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| Personal background |
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I am in my 40's and work as an instructor for a software
company, having previously been a consultant and a
developer. What a great job, fly around the country, stay
in hotels, and eat in restaurants, wear play clothes, tell
jokes and draw diagrams all day. Inside work, no heavy
lifting.
I love to travel the USA and have great vacation
stories on our family website.
(http://www.travelin-tigers.com)
When possible, I use my classroom PC's to multi-thread
SETI 7x24 for my one week engagement, an act nominally
discouraged by my employer (poor sports!). We grew up
in suburban Detroit, but now live in sunny Florida.
I compulsively collect things, somewhat randomly.
I've been to 48 states and 99 of the 100 largest US cities,
the gravesites of all US Presidents, baseball games in 40
different stadiums, state capitals, major universities, not
to mention my collection of funny signs. Once I started with
SETI, I could not help but focus on 100, 250, then 500 calcs.
My latest goal, just achieved, was to reach "5 figures" and,
at 841 cycles, I was 99571st. What is next? You tell me. |
| Thoughts about SETI and SETI@home |
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I am fascinated by the SETI process, but not the result.
No, I do not expect to find intelligent life "out there".
While it seems theoretically possible, any life form THAT
"intelligent" will probably have the foresight to NEVER
send a signal to this planet. But hey, that's just me.
I have worked with computer systems since the early 70's,
starting with Hollerith cards and a Commodore Pet in college.
My early jobs were on small multi-user systems (called
"mini's" back then). I have always been intrigued by the
concept of using a software algorithm to achieve large
scale multi-threaded data packet processing, and I
participate in the SETI project simply for the
vicarious experience. I particularly enjoy reading
references to SETI in various scientific journals,
knowing that I'm doing my small part to help.
Additionally, I am a terrible cheapskate (always having my
"free beer" at the Embassy Suites), and consider all those
idle PC cycles to represent waste. I am delighted at the
notion that I made use of those "free" calculations, even
though, as I said, I don't expect anything to come of them.
I take delight in the process. I also read my free USA
Today, even though I can't stand it. But more than just
cheap, I try to help out where such help is "free" to me.
Like saving newspapers for the soccer team, or collecting
hotel soaps for the shelter. SETI, to me, represents a
public service that exists within the shadow world of
unused expiring resources. You decide: Cheapskate or
Environmental Activist?
... Dave |
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