I started running SETI@home when I started overclocking my old comp in April of 2001, on the recomendation of a friend of mine. I've been trying(unsuccessfully) to catch him on total work units processed ever since. I doubt we'll ever find ET this way but what the heck, I might as well have my computer doing something while I'm not here.
SETI@home and Astropulse are funded by grants from the National Science Foundation, NASA, and donations from SETI@home volunteers. AstroPulse is funded in part by the NSF through grant AST-0307956.