What am I doing?

Everyone.

I am wondering about a couple of things? Perhaps someone can help me?

1. My computer has done about 830,000 tasks, I guess it is. Can someone explain to me what that is? Does that mean analyzed 830,000 signals or parts of signals?

and

2. Are these signals likeunto analyzing a singular radio signal? Because I find myself wondering if it could be possible for a species to send a radio signal, but bits of the signal over different frequencies at the same time (broad band), so it'd go out faster, etc. If so then analyzing one-freq signals would likely miss something, wouldn't they?

I'm just wondering if someone can help me understand here?

Thank you

Jenna

Astropulse is exploring a wider bank of frequencies than Multibeam.
Tullio
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Your computer is sent a batch of raw data that was recieved by the Arecibo radio telescope which is mainly space noise. You computer is loaded with a software package that analyzes the raw data looking for evidence of any pattern that might be of non natural origin. If found the signal would be cross checked with other batches from the same area of the sky.
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Bob DeWoody

So my computer, here has done about 850,000 somethings we refer to as "credits," and that is a measure of the amount of work it's done?

Aricebo: I'm thiking "Carl Sagan" and "Jodi Foster"?

But how large of a signal are the bits my computer are measuring? LIttle bits of single-frequency signals? Or is it also comparing other signals that might be happening at the same time (like as if it were a broadband signal)?

I'm just curious. It churns away over there...

Thank you

Jenna

There was a great picture of her besides one of the antennae receivers being used by Seti@home. For now, I do not know where that picture is located.

Do you mean this one??

Ok. Wow. I got lots of information.

I am truly more of a groupie than a genius. I have a Caltech shirt. If worn, someone might ask, "Did you got to Caltech?" I'd answer, "Yes. To get this shirt."

I do go visit sometimes as I have connections there. But truly, I'm a liberal arts groupie. I watch the "Big Bang Theory." I've enjoyed "Real Genius," with Val Kilmer. I've enjoyed "Contact," and "Star Trek." But I'm little more, here, in the genius department, than Penny is on BBT.

Sooooooooo.............

Now that I asked my hard question: I am totally confused.

I don't know what I"m doing, but I'm guessing it's good. My appreciation for alien life is grand, and perhaps I'm helping in that search, which is good.

Thank you for your attempt to explain.

Were we to meet an alien--hopefully more like the Vulcans of Cochran's first flight and less like the ones in "Aliens"--I think I'd enjoy learning about them. But I doubt I'll be able to contribute to the science of finding them, other than devote a laptop to it.

So thank you for your help, guys.

If you need to program their computer with one of our viruses, so we can fend off an invation, I'll be the one serving the pizza.

Ciao.

Regarding Jodi Foster. Arecibo was in The Movie 'CONTACT' with Jodie Foster as Ellie Arroway. Just after the Movie Started (and Ellie was shown as a young Woman - Jodie foster), she stood below Areciboand looked up at it. The S.E.T.I. Program started at Arecibo, where The character of Ellie arroway began working on The S.E.T.I. Project, until The Program was Closed down. it was then that they moved to The Allen Telescope Array. This LINK shows a couple of Photos of her at ARECIBO http://www.naic.edu/tony/contact.htm
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GALAXY-VOYAGER

The Photo of Jodie at the Allen telescope Array is the one on The Cover of The CONTACT DVD.
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GALAXY-VOYAGER

But how large of a signal are the bits my computer are measuring? LIttle bits of single-frequency signals? Or is it also comparing other signals that might be happening at the same time (like as if it were a broadband signal)?

I'm just curious. It churns away over there...

Thank you

Jenna

Jenna, I suggest you start by having a look at the "About SETI@home" page. In particular, although a bit dated, there is a detailed description in "Learn more about how SETI@home works" of how the data are obtained from the radio telescope at Arecibo in Puerto Rico, how they are converted into the work units that you and I process, and much more. The Astropulse FAQ is a useful starting point for learning about the broadband searches performed in this part of the project. There is also a more detailed description of the Astropulse science.

Actually, it was the VLA (Very Large Array) radio telescope in New Mexico that appeared in Contact, not the Allen Telescope Array (ATA). Contact was released in 1997. Construction didn't begin on the ATA until 2004.