ArsGeek

I just got an email from Arthur C. Clarke, famous author and scientist.  Of course, this email went out to everyone who’s registered to run seti@home so I’m really not all that special.

SETI is implementing a new method of data collection and is looking to update their equipment.  For this they need both users and dollars.  If you’re interested, you can read the email in it’s entirety after the jump.

Speaking as one geek to another (thousand) I would urge you to use your free CPU cycles for some sort of project.  Whether it’s the World Community Grid, Folding@home, SETI@home or some other initiative.  If you’re leaving your computer on at work or at home, please dedicate those empty hours to fighting disease, working on physics problems or looking for other civilizations.

SETI@home needs your help. The SETI@home team has accomplished much in the past 6 months. We have successfully depolyed the “enhanced” version of SETI@home. The new seven beam data recorder has been installed at Arecibo and is recording the data that will be analyzed in the next phase of SETI@home. Server components required for the analysis of this data are being beta tested. Changes to the SETI@home application to improve the analysis of this data will be released soon. With this new data recorder, we have the ability to look at seven places in the sky simultaneously while recording fourteen times as much data as before. This means we will need more volunteers like you to help us process this data. So please, tell a friend about SETI@home.

But there is still far more to be done. Although we are pleased with the success of our spring funding drive, and grateful for the generosity of our donors, we could not afford to do everything we had hoped. In spite of the progress we have made, we would like to be able to sift through the results returned by your computers in order to identify candidates more rapidly so we can re-observe them. This rapid response validation system would also give you the ability to see the results your computers have/has returned in more detail.

To keep SETI@home operating for the next year, and to provide these new capabilities, will require approximately $540,000. Currently SETI@home is entirely funded by donations from people like you.

We hope that you will consider making a donation to SETI@home at this time. You can make a secure donation by credit card by clicking this link. Instructions for donation by check or money order are there as well. Unless you specify otherwise, your donation will be noted by a star icon next to your username on the SETI@home pages and your username will appear on our list of donors. If you do not wish to have this recognition you may indicate that as well. Please be assured that regardless of whether or not you choose to have your donation be anonymous, SETI@home will not share your address with other organizations.

You can check on our fundraising progress by visiting our main site at http://setiathome.berkeley.edu.

Popularity: 1% [?]