SETI@school

[Roisen]

So I figure that in the library alone, there are 36 Pentium Ds just sitting there at 1000 RAC each (I believe). Not to mention then AutoCADD and CAM rooms with a total of 32 [email protected] at 600 a pop, The VisualBasic and Journalism rooms with about 30 [email protected] at 300 each, and the various data servers, but I don't know what are in those.

so 36,000+19,200+9000= ~64000.

Any Ideas how I can convince them to fight the good fight and let me install SETI on them?

 

[eaglescouter]

Perhaps an approach would be that it is a University project from UC Berkley?

 

[Roisen]

That would be a good approach.

I would also have to prove that they wouldn't lose anything in the deal, and keep the conservatives off my back...

How many conservatives (read: Christians) are running SETI? Sorry to hijack my own thread, but I'm actually kind of curious now.

 

[CyberMancer]

and keep the conservatives off my back...

How many conservatives (read: Christians) are running SETI? Sorry to hijack my own thread, but I'm actually kind of curious now.

Now what does your religious and political views have to do with your participation in SETI? I am both conservative and Christian and have been involved from the beginning. I don't see any personal conflicts.

 

[Sephis]

I am also Christian and very conservative. I see no conflicts with running SETI. Even if we find aliens, it doesn't prove that there is or isn't a God. :end off topic:

Back on topic, Ive tried to get various departments at my university to assist the seti project, but very few are interested. Maybe they don't want to be identified at the quack professors who look for aliens. Hopefully you will have better luck.

 

[JamesXP]

We don't just look for green men, other planets too.

 

[freakdiablo]

Tell them its for scientific research for locating and observing radio emitting entities. Like JamesXP said, "radio emitting entities" could be things besides aliens.

 

[Roisen]

Now what does your religious and political views have to do with your participation in SETI? I am both conservative and Christian and have been involved from the beginning. I don't see any personal conflicts.

Sorry for the late reply...

My limited knowledge of religions in general led me to believe that there would be personal conflicts. I guess that the limited knowledge I have is slightly less limited now.

Radio emitting entities is a good way to put it. I guess things such as pulsars and black holes get overlooked when you're also looking for aliens. But in my defense, it's pretty easy to overlook black holes

 

[QuietIce]

"Radio emitting objects" is even better - completely divorced from "life forms" that way ...

 

[Stryfe]

Sorry for the late reply...

My limited knowledge of religions in general led me to believe that there would be personal conflicts. I guess that the limited knowledge I have is slightly less limited now.

Radio emitting entities is a good way to put it. I guess things such as pulsars and black holes get overlooked when you're also looking for aliens. But in my defense, it's pretty easy to overlook black holes

Perhaps you're thinking of Fundamentalist Christians, not Christians in general. The Fundamentalists take the Bible to be absolute literal truth. You'll find Christians in general have a wide range of ideas about the universe, it's beginning, our role in it, and the possibility of life on other planets.

About approaching your school, definitely push the fact that SETI isn't just about finding aliens, it's about gaining a better understanding of the universe we live in. Also be sure to point out that participants are helping UC Berkley(not some corporate entity) in a project which would be impossible to fund without volunteered computing power to sift through the huge amount of data they collect. Another thought would be to offer to setup a SETI account in the school's name so that people are aware of their contribution to the project.

Goodluck