Paul Allen, just another alien-buff nutcase

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cpr, please help this delusional billionaire.

SETI

-- (nemesis@awol.com), August 02, 2000

Answers

SETI is a rather serious effort. The whole purpose of science is to explore the unexplained and try to make sense of it. You owe the internet, electricity, and electronics to the "lines" in the charts of assorted "Spectra". Think about it. There was "nothing" there. Out of that came the whole of Quantum.

-- cpr (buytexas@swbell.net), August 02, 2000.

Contact is one of my all-time favorite movies.

Although the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence may carry with it needle in the haystack-like odds, I say more power to those who wish to explore. Carl Sagan would be proud of Paul Allen & Mr. Myhrvold and the whole push for expanding our conceptions of our isolation as a species & creation myths and hypotheses.

Anyone challenge the idea that finding an artificial signal from deep space might likely cause a shift in sociology and religious thought greater than any heretofore experienced?

Here's hoping they strike gold in the heavens. Salud!

-- Bingo1 (howe9@shentel.net), August 02, 2000.


Bungle--

I liked "Contact" too, but that may be mostly because I like Holly Hunter.

cpr--

I'm glad SETI doesn't fit into your alien-debunkie category. On the other hand, I don't think spending grand amounts of tax payer money is is justifiable so I'm glad that Allen wants to do this. It's hard work to spend piles of money--remember "Brewster's Millions"?

-- Lars (lars@indy.net), August 02, 2000.


Curious if anyone here uses, or knows someone who uses, the SETI screensaver which apparently provides info that assists in the search? I've considered downloading it.

http://www.seti- inst.edu/science/setiathome.html

-- CD (costavike@hotmail.com), August 02, 2000.


I liked "Contact" too, but that may be mostly because I like Holly Hunter.

Apparently, you must like her so much, you never noticed that she wasn't in the movie. LOL.

Perhaps you meant Jodie Foster?

-- (hmm@hmm.hmm), August 02, 2000.



"hmmm"--

Thanks for the correction. I like them both and sometimes confuse them; they each have neat voices. Seems like I have heard Jody prefers women; is that true? Well. I like her anyway.

-- Lars (lars@indy.net), August 02, 2000.


"Anyone challenge the idea that finding an artificial signal from deep space might likely cause a shift in sociology and religious thought greater than any heretofore experienced?" -Bingo

Amen to that, Bingo! I've often thought of this. Can you imagine the fear and panic evidence of extra-terrestial intelligence would cause in so many people throughout the world! Yet this wouldn't hold a candle to the chaos that would ensue if actual UFOs of alien origin were suddenly discovered/announced. Talk about your TEOTWAWKI! I have to believe that we'd all probably be better off at this stage if such information, were it discovered, remained a tightly kept secret from "us".

-- CD (costavike@hotmail.com), August 02, 2000.


Hello,

I have been using the Seti@Home screensaver for a *long* time, now, and on several different computers. It is pretty nifty. On my 200 Mhz Pentium, it usually took 55 hours of work to analyze a 300K chunk of Seti data, on my Athlon 700 it takes about 7 hours.

So far, the operation of all the Seti@home screensavers is completing on average 21.83 TeraFLOPs per *SECOND.* Behold the power of distributed computing. :)

http://setiathome.ssl.berkeley.edu/

Some other company has now created hardware components you can install in your computer specifically to speed SETI@Home up. :)

It's a pretty nifty program, and a nifty idea. Whether it finds anything or not? Well, we'll see. :)

Jonathan -A tagline! A tagline! My kingdom for a tagline!-

-- Jonathan Latimer (latimer@q-a.net), August 02, 2000.


CD, this is a good topic to discuss in LV over a few cold ones (hint, hint).

Lars, I would have corrected you on your erroneous Contact reference, but I was taught to respect my elders (grin).

-- Bingo1 (howe9@shentel.net), August 02, 2000.


Thanks for the info Johnathan. Sounds good. I recently (and inadvertantly) deleted my "Desktop Themes" file which included the screensaver I had been using. This sounds like a good one to replace it with. I'm sending you an email with some questions I have about it.

Thanks again,

-- CD (costavike@hotmail.com), August 02, 2000.



CD, this is a good topic to discuss in LV over a few cold ones (hint, hint).

Aw sure Bingo. Ply 'em with beer, get 'em drunk and trick 'em into going on that damn Stratosphere Tower roller coaster with you. I'm onto yer game and I ain't fallin' for it!

-- CD (costavike@hotmail.com), August 02, 2000.


CD,

I also have been running the SETI screensaver for a long time. I used to keep it running 24/7 until my 2 year old daughter figured out how to bang on the keyboard, now I have to turn the PC off when I'm not there. There's nothing spectacular about the screensaver itself as far as the way it looks. But the concept of distributed computing they are using is very intriguing. I stopped using screensavers (they're no longer necessary to "save" the screen) until this one came along. My advice: go for it.

-- Buddy (buddydc@go.com), August 02, 2000.


Bingo, you pup--

Either one can leave her shoes under my bed anytime.

-- Lars (lars@indy.net), August 02, 2000.


Thanks Buddy. Yeah, it definitely sounds interesting. Think I will.

-- CD (costavike@hotmail.com), August 02, 2000.

CD, how dare you insinuate my intentions are anything but pure. Can't you feel the righteous indignation billowing out of me? Besides, I'm already spoken for (wink). Talk about your sweepstakes winners - that's me.

I can read between the lines. You WANT to ride the coaster, just want a little arm-twisting. No problem. I promise to leave your shoulder joint intact.

-- Bingo1 (howe9@shentel.net), August 03, 2000.



What about the possibility that we might already have some Visitors closer to home? Jacques Vallee has some interesting views on this subject. Of course any mention of this subject in serious company almost immediately elicits disparagement, thanks to the highly sophisticated and successful propaganda machine of TPTB.

-- Starman (sm@maybe.they're.here.now), August 05, 2000.

Las Vegas is fairly close to Area 51. Maybe we can arrange a tour up to Rachel for those interested.

-- Bob Lazar (rlazar@area51.vantage.point), August 05, 2000.

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