The Black Ops Boys and "Military" Big Ears will be pointed at them.

With their Ultra State-of-Art "Ears" and Massive Funding, their ability to find an Intelligent Signal will surely make SETI moot.

Once the signal is found by them, what use Under-Funded and Dinaursorian Signal Finding SETI will be?

SETI is like a car attenna and "They" are like...Arecibo on Steroids.

Dull

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May we All have a METAMORPHOSIS. REASON. GOoD JUDGEMENT and LOVE and ORDER!!!!!

If a signal is found, I would imagine there would be a great need for processing power to attempt to decode/interpret the signals. With SETI@Home having the foundation of a super-computer at minimal cost, some funding (and renewed interest) in the project could be the next step.

Or the government could blow some more of the tax payer's money and build their own super-computer leaving SETI@Home to perish, which would be a very stupid and fiscally irresponsible thing to do - so it will likely be the course of action that happens.

Or the government could blow some more of the tax payer's money and build their own super-computer leaving SETI@Home to perish

Exactly. Except for The Blowing of TPs $$$.

closely monitoring the work that Seti does

Hardly.

The "Boys" when they hear SETI mentioned, do not Laugh, nor roll their eyes anymore. Moot to Does Not Exist.

They know what you type before you type it, and know what you say, before you say it.

Dull

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May we All have a METAMORPHOSIS. REASON. GOoD JUDGEMENT and LOVE and ORDER!!!!!

Or the government could blow some more of the tax payer's money and build their own super-computer leaving SETI@Home to perish

Exactly. Except for The Blowing of TPs $$$.

Why do you think it won't be a waste of tax payer money? And what makes you think that SETI@Home offering their user base as a super-computer is a no-go?

Chris, you are too kind. Once again I will bring out my aluminum foil beanie!

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Why do you think it won't be a waste of tax payer money?

No Waste Based Accounting. Not even toilet paper, paper clips, or ball point pens.

And what makes you think that SETI@Home offering their user base as a super-computer is a no-go?

What would be so Super about it?

DarkDull

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May we All have a METAMORPHOSIS. REASON. GOoD JUDGEMENT and LOVE and ORDER!!!!!

Why do you think it won't be a waste of tax payer money?

No Waste Based Accounting. Not even toilet paper, paper clips, or ball point pens.

That didn't exactly answer the question. I thought as a hardline conservative you would agree that any government spending on things such as a supercomputer to process an alien signal would certainly be seen as unnecessary if the private or educational sectors could do it much more efficiently and cost effectively.

And what makes you think that SETI@Home offering their user base as a super-computer is a no-go?

What would be so Super about it?

The fact that SETI@Home can offer TeraFLOPs of power with significantly less funding than the government building their own supercomputer, and the opportunity for the citizens of the world to take part in science by utilizing their spare processing power.

educational sectors could do it much more efficiently and cost effectively.

Like SETI? And when has Education gotten results for their Trillions?

with significantly less funding than the government

Underfunded they do a terrible job. With enough funding, what a Catastrophe it would be.

as a hardline conservative

It's time to Occupy The ET Signal Capture with The Professionals.

SoftandCuddlyDull

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May we All have a METAMORPHOSIS. REASON. GOoD JUDGEMENT and LOVE and ORDER!!!!!

Finding an earthlike planet is no guarantee that intelligent life will be found on that planet. If earth was spotted and investigated just 100 million years ago a lot of life would have been found but no one to communicate with would have been here. And face it 100 million years in a universe that is 13.5 billion years old was just yesterday. SETI is more than just looking for life, the last letter stands for Intelligence which is a different search than the one for another earth or earthlike planet.

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Bob DeWoody

My motto: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow as it may not be required. This no longer applies in light of current events.

educational sectors could do it much more efficiently and cost effectively.

Like SETI? And when has Education gotten results for their Trillions?

You tell me when R&D (education) has ever gotten "results" for their trillions. It would seem they have paid for it in spades and most private sector companies realize this, which is why they toss their trillions in R&D.

with significantly less funding than the government

Underfunded they do a terrible job. With enough funding, what a Catastrophe it would be.

Any proof to verify either claim?

as a hardline conservative

It's time to Occupy The ET Signal Capture with The Professionals.

Thankfully we have the SETI Project Admins on the job already.

1000, 10,000, 1,000,000 and more Earth-Like Planets discovered.

Signal Capture Device pointed at them and...nothing.

Since this type of Planet is where the Intelligence should be and no sigs, then what?

Continue to point at Earth-Likes? Certainly there is no need to point anywhere else.

One good result is Real Proof-the kind seen, felt and quantified-will have been found for A BlackHole.

