Profile: JoeTourist

Personal background
I am rediscovering my childhood hobby of astronomy. The amateur equipment has come such a long way during the last few years, with current consumer technology being comparable to gear previously only available to professional astronomers. During the last decade or so, amateur astronomers have been front and centre in making major discoveries, and they also contribute significantly to the field of astronomy. These contributions are acknowledged and welcomed by the professional community. It's an exciting time to be an amateur astronomer, and I aspire to learn enough about the science to make my contribution in the near future.

Another interest of mine is photography. Digital photography has become commonplace, and again, the capabilities of the latest generation equipment is simply astounding. The latest image sensors being used in consumer-grade digital cameras lend themselves very well to use in astrophotography and long exposures.

There are so many websites on the Internet about both photography and astronomy. I have found the sheer volume of information (and yes, mis-information) to be quite overwhelming. And yet, I continue to gain valuable insight into both hobbies through my Internet browsing. What a research tool the Internet has become!

These interests of mine dovetail nicely, so I find myself on a road of discovery on two fronts - astronomy and photography. I find the combination of the two fields make each more fascinating, and I can then post my own information about astronomy and photography on my own website for others to discover. And so it goes...round and round...
Thoughts about SETI and SETI@home
I am an amateur astronomer, so extraterrestrial life is an obvious interest of mine. It's a concept that I personally accept.

The next time you are away from the city lights, have a look through a set of binoculars or a telescope from a dark site skyward. I expect once most people gaze at those millions of celestial bodies, they wouldn't doubt the existence of non-human intelligent lifeforms.

I view SETI@home as a shot in the dark, but heh...what are the options for us earth-bound beings? Expensive spacecraft that take lifetimes to arrive at the nearest neighboring solar system don't make any sense to me.
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