jan 30, 2000, 05:11 PM

I'm not sure you understand how this works...no one is SENDING out radio signals to prospective life forms, just hoping they might happen to be listening. It's the other way around -- we ourselves are listening, trying to spot artificial repetitions and patterns in the normal background radio noise that is outer space. The theory being that repetitions and patters would have to be generated, much like we do when beaming ANYTHING by radio waves (TV, radio, cell phones, etc.), some of which inevitably fly off into space and could theoretically be received in a similar manner if someone out there were listening like we are.

At any rate, I'm certainly in if the idea hasn't been dropped yet. Hopefully more people will notice the thread when it's pushed back to the top of the topic -- I didn't notice it myself till today.

[This message has been edited by beverson (edited 01-30-2000).]

yuhui · Jan 30, 2000, 05:45 PM

Ok, this might be a dumb question, but *why* form a team? So that we can add up all the units we've crunched and compare them against other teams? If there's no performance benefit for the individual, I don't see why I would/should join a team.

disectamac · Jan 30, 2000, 08:45 PM

there would be benefits if there were a team, I don't know what wlonh had in mind for a team and how it would function but even the topic that was posted in the other forum allowed SETI users to find out how to optimize there use...share info etc etc.

wlonh · Jan 31, 2000, 12:54 PM

yuhui is a selfish individual... no benefit to him means no benefit. wouldn't want to live in his world.

MANY Mac-centric websites and organisations have formed SETI teams... it takes little imagination to understand why.

beverson · Jan 31, 2000, 03:44 PM

So are we gonna form one or not?

I surely see the advantage.

wlonh · Jan 31, 2000, 05:23 PM

i have been in contact with the MacNN admins on this subject and have tried to drum up some support (however lamely) for the idea, the info needed to form a team MacNN for SETI is in their hands. i have not been informed what MacNN has in store in this regard. it seems that at least one of the MacNN admins thinks SETI to be a waste of cycles or electricity or something... hey, i just don't know what is going to transpire with this idea of team MacNN for SETI.