Why is SETI so powerful?

[Soggysocks]

Originally posted by: networkman
Until very recently we couln't prove there were planets orbiting stars outside our own solar system either.

The universe is a really REALLY big place!. Just because we haven't managed to find something yet doesn't mean it isn't out there waiting to be found.

Exactly!

Coupled with the fact that technology has grown expotentially over the years and a recent re-visit of Einsteins theories of realtivity and space-time....I think we are on track for some major discoveries....maybe even "Warp Drive" type of travel or at least twice what we are able to do now. And, forbid, I be the ney-sayer....maybe discovering things that we can not yet comprehend or control. With every generation of science ...we seem to double the discoveries and technology that goes with them.

Unfortunetly.....we humans don't seem to evolve as quickley as the science and discoveries occur. Until we learn to speed up our genetic clocks, and evolve to enable us to retain all we have learned, then we are at a dis-advantage. But, when we can, I predict, that, within a millenia....we will contact other life or have visited another world/worlds that have life or lifeforms on it.


So you see young Padawan .....you need to spend some time on the internet and learn that...that you are lacking knowledge of.

It all comes down to human nature.

 

[networkman]

Hopefully, clicking HERE will give you sufficient information for now to answer your question. Since I happen to be at work right now(behind a firewall), I don't happen to have access to all my Radio-Astronomy links on my home computer. But that link should provide what you're looking for.

Admittedly, there are a good number of assumptions being made about the type of signal we would expect to pick up from an alien civilization, perhaps the greatest being that [they] would be transmitting(intentionally) at the hydrogen line - a relatively quiet area in the radio spectrum. For more info on this, I suggest looking HERE - this site also has a good deal of info that is easy to read and understand.

 

[petrusbroder]

Thanks NWM for these very interesting links and reads! That is quite elucidating ... and - in spite of all the caveats - encouraging - hm, as long as some of the more noisy navigational satelites are below the horizon ...

 

[scottish144]

K, whatev. So mabey SETI can detect the signals. I still think other projects such as R@H and LHC are a bit more realistic and productive. I fail to find any practical application for SETI. R@H may help to find cures to cancer, LHC may help us study micro black holes. If SETI discovers aliens, so what? Yes, philosophy will be affected and millinos of people will be struck by the realization that aliens exist, but overall humanity will not change, and if and when SETI discovers Aliens, the world will be thrown into chaos while R@H and other projects will be slowed in their progress due to SETI's monopoly on BOINC power. Granted, there are definately effects that SETI could have far different than what I believe, and it is an intriguing project. All science benefits humanity to a degree. I simply think that that degree is greater in the other BOINC projects.

 

[networkman]

And you are very much entitled to your opinions as each of us is.

However, if your qualification for usefulness of a project is based solely on its end result, then I would submit that very few projects are worth more than any other. SETI hasn't found aliens, true enough, but ROSETTA hasn't found a cure for cancer either.

As with all research, it takes time to develop ideas, products and services. Let each of us decide for ourselves what we want to crunch and leave it at that.

* edited for spelling

 

[Wolfsraider]

Originally posted by: networkman
And you are very much entitled to your opinions as each of us is.

However, if your qualification for usefulness of a project is based solely on its end result, then I would submit that very few projects are worth more than any other. SETI hasn't found aliens, true enough, but ROSETTA hasn't found a cure for cancer either.

As with all research, it takes time to develop ideas, products and services. Let each of us decide for ourselves what we want to crunch and leave it at that.

* edited for spelling

Well said. Too often we expect results from one project over another and yet most projects will most likely take years to provide any true results. DC has never been an instant gratification of results rather it is the search for the impossible and the chasing of the elusive needle in the haystack, that one day we may find the answers we so desperately sought. I am not saying that we are wasting our time, we are laying the ground work that will provide the best answers to or results from repeated research.

If we knew it would take 25 years to find the cure for cancer, would we give up after 5 or even 10 years?

We know not what hour the answer comes, and so we try to justify the most worthy projects. But If we cannot know what projects will return the needed answers, how then can we put one over another. We can decide that cancer is more important to us, but we all have that choice, and should one persons desire to crunch a different project bring him/her riddicule or contempt?

I am sure someone dealing with aids will find it more important to crunch for than many other projects. If you want to crunch for seti, rosetta, lhc etc... then do it its your right to choose and no one should have to defend that right.

Its supposed to be fun, lets keep it that way.

Mike

 

[scottish144]

Originally posted by: Wolfsraider

Originally posted by: networkman
And you are very much entitled to your opinions as each of us is.

