Just my $0.02:

I guess that most of people who crunch numbers for seti@home or at least know what that is, speak some if not good English. But if there is a need for translations, I guess there is a lot of us here who could make them (translate the most important parts of the site).

Feel free to contact me at my registered e-mail if such need arises.

The Allen Telescope is back in business!

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"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." - Orwell

Great news!!

This thing never should have happened. A handful of our billionaires could have dumped some for their loose change and solved this thing.

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http://sciencespringe.wordpress.com
http://facebook.com/sciencesprings

I am glad, of course. But the SETI Institute has nothing to do with Arecibo, SETI@home uses Arecibo data and also Einstein@home,
Tullio

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Funding is only in place until the end of 2011.

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"By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible". Hebrews 11.3

The problem with short term funding is that you cannot hire people. On the www.setiquest.org site I've read that they have an intern from Stanford U. spending the summer at the ATA, probably working on her PhD thesis. But then what?
Tullio

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Two comments, both based on my previous life working in an academic institution.
First - you are only as secure as your last grant. If your funding only comes from one or two "big" givers and their interests move elsewhere you are out of funding, and so out of a job. Its far better to have a wide base of funding, os if one funding body decides you aren't "flavour of the month" it hurts, but it doesn't stop the work. The ATA appeared to be totally reliant upon a very small funding base, so when that funding base stopped...

Second there are a great number of good academics, who live on very short term funding, either by choice or by force. These are in many places the bulk of the work force and in their few months of tenure contribute greatly to the overall work of the institution. They learn a lot from each placement and are often the best workers when (if) they settle for a longer term post. What would you rather have - someone running the ATA for a few months, or not at all and it being permanently shutdown?

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Bob Smith
Member of Seti PIPPS (Pluto is a Planet Protest Society)
Somewhere in the (un)known Universe?

Most Italian scientists now are working on short term contracts and are not secure of renewal. My daughter Elisa, with a degree in theoretical biophysics, was working on a project of a hadron accelerator for cancer therapy. Then one day they told her "Signorina, the Minister has not granted us any fund. Get yourself a job". So she now works in software house and makes process control even when she is at home tending her two kids, via ADSL.If you are married and have to maintain a wife and children you cannot afford to be a scientist in Italy, unless you are e tenured professor.
Tullio

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The Allen Telescope is back in business!

That's very good news indeed.

From the www.setiquest.org site I've learned that they will get some money from the USAF Space Command to watch for space debris like the UARS satellite which is plunging towards Earth just now.
Tullio

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