The BlackHole where monies are donated to Find Intelligence.

Planet Moot will have been found.

HappyGoLuckyDull

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May we All have a METAMORPHOSIS. REASON. GOoD JUDGEMENT and LOVE and ORDER!!!!!

We're still in our infancy in searching for other intelligent civilizations. We have to narrow our scope to what signatures we can easily identify using the tools we have at our disposal. So yes, many potential planets will go unsearched, and many potential types of civilizations may go unfound because of our own limitations.

SETI@Home is just one of dozens of SETI projects looking for other intelligent civilizations, each with their own tools and search methods. SETI@Home is in the unique position of allowing anyone with a computer to help with the search simply by processing data.

Even if a signal is found via another project, that in no way negates searching for additional civilizations. The search will need to continue either way. In fact, finding one civilization may invigorate funding to find others, which could still mean good things for SETI@Home.

I think claiming SETI@Home is moot, or soon will be, is somewhat shortsighted and premature to assert.

I think claiming SETI@Home is moot, or soon will be, is somewhat shortsighted and premature to assert.

Well, there is the The Rare Earth Hypothesis; Copernician Principle; and Fermi Paradox. And my own extensive readings of Evolutionary Biology. In fact I've read more about EB than anything else.

Add to all of that a sort of, gut feeling. Call it Star Dust Dullism, and I Believe, before Intelligent Signal Making Life is ever found, we will all be dust and so will many many generations to come.

Sort of a Life After People Thingee. You know, 100,000 years After People, Intelligent Life on Another Planet is found. And it won't be SETI. At least SETI on This Planet.

Can you dig it? I knew that you could.

No Biggee Really. Crunch to Your Heart's Content. I am. Even with The Above Statements and Others I've made.

It is called Insanity.

DrollingDull

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May we All have a METAMORPHOSIS. REASON. GOoD JUDGEMENT and LOVE and ORDER!!!!!

I think claiming SETI@Home is moot, or soon will be, is somewhat shortsighted and premature to assert.

Well, there is the The Rare Earth Hypothesis; Copernician Principle; and Fermi Paradox. And my own extensive readings of Evolutionary Biology. In fact I've read more about EB than anything else.

You forgot to mention the rather pessimistic Drake Equation (although it is closely related to the Fermi Paradox). Even so, none of those theories suggest that SETI@Home is moot; they simply suggest that our chances are nil at best.

Add to all of that a sort of, gut feeling. Call it Star Dust Dullism, and I Believe, before Intelligent Signal Making Life is ever found, we will all be dust and so will many many generations to come.

Sort of a Life After People Thingee. You know, 100,000 years After People, Intelligent Life on Another Planet is found. And it won't be SETI. At least SETI on This Planet.

Agreed, but even the longest journey begins with a single step.

Can you dig it? I knew that you could.

No Biggee Really. Crunch to Your Heart's Content. I am. Even with The Above Statements and Others I've made.

It is called Insanity.

I sure can dig it. No reason we still can't try despite the odds being stacked against us.

...and it's only insanity if we keep doing the same thing expecting different results. We haven't really gotten any results, so methinks our sanity is safe so far.

...and it's only insanity if we keep doing the same thing expecting different results

Good Set-Up OzzF4.

SETI is doing the same thing and expecting different results. The Same Thing is Crunching Ad infinitum knowing No Signal will be captured(it is so close to 100% suredom, it might as well be).

And, expecting The Different Result of A/The Signal from ETI.

Conclusion: Insanity

I see more Insane People Smiling, than I do Sane People Smiling. So, Cool Beans as they say.

F14Dull

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May we All have a METAMORPHOSIS. REASON. GOoD JUDGEMENT and LOVE and ORDER!!!!!

nope. they are not expect different results. They have a theory about interstellar communication. The Theory basically states that Intelligent beings would see the quiet Hyrdogen line as an excellent way to show themselves in their stellar neighborhood. We as intelligent beings listen to that area of the radio spectrum in an attempt to hear from other intelligent beings(outside of our own planet). So we listen and wait and listen some more. I don't expect anything. Neither do they.

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In a rich man's house there is no place to spit but his face.
Diogenes Of Sinope

...and it's only insanity if we keep doing the same thing expecting different results

SETI is doing the same thing and expecting different results. The Same Thing is Crunching Ad infinitum knowing No Signal will be captured(it is so close to 100% suredom, it might as well be).

And, expecting The Different Result of A/The Signal from ETI.

