Earth Like Planet Finds will make SETI moot.

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.

I should imagine that the Black Ops boys and other Government Agencies are already closely monitoring the work that Seti does. In the event of a signal that could be verified, there would likely be a security clampdown, and the data processed by the Governments own super computers.

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 $$$.

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

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?

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.

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

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.

...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