The SETI@Home project, that has seen over five million computer users donate run time to the search for extra terrestrial life, is facing closure because of a lack of cash.
The project needs to raise £750,000 by the end of the year and writer and futurologist Sir Arthur C Clarke has sent out a letter urging computer users to send in donations. The project is updating its hardware and software and is running dangerously low on funds.
"Following the "dot com" bust, the commercial support that kept SETI@home running has largely disappeared," he writes.
"Because of this loss of support, we can no longer count on matching funds from the University of California. We are rapidly approaching the end of what funds we do have."
The team have set up a special site where donors can contribute to the project.
The SETI@Home prioject was launched in 1999 and was the first large scale software that used the spare capacity of ordinary PCs to process data that would usually be done by supercomputers.
The data comes from the Arecibo Observatory and so far over 2.4 million years of processing time have been used to search for extraterrestrial intelligence.
Do you agree?
Bad news
I hope they find the funds to continue. Searching for signs of other lifeforms apart from us is not a "waste of time and money".
To Mr. Piper: obviously you cannot grasp the magnitude of projects like that, or how big the space is. Its unreasonable to demand fast results. If you dont want to donate, dont donate, and stop complaining.
Posted by Jet-Ace Logan, 18 Apr 2006
re. Glen Piper comments
2.4 million years worth of data processing may seem like a lot, but when you are dealing with infinite space and all, perhaps we should just keep our hand up just a tad longer- like until someone/something pulls up with an interstellar ute full of dylithium crystals?
Posted by Nick, 17 Apr 2006
Good, about time
2.4 million years of processing time and guess what - NOTHING, zilch, not a single thing.
If it was out there to find don't you think a least something would have shown up by now.
All that time, effort and money could and should be spent on something worthwhile rather than being wasted on a fruitless endevour
Posted by Glenn Piper, 12 Apr 2006
Seti Shortfall
I find it very sad that some big business' can't see fit to donate to SETI, in the UK, British Telecom had the SETI client running on their technology stand in the Millenium Dome in 2000 so they have previously shown some interest in it.
Posted by Nigel Greensitt, 13 Apr 2006