Stardust@home

[SirUlli]

i have just found this

Stardust@home Project Brings Cosmic Dust to Your Desktop

Homepage

http://stardustathome.ssl.berkeley.edu/index.html

...But while SETI@home allowed computer users to participate in the search of extraterrestrial intelligent life by downloading a screensaver that sifted through myriads of radio signals, the Stardust@home project ? which is set to begin in mid-March ? is a bit more hands-on and comes with a bonus: Dust grain discoverers will get to name their tiny finds...

more Info to the Stardust Mission

at the Seti Institute

http://www.seti.org/site/pp.asp?c=ktJ2J9MMIsE&b=1219179

Homepage

http://stardust.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.html

regards
Sir Ulli

 

[TAandy]

Thanks for the info, Ulli

 

[petrusbroder]

Thanks for the very interesting post!
This is not strictly DC (as in a lot of computing) but a Distributed Participation (DP?) - sounds like a lot of fun. i have preregistered!

 

[amdxborg]

Cool thanx SirUlli!

 

[BlackMountainCow]

Danke Ulli!

 

[RandomFool]

That looks pretty cool.

 

[Malak]

Ziggy?

 

[danzigrules]

Originally posted by: Malak
Ziggy?

yes?

 

[kb3edk]

Looks like there's a good amount of buzz for this:

Front page link on cnn.com

It will definitely be worth checking out in a couple months!

 

[Malak]

No offense to anyone, but I fail to see the point to this project. They are studying dust off a rock flying through space. It sounds wholly unsatisfying.

 

[bluestrobe]

Originally posted by: Malak
No offense to anyone, but I fail to see the point to this project. They are studying dust off a rock flying through space. It sounds wholly unsatisfying.

And computing on how static could be sent by someone dead 500,000 years ago is more satisfying?

 

[Malak]

Originally posted by: bluestrobe

Originally posted by: Malak
No offense to anyone, but I fail to see the point to this project. They are studying dust off a rock flying through space. It sounds wholly unsatisfying.

And computing on how static could be sent by someone dead 500,000 years ago is more satisfying?

Nope, but I've never participated in that project either.

 

[bluestrobe]

Then don't post in a thread when you have nothing to add to it.

I've always thought the same about all of the projects. The work I do today I can't go out and hold it in my hands tomorrow but I do it 1) for the fun of tinkering with it and 2) My Children or Grand Children might benefit from it.

 

[Malak]

Originally posted by: bluestrobe
Then don't post in a thread when you have nothing to add to it.

I've always thought the same about all of the projects. The work I do today I can't go out and hold it in my hands tomorrow but I do it 1) for the fun of tinkering with it and 2) My Children or Grand Children might benefit from it.

But many of these projects hold zero benefit for us, or our grandchildren. SETI is never going to find aliens. DIMES is about mapping the internet... where's the benefit in that? Crunching big numbers... that doesn't really help anyone here. I cannot ignore that these projects are wholly a waste of time. I devote my PC time because the projects I work on show results, results that benefit people now. I wouldn't crunch otherwise.

If you really want to benefit your children, do something that will actually benefit them.

 

[bluestrobe]

Originally posted by: Malak


But many of these projects hold zero benefit for us, or our grandchildren. SETI is never going to find aliens. DIMES is about mapping the internet... where's the benefit in that? Crunching big numbers... that doesn't really help anyone here. I cannot ignore that these projects are wholly a waste of time. I devote my PC time because the projects I work on show results, results that benefit people now. I wouldn't crunch otherwise.

If you really want to benefit your children, do something that will actually benefit them.

Its not worth arguing, I grew out of that phase. Everyone has their opinions. To each his own.

 

[CupCak3]

The projects which you speak so badly about are more for satisfying the urge to learn and explore things which are not known. Two great urges which have given us the advancements to be able to do these other more "worthwhile" projects of which you speak.




On the other hand, for me personally, I'll only participate in projects which offer medical advancements like folding or rosetta. I'm not saying that the other projects aren't worthwhile nor do I write them off as a waste of time like some others but its just a personal choice I made when choosing to participate in distributed computing.

 

[BlackMountainCow]

Malak, are you in a grumpy mood?

 

[NMDJuggler]

I'm doing it for the ladies!

 

[Malak]

Originally posted by: BlackMountainCow
Malak, are you in a grumpy mood?

No, just not satisfied with responses people give. They can do whatever they like with their time, it's their clock cycles. But to say it's beneficial to our children is just ridiculous. Mapping the internet? Searching for non-existant aliens? Examining dust from the backside of a rock? None of it is going to help us. There's lots of trivial knowledge out there that just isn't worth knowing.

All I'm saying is, it's their choice, just make sure you really know what you are getting into.

 

[scottish144]

Originally posted by: Malak

Originally posted by: BlackMountainCow
Malak, are you in a grumpy mood?

