You can read this: http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-10406588-71.html?tag=newsEditorsPicksArea.0 or... just read on as I have copied bits and pieces shamelessly. LOL!

November 30, 2009 7:42 PM PST
Man loses job after searching too hard for aliens
by Chris Matyszczyk


According to the Arizona Republic, (Brad) Niesluchowski was asked to resign after allegedly using his position at the Higley Unified School District to exercise his own (and our) need for an alien encounter...

...The Republic's sleuths got their hands on documents that suggest Niesluchowski was encouraged to resign after he downloaded free University of California (the terribly forward-thinking Berkeley branch) software that uses idle computers to examine information collected by radio telescopes...

...Niesluchowski, you see, enjoyed the authority to purchase all sorts of technology for his district. And his alleged downloading of alien-hunting software might well have used additional energy resources and caused other related damage or accelerated depreciation to the hardware. The school district estimates these losses at between $1.2 million and $1.6 million...

...Specifically, Niesluchowski stands accused of downloading a program called SETI@home to every computer in the school district...

...However, SETI might not have been the only software Niesluchowski donated to Higley. The school district also claimed it had found another program, with the heavenly name of BOINC, that also emanated from Berkeley...

...Perhaps Niesluchowski's alleged behavior was not entirely thought through. Perhaps he simply hoped no one would ever notice. But, using the moniker "NEZ" he had reportedly become one of the most active and admired alien hunters. The Republic suggests that he earned 575 million "credits,", representing the enormous hours he spent in the search for the next world...

So, there you have it folks. DISCUSS.

Also, this should serve as further warning to those of you in an "administrative" position at a workplace and are using "company" resources for BOINC projects. Many companies/education facilities/etc have policies in place regarding inappropriate or unauthorized use, and this qualifies. Unless you have express consent of whoever the ultimate authority is for your workplace, don't go putting BOINC/etc on ALL OF YOUR MACHINES. kthxbai

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...And his alleged downloading of alien-hunting software might well have used additional energy resources and caused other related damage or accelerated depreciation to the hardware. The school district estimates these losses at between $1.2 million and $1.6 million...

Sounds like someone's cooking the books.

As to losing his job *shrug*. You're not supposed to install the software unless you have permission to do so. Of course if you're the person that's responsible for granting such permissions, things can get a bit messy.

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Grant
Darwin NT

and that probably doesn't even include all of the bandwidth he used to download/upload all those WUs... that adds up fast.

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Wow... If he's installed this on so many computers without permission, and those losses are anywhere near genuine, losing his job might be the least of his worries.

It still must be 000's of computers as well. I hope everybody else using computers without permission looks long and hard at what they're doing before carrying on.

Assuming this story is genuine of course...

regards, Gizbar.

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A proud GPU User Server Donor!

Wow... the crap just gets deeper...

http://www.azcentral.com/community/gilbert/articles/2009/11/30/20091130searchforaliens1202.html

Apparently he already lost his job and is facing a legal battle now...

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and that probably doesn't even include all of the bandwidth he used to download/upload all those WUs... that adds up fast.

Given the bandwidth used by email alone, that used by Seti would have been insignificant.

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Grant
Darwin NT

Wow. That is really all I can say. Wow...
This is the exact reason I do not install unauthorized programs on my clients machines. I stick to my own where I have no risk of getting my ass sued or taken to court.
NEZ, if you are reading this, you only have yourself to blame.

The lesson is:
Do not ever install any unauthorized program on any computer of device you are not responsible for! Keep to your machines and your machines only.

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- Luke.

QUICK!!!...someone write a script,...sell it to comcast/nbc/universal...and donate the proceeds to seti@home...

[NEZ]


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I hope this aren't negative advertisement for BOINC/SETI@home.

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Strange.. he have also a 2nd (different) account at SETI@home BETA?

[NEZ]

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Just about everybody who has ever posted here with questions about running Boinc/Seti at work has been given the warning never to install it without the express permission of those who own the computers.

What goes around comes around.

Rest assured, I have the permission of the kitties to run Seti on the rigs here!!!

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"Time is simply the mechanism that keeps everything from happening all at once."

In the Café subforum is already a thread about NEZ.

It was opened ~ 15 min. before this one.

Maybe combine or continue only in one?

[fired for using Seti and boinc]

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Damn.. why didn't you just ask? :-(

On the other hand, that was my first response.. (needed to get that out).

I really, really hope NEZ will visit us here and tell us about it, tell his side of the story.

It is usually more complex, less black and white, then what we read here now.

NEZ, if you got fired, I wish you good luck in finding a new job fast.

Hope to hear from you,

Eesger

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The SETI@Home Gauntlet 2012 april 16 - 30| info / chat | STATS

This is a sad day for SETI@home as it is definitely going to harm project's reputation.
I think administration should issue clear warnings and guidelines for all SETI crunchers in this regard.

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Yikes! He must have been doing this since the begining... 10 million hours of classic S@H!!

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I think administration should issue clear warnings and guidelines for all SETI crunchers in this regard.

They already have that:

http://setiathome.berkeley.edu/info.php says:

Run SETI@home only on authorized computers

Run SETI@home only on computers that you own, or for which you have obtained the owner's permission. Some companies and schools have policies that prohibit using their computers for projects such as SETI@home.

http://boinc.berkeley.edu/wiki/Usage_rules says:

Run BOINC only on authorized computers

Run BOINC only on computers that you own, or for which you have obtained the owner's permission. Some companies and schools have policies that prohibit using their computers for BOINC-based projects.

If you deliberately choose to ignore those rules, the consequences when found out are for you only.

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thanks ageless, rules and policies of project certainly state that.
what more can be done to discourage such incidents in future ?

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what more can be done to discourage such incidents in future ?

Reprogram the mindset of future BOINC users. :-)

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his one problem was that he never asked. He must have had a butt load of Computers running seti. I can't imagine a school district using high end equipment for anyone other than the superintendents office. But is lack of participation on the forums, his insanely high RAC and his hidden computers made his activity highly suspicious.

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In a rich man's house there is no place to spit but his face.
Diogenes Of Sinope

Is Misfit still around? The only one to make contact....

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Official Abuser of Boinc Buttons...
And no good credit hound!