Conclusion: Insanity

In one view, it is quite understandable to think that looking for a direct alien signal sent in our direction at a specific frequency range over and over again could be interpreted as insanity. However, if anyone in SETI (not just SETI@Home) actually felt that they "knew" no signal would be found, they wouldn't do it. Risk takers have always had to take slim chances to get to the big payout.

The difference in SETI's case is that they are doing this over a period of time because the absense of a signal at duration X doesn't mean it won't be there at duration Y. Most people involved with SETI understood that this is a very long-term project with a lofty goal.

To look at it another way, if you consider the length of time of the universe, then look at the length of time of our own planet's existence, then look at the length of time mankind has been around - our search for ETI has only been a tiny fraction of a nano-second in the grand scheme of things.

Given that grand of a timescale, it is easily understandable that very likely none of us will be around when the discovery is made (if it is made at all), but the journey still needs to start somewhere.

Risk takers

Yep. The Risk of broken finger nails, scraped nuckles, eye strain and paper cuts is a MoFo.

the journey still needs to start somewhere

Can't most of it be done online. So ones, zeros, bits, bytes, words, radio waves, etc. are on a Journey, but The Actual Person, is like, hanging out in an office.

Guess I'm all caught up still in the crossing a valley, mountain peak, ocean, river kind of thing as a risk and a journey. Where death and injury is coming from every angle.

Scientific Careers being put at Risk? HoHum.

Hey, Ms. Arroway took risks and had quite a journey, but keeping Ancient out-of-date equipment running and begging for dollars is not going to Garner Much Sympathy from most.

Hey, I like pickin'. OzzF4 baby, you've done great Counter-Pointing and The Loyalists/Faithful appreciate it, and I love your Concise Verbosity in Explaining the Epic/Risky Nature of This Great Discovery In The Making In Its Infancy-But Hoping For Soon, Rather Than Latter.

NonDidacticDull

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May we All have a METAMORPHOSIS. REASON. GOoD JUDGEMENT and LOVE and ORDER!!!!!

Risk takers

Yep. The Risk of broken finger nails, scraped nuckles, eye strain and paper cuts is a MoFo.

Tell me about it! I almost lost some weight getting up from my chair and actually moving around.

the journey still needs to start somewhere

Can't most of it be done online. So ones, zeros, bits, bytes, words, radio waves, etc. are on a Journey, but The Actual Person, is like, hanging out in an office.

I think you'll find that the science part of it is a bit more complicated than that.

Guess I'm all caught up still in the crossing a valley, mountain peak, ocean, river kind of thing as a risk and a journey. Where death and injury is coming from every angle.

Scientific Careers being put at Risk? HoHum.

Common mistake. Not all journeys must be physical and require risk of personal injury or death as a prerequisite, thankfully. Every time I watch a movie I'm going on a journey of the director's mind, but I have no real risk of injury or death in nearly every case (but I'll be sure to let you know the first time it happens while watching a movie).

Hey, Ms. Arroway took risks and had quite a journey, but keeping Ancient out-of-date equipment running and begging for dollars is not going to Garner Much Sympathy from most.

I think that depends on the individual. Some people seem to be born without empathy. Others, like you, simply have different definitions for most things, and thus your expectations and protected realities are very different.

As to whether "most" people will give sympathy for keeping ancient out-of-date equipment running, well, from my experiences apathy seems to run rampant in a lot of people lately, and I'm not so sure that's something anyone can change, so there's no point in trying.

Still, I don't think anyone in the SETI projects are expecting sympathy, nor am I really trying to garner much for them. I am simply trying to show a different perspective than a seemingly overtly cynical one. It's up to you, the reader, to decide which path you want to go down.

Hey, I like pickin'. OzzF4 baby, you've done great Counter-Pointing and The Loyalists/Faithful appreciate it, and I love your Concise Verbosity in Explaining the Epic/Risky Nature of This Great Discovery In The Making In Its Infancy-But Hoping For Soon, Rather Than Latter.

People will label as they wish. I told you before in the past that I've been accused by Liberals as being Anarchist Conservative, and I've been accused by Conservatives as being a bleeding heart liberal. If it helps people brush off my views so they don't have to give much consideration to them, then I suppose there's nothing I can do about it.

I simply have a view and I speak it, much like everyone else.

To me participating in the SETI@home project is a good use of my computer's idle time. I don't even remotely expect that my computer will discover an intelligent signal. But I also know that even though the odds are long of ever winning one of the big lotteries I know 100% for sure that if I don't buy a ticket I won't win. So even though the chances are that no one will ever detect an intelligent signal from somewhere in the galaxy it's a sure bet if we don't even listen.

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Bob DeWoody

My motto: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow as it may not be required. This no longer applies in light of current events.