No, just not satisfied with responses people give. They can do whatever they like with their time, it's their clock cycles. But to say it's beneficial to our children is just ridiculous. Mapping the internet? Searching for non-existant aliens? Examining dust from the backside of a rock? None of it is going to help us. There's lots of trivial knowledge out there that just isn't worth knowing.

All I'm saying is, it's their choice, just make sure you really know what you are getting into.

First of all, studying "dust from the backside of a rock" could give us great insight into the universe and how it was formed. Also, doing something for the beneift of ur grandchildren/childrend is natural, but selfish. I personally disagree with SETI and DIMES and the other more useless projects out there, however, science should be done for ITSELF. Almost all science benefits the human race in one way or another, no matter how crack-pot it may seem. Technically, building spacecraft ot journey to Mars won't do humanity much good initially, but down the road it could lead to us exploring the galaxy (*insert ST TNG theme*). In any case, who knows? Aliens are most likely out there, and as our technology advances, SETI may pick up their communications. Even if that happens a thousand years from now, it will be worth it.

 

[Malak]

Originally posted by: scottish144
First of all, studying "dust from the backside of a rock" could give us great insight into the universe and how it was formed. Also, doing something for the beneift of ur grandchildren/childrend is natural, but selfish. I personally disagree with SETI and DIMES and the other more useless projects out there, however, science should be done for ITSELF. Almost all science benefits the human race in one way or another, no matter how crack-pot it may seem. Technically, building spacecraft ot journey to Mars won't do humanity much good initially, but down the road it could lead to us exploring the galaxy (*insert ST TNG theme*). In any case, who knows? Aliens are most likely out there, and as our technology advances, SETI may pick up their communications. Even if that happens a thousand years from now, it will be worth it.

The second coming of Jesus will happen long before any theoretical alien species recieves any radio signals from us, and long before we recieve any ourselves. Of course, there are no aliens, no evidence ever of aliens, and SETI has been the entirely unsuccessful. All your DC efforts for thousands of years won't change that.

Studying dust won't tell you how the universe was formed. It won't tell you anything. Science has never told us anything about life and how it started. A thousand years from now, it still won't know. And you still won't have helped anyone.

Shooting a billion dollars into space to study rocks on a dead planet helps zero people here on earth. That money, and all the effort, could have done earth a lot of good. Earth is falling apart while we throw money away on projects with no benefit.

All the time spent on these projects is wasteful. But like I said, it's your business. Do as you please. This discussion has come up before and will come up again.

 

[scottish144]

Originally posted by: Malak

Originally posted by: scottish144
First of all, studying "dust from the backside of a rock" could give us great insight into the universe and how it was formed. Also, doing something for the beneift of ur grandchildren/childrend is natural, but selfish. I personally disagree with SETI and DIMES and the other more useless projects out there, however, science should be done for ITSELF. Almost all science benefits the human race in one way or another, no matter how crack-pot it may seem. Technically, building spacecraft ot journey to Mars won't do humanity much good initially, but down the road it could lead to us exploring the galaxy (*insert ST TNG theme*). In any case, who knows? Aliens are most likely out there, and as our technology advances, SETI may pick up their communications. Even if that happens a thousand years from now, it will be worth it.

The second coming of Jesus will happen long before any theoretical alien species recieves any radio signals from us, and long before we recieve any ourselves. Of course, there are no aliens, no evidence ever of aliens, and SETI has been the entirely unsuccessful. All your DC efforts for thousands of years won't change that.

Studying dust won't tell you how the universe was formed. It won't tell you anything. Science has never told us anything about life and how it started. A thousand years from now, it still won't know. And you still won't have helped anyone.

Shooting a billion dollars into space to study rocks on a dead planet helps zero people here on earth. That money, and all the effort, could have done earth a lot of good. Earth is falling apart while we throw money away on projects with no benefit.

All the time spent on these projects is wasteful. But like I said, it's your business. Do as you please. This discussion has come up before and will come up again.

You must be one of those hardcore Intelligent Designers, as you have apparently forgotton about Evolution. It doesn't say a lot about our creation, but it sheds some light (more than Intelligent Design). And remember, I did say that I am against DIMES/SETI/other projects that won't show plausible results in the near future. I don't crunch for those pojects.

Also, you have apparently forgotton that humans cannot live on Earth forever. The Earth will, in a few centuries, become overpopulated. Not to mention it will run out of resources. , and like u said, we are screwing it up. Thus, sooner or later, we will have to leave. At that point knowledge about the universe, stars, galaxies, physics, (E@H?) will be of utomst importance. Also, who knows what we will discover in this intersteller dust? If you look at a closed box, it could be empty, or filled with money. Assuming either option is stupid, so you have to open the box and find out.

