Search For Little Green Men!

[Trough Lolly]

G'day all,
Once upon a time, I used to use brewing as an excuse to further science!! Well, I've gone well past that now (as well as looking trim, and not having hair in my ears)!

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that there's a website in the US run by the Berkley Uni and they run software called BOINC (Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing). You might have heard about programs that use spare cycles on your PC to do research stuff - like a screen saver that also crunches numbers, including searching the radiowaves for signals from little green men (or the Borg if you're a Star Trek geek!) - the SETI (Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence). Click here for the website, including the free downloadable BOINC software client...

Now, I've been running the SETI stuff on my PC at home for years and now that they've moved to the new BOINC client, I've downloaded the software and set up a team called the Aussie Homebrewers - all the work done earns points in a kind of global competition, so if you're interested in letting your idle PC search for ET's and get global recognition if you are the one who finds a signal, join the Aussie Homebrewers team and do something good with your PC, er, in addition to making promash recipes!

In addition to searching for ET's you can join other research programs such as improving the design of the CERN particle accelerator, helping research on cures for human disease (Rosetta) and helping out with AIDS research (World Community Grid). They don't chew up enormous gigs of disk space and you'll be doing something that doesn't ask you for money or cold call you during the cricket!

To join the Aussie Homebrewers SETI team, after downloading BOINC and joining the SETI project - click on this link.... Let's show the yanks that we don't live in the stone age!

//geek mode off!// h34r:

Cheers,
TL
:chug:

P.S. I use Nortons firewall and virus scanner and their software download is clean...

 

[NRB]

I've been doing it for years too - I run SETI and Rosetta, but am not a member of any team. I'll look into sliding across.

 

[Trough Lolly]

I've been doing it for years too - I run SETI and Rosetta, but am not a member of any team. I'll look into sliding across.

[post="105334"][/post]​

Good on ya NRB! Thanks for that. Bill Velek, a US brewer and part time Judge is a team leader for the World Community Grid setup - I joined his team and they're in the top 20 of all time points scorers. I think they're imaginatively called the "HomeBrewers" team: here's their link...

Cheers,
TL

 

[WillM]

I'm really surprised that thre are less than 30 people in his team of homebrewers. It seems like a great idea to me.

 

[Kramer]

OK I am in your team now TL, and also in the other one for World domination or whatever it was called!

 

[NRB]

Joined up myself. Under the old name Dr WRX.

 

[Trough Lolly]

Way to go fellas! :super:
I've also setup an Aussie Homebrewers team under the Einstein project.

Here's the URL to join that team, if you are linked to that project with your BOINC interface: http://einstein.phys.uwm.edu/create_accoun...php?teamid=5248

If we find some little green men, we need to think of a race name - how about the Alelager species?! h34r: :lol:

Cheers,
TL

 

[Simon W]

I've been thinking about doing this to help SETI since reading about it in one of the astronomy mags donkeys years ago. Never got around to it tho.
Dunno if I'd be much use now, haven't bothered to upgrade my PC for a loooong time, still got an old 233mhz P2, a pocket computer would be more value than me!

Edit: speling

 

[Trough Lolly]

G'day Simon W - it doesn't matter how old the PC is, as long as you can install the BOINC client and have a few megs of room to hold the data files.

You're most welcome if you want to have a go...

Cheers,
TL

 

[Kramer]

Comon guys I am streaking ahead real quick with my stats-

Seti:
SETI@home member since 29 Jan 2006
Country Australia
Total credit 1,041.89
Recent average credit 53.31
Team Aussie Homebrewers United

Einstien:
Einstein@Home member since 30 Jan 2006
Country Australia
Total credit 760.19
Recent average credit 42.36
Team Aussie Homebrewers

I will be beating NRB in seti by next week!

 

[NRB]

I've been overseas for a few weeks and the PC's been off. Returned 2 days ago and have been crunching whenever the PC's been on

 

[PistolPatch]

Hey there Trough!

Just downloaded the program and put in the URL

http://setiathome.berkeley.edu.

Tried both the password I chose and the one sent via email but it, 'failed to attach to the project' on both counts!???

Also was thinking that maybe you could start a new thread with a different title and full instructions (though I've probably just stuffed up), as I can't see too many people on AHB searching for, 'Little Green Men!' :lol:

Maybe, 'AHB Competition - Computer Challenge (Help Science as Well)' or something similiarly a tiny bit misleading!

Anyway, I'll have another bash tomorrow unless I see a link placed here to a newly titled thread!

Thanks Trough!
PP

 

[billvelek]

As one grid cruncher and team captain to another, Trough Lolly, I want to wish you the best of luck with your Aussie HomeBrewers team. I won't be able to join you because I'm committed to the medical research that our international HomeBrewers team is doing. Different strokes for different folks, but as long as people are using their spare power for some sort of research, it's better than going to waste. I won't mention the organization I'm crunching for, because I don't want to take a chance on stealing any of your folks, or even to appear to be trying to recruit them. But our team has done exceptionally well, now ranked in the top 4% of our organization in just over four months -- ahead of over 9,700 teams -- so I thought I'd share with you some recruitment ideas, ... if you are interested. If you -- and only you -- will send me an email at billvelek-at-alltel.net, I will be happy to direct you to my website that might provide you with some good ideas. Also, the site contains links to some websites where teams from completely different organizations can compete; in other words, my HomeBrewers team, doing medical research, can compete against your Aussie HomeBrewers team, doing SETI. Maybe we can get some friendly competition going between our teams. Again, good luck to you and your entire team.

Cheers.

Bill Velek

 

[Trough Lolly]

G'day Bill,
Thanks for the kind words and info - not joining the team is totally understandable since you're very busy using valuable cycles off the PC for other equally worthy endeavours. I don't think our team is about to gain world domination, but I try to get in touch soon re recruitment to the dark side...!

Cheers,
Rowan

 

[NRB]

Considering our team is only 3 strong and my PC is only on for a few hours of an evening, I agree we won't be heading into any record books!

 

[timmy]

I just threw myself onto the team too. Been using it a while now.

 

[redbeard]

i do the folding thing. i think cancer research has a better chance than finding green men ... unless its a vogon spaceship.

 

[Trough Lolly]

Welcome aboard Timmy - every bit helps!

Yeah, with all the US college mainframes kicking into this effort I doubt we'll be overnight celebs, but if we do happen to stumble across a signal, we need to name it after a beer style or something!!

Cheers,
TL

 

[razzmeister]

Hi TL,
Sounds interesting...just wondering if you know how much internet bandwidth it uses?
I don't want my net speed capped!!
Cheers

 

[Trough Lolly]

Apologies for the late reply!
It uses bugger all of the bandwidth since it downloads the files for computation on your PC - so most of the time it doesn't need the network connection to do it's job. Also, you can configure your comms settings on boinc to only operate when you want it to...

Cheers,
TL