However, if your qualification for usefulness of a project is based solely on its end result, then I would submit that very few projects are worth more than any other. SETI hasn't found aliens, true enough, but ROSETTA hasn't found a cure for cancer either.

As with all research, it takes time to develop ideas, products and services. Let each of us decide for ourselves what we want to crunch and leave it at that.

* edited for spelling

Well said. Too often we expect results from one project over another and yet most projects will most likely take years to provide any true results. DC has never been an instant gratification of results rather it is the search for the impossible and the chasing of the elusive needle in the haystack, that one day we may find the answers we so desperately sought. I am not saying that we are wasting our time, we are laying the ground work that will provide the best answers to or results from repeated research.

If we knew it would take 25 years to find the cure for cancer, would we give up after 5 or even 10 years?

We know not what hour the answer comes, and so we try to justify the most worthy projects. But If we cannot know what projects will return the needed answers, how then can we put one over another. We can decide that cancer is more important to us, but we all have that choice, and should one persons desire to crunch a different project bring him/her riddicule or contempt?

I am sure someone dealing with aids will find it more important to crunch for than many other projects. If you want to crunch for seti, rosetta, lhc etc... then do it its your right to choose and no one should have to defend that right.

Its supposed to be fun, lets keep it that way.

Mike

Sorry if I offended anybody. I was simply suprised to see that SETI had an almost 60% majority in the power distribution of BOINC. I have nothing against SETI itself, or anyone who crunches for SETI. As for what I believe, see my last post.

 

[networkman]

It's all good, friend. Happy crunching!

 

[Wolfsraider]

scottish144

I wasn't offended

I hope you weren't either

Take care

Mike

 

[Assimilator1]

Originally posted by: Wolfsraider
scottish144

I wasn't offended

I hope you weren't either

Take care

Mike

Ditto ,no problems here ,just thought there were a few things you didn't understand about SETI.

other projects will be slowed in their progress due to SETI's monopoly on BOINC power
Actually its the otherway round ,SETI started in May 1999, it was the 2nd DC project out (1st was RC5) but it was the first hugely succesful DC project (hence the 60% in BOINC), because of the success SETI had (& still has) other researchers realised there was a lot of computing power out there that could be tapped into.
In the last 2-4yrs there's been a mushrooming of new DC projects ,so indirectly R@H owes its existance as a result of S@H being so succesful ,not to mention BOINC was at least partly made by the folks at Berkley who run S@H.

Also my guess is that at least some power is slowly bleeding away from SETI to other more recent projects ,look what happened to our own team when S@H1 ended.Loads of us diversified & the S@H2 stats show a large drop off in power compared to S@H1 days.

It would be interesting to see the BOINC loading in 3 & 6mths time

but overall humanity will not change
You countered that in the very same post

Oh btw ,thanks for a constructive & polite discussion on SETI etc
(how it should be done!)

 

[Soggysocks]

Originally posted by: Assimilator1

Originally posted by: Wolfsraider
scottish144

I wasn't offended

I hope you weren't either

Take care

Mike

Ditto ,no problems here ,just thought there were a few things you didn't understand about SETI.

other projects will be slowed in their progress due to SETI's monopoly on BOINC power
Actually its the otherway round ,SETI started in May 1999, it was the 2nd DC project out (1st was RC5) but it was the first hugely succesful DC project (hence the 60% in BOINC), because of the success SETI had (& still has) other researchers realised there was a lot of computing power out there that could be tapped into.
In the last 2-4yrs there's been a mushrooming of new DC projects ,so indirectly R@H owes its existance as a result of S@H being so succesful ,not to mention BOINC was at least partly made by the folks at Berkley who run S@H.

Also my guess is that at least some power is slowly bleeding away from SETI to other more recent projects ,look what happened to our own team when S@H1 ended.Loads of us diversified & the S@H2 stats show a large drop off in power compared to S@H1 days.

It would be interesting to see the BOINC loading in 3 & 6mths time

but overall humanity will not change
You countered that in the very same post

Oh btw ,thanks for a constructive & polite discussion on SETI etc
(how it should be done!)

I am in total accord with Assimilator1 on this. :beer: and have another :beer:


Scottish144,

This is the best post that I have participated in....in a long time. It has been very stimlulating and thought provoking. You asked the right questions and made the right replies to keep this conversation going for quite a while. :beer: You truely are an asset to "The TeAm" no matter what project you chose to participate in.
I admire your conviction to the science and dediction of your resources and to what you feel is important. And the one thing is......If you don't ask the question.....you won't get an answer.