 

[Malak]

Originally posted by: scottish144
You must be one of those hardcore Intelligent Designers, as you have apparently forgotton about Evolution. It doesn't say a lot about our creation, but it sheds some light (more than Intelligent Design). And remember, I did say that I am against DIMES/SETI/other projects that won't show plausible results in the near future. I don't crunch for those pojects.

Do not presume to know anything about me. Evolution does not exist as some scientists present it to. There is zero evidence supporting it.

Also, you have apparently forgotton that humans cannot live on Earth forever. The Earth will, in a few centuries, become overpopulated. Not to mention it will run out of resources. , and like u said, we are screwing it up. Thus, sooner or later, we will have to leave. At that point knowledge about the universe, stars, galaxies, physics, (E@H?) will be of utomst importance. Also, who knows what we will discover in this intersteller dust? If you look at a closed box, it could be empty, or filled with money. Assuming either option is stupid, so you have to open the box and find out.

Your predictions are unsupported. Your assumptions are unsupported. You seem to believe in a lot of things without having any evidence of these things.

 

[scottish144]

Originally posted by: Malak

Originally posted by: scottish144
You must be one of those hardcore Intelligent Designers, as you have apparently forgotton about Evolution. It doesn't say a lot about our creation, but it sheds some light (more than Intelligent Design). And remember, I did say that I am against DIMES/SETI/other projects that won't show plausible results in the near future. I don't crunch for those pojects.

Do not presume to know anything about me. Evolution does not exist as some scientists present it to. There is zero evidence supporting it.

Also, you have apparently forgotton that humans cannot live on Earth forever. The Earth will, in a few centuries, become overpopulated. Not to mention it will run out of resources. , and like u said, we are screwing it up. Thus, sooner or later, we will have to leave. At that point knowledge about the universe, stars, galaxies, physics, (E@H?) will be of utomst importance. Also, who knows what we will discover in this intersteller dust? If you look at a closed box, it could be empty, or filled with money. Assuming either option is stupid, so you have to open the box and find out.

Your predictions are unsupported. Your assumptions are unsupported. You seem to believe in a lot of things without having any evidence of these things.

My predictions are supported by basic logic. Babies are being born. The Earth's population has drastically increased with the advance of science. All predictions show that it will continue to do so if there is no intervention. So either a government has to pass population limition laws or a hugea$$ war has to take place to avoid overpopulation.

And, once again, all predictions show that the World WILL run out of resources sooner or later. It may be a few centuries, but unless some magic recycling technology developes, humanity will have to go off-world for resources.

As for evolution, there is far more evidence for it than intelligent design.
www.vengaza.org

In any case, science is about discovery. Remeber that much so-called "worthless" science has spawned such things as electricity, the telescope, helio-centric theory, and penacillan.

But I digress. The fact remains that regardless of outcome, science is about discovery, and predicting (and trying to prove) the unknown. To be a scientist, you must be open-minded and accept that you can't see everything. My box analogy was a testament to that. There are infinite possible futures, and there may be some positive effect of now "useless" science that neither you nor I can see. It is widely known that many people did not see the value of the telescope, the original vaccum cleaner, or even the first computers.

 

[NMDJuggler]

I used to run SETI@HOME on my computer because it looked "cooler" but I quickly realized that folding proteins for a possible cure was a much more worthwhile cause and stuck with that. But that doesn't take away from the fact that DC is an experiment in DC itself, that is, it's a test of its own usefulness. Each project's successes and failures tell us more about the possible applications and uses for DC in the future. I think one of the greatest fallacies is the saying ?Necessity is the Mother of Invention.? Most great inventions were not created to fill some void or need, but rather existed in a ?useless? or unperfected state for quite some time before ?getting the nod? to fill the limelight. For example, gas powered engines were invented in 1866, made it onto a bike in 1885, and finally made it onto a truck in 1896. In 1905 cars were still the playthings of the rich only, and it really took a world war until the switch to cars started to happen?horses were fine after all! So for five decades they were sitting around practically useless, but you can?t tell me cars are useless today (good or bad). Furthermore, all inventions build on the backs of other inventions. The Wright brothers, as clever as they were, were preceded by numerous unpowered manned gliders and powered unmanned gliders. My point is that a project?s usefulness now doesn?t necessarily correlate to its usefulness in the future. Our findings may have unforeseen use in the future, or perhaps in the future the whole concept of distributed computing will be improved upon to enhance its usefulness. Our cooperation will aid in this, and someday we may be known as pioneers.

All that aside, I?m currently a medical student and I?ve studied quite a lot of biology and I can say with some confidence that F@H is a worthwhile project. Understanding protein folding is a really exciting and promising frontier. Sure, progress and results may be hard to come by, but I?d be really hard pressed to find anyone who could seriously say F@H DEFINITELY will amount to nothing. And whether or not you believe in evolution, the science done under its continually validated theories has and will continue to benefit your life and mine to an incredible degree. Happy crunching!