| Personal background |
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I'm a computer programmer that works in a variety of languages (VB.NET, ASP.NET, VB, ASP, Java, JavaScript, ABAP in SAP, Database Management and SQL, etc) who has many hobbies: working on my house (ok, maybe not really a hobby), reading science fiction, listening to hard hard/heavy metal music and going to concerts ( Rob Zombie, Metallica, System of a Down, Disturbed, Pantera, Ozzy and many others) going to places on Earth that I have never been to before (I've crossed the artic circle in Finland in a rental car), eating foods from that I've never had before - and continues to dream of a time when I'll be writing e-mail from outer space (among other things).
Well, perhaps that will never happen (at least for my generation born in 1971). I've grown up with science fiction and found that while humanity has the ability to do more - it does not seem to have the motivation to perform.
So I help in exploration of space in the little ways I can - processing data here and sometimes being a member of the planetary society or the Millenium Club portion of the planetary society.
My first child, Random Thorflyn has been born. He's a cute little bugger. :) Definitely takes after my wife... |
| Thoughts about SETI and SETI@home |
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I think extraterrestrial life does in fact exist - but it is questionable if it exists in our present - or in the past having emitted radio signals that would be received by us in the present. Discovering them is a matter of determination (that is sometimes lacking in the human species as a whole).
The possible benefits of finding an extraterrestrial signal are that in knowing that we are not alone we might be spurred to greater efforts in space exploration and learning about the universe. Knowing that we are not alone as self-aware life in the universe will perhaps put a little perspective on the activities people do in the normal course of life, then again, perhaps not.
The possible dangers of finding an extraterrestrial signal are that the extreme religious elements of the world would reject the knowledge of extraterrestrial life and in turn reject science because its findings may disagree with the primary tenets of some religions.
I run SETI@home because I never became a scientist and cannot participate directly in the search for scientific knowledge and even less the search for extraterrestrial life. So in participating in SETI@home - I can participate in a small way in both science and the search for extraterrestrial life.
The project is great and the only thing I would suggest is a little more publicity for the project - to attract more users and perhaps even more sources of funding to SETI in general.
I feel that we should take any effort we can to contact other self-aware species in the universe. Our efforts may well appear to be in vain in our lifetime or even the lifetime of the species homo sapiens; however, thousands of years from now perhaps some other species revolving around a star far from here will have the answer to the question: "Is there anyone else out there?"
The picture is of my son Random, standing on his own for the first time at the age of 7 months. |
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