Would You Consider Using Your Computer For A Good Cause?

As a number of my followers and fans know, I'm a huge supporter of space exploration and years ago I was introduced to the SETI program and there was an opportunity to allow them to use your personal computer during its downtime to crunch data looking for radio signals from distant stars. I was a member for about a year, but my Internet speed at that time was dismal (in fact my home account still crawls) and with computer problems, I reluctantly left the program after a year of data crunching.

Some weeks ago, having a faster computer and Internet connection at my place of work, I looked up the old SETI program to see what new news they had.

I was delighted to read they are part of a much larger organization: The Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing (BOINC), that supports volunteer and grid computing not only for the original SETI@home project, but now as a platform for other areas as diverse as mathematics, linguistics, medicine, molecular biology, climatology, environmental science, and astrophysics.

On May 16th, I joined MilkyWay@Home that uses volunteer computers to create a 3D map of the Carina–Sagittarius Arm of the galaxy we call home. Since then, as of this morning, in my computer's downtime, it has contributed 26.69 quadrillion floating-point operations to the MilkyWay@Home project. 

Not bad work for a mouth-breathing, knuckle-dragging, Bible thumper who writes dark fantasy romances with a body count.

I also joined a team of 60 people that are working together for the project and as of this morning, I had jumped up to #33 for most processing done.

It's a lot of fun and no, I do not get paid. The only satisfaction is knowing I am helping build a 3D model of the galaxy which piques my interest.

If you would like to do something similar, the process is very simple:

1. Go to the BOINC website.
2. Choose a project from the list of  39 projects.
3. Download the software.
4. Register for an account.
5. Run the software and watch it crunch data that adds invaluable information to various worlds of science. Who knows? It might be your computer that crunches the final data that finds our interstellar neighbors, comes up with a cure for malaria, makes breakthrough in climate study, or finds the asteroid that causes the next great extinction event!

Making Our Dream Of Reaching The Stars A Reality

We sit in the mud... and reach for the stars. ~ Ivan Turgenev

I have always been pro-space. Since a young child, I have dreamed of spaceships traveling the planets between the L5 colonies and the settlements on Mars and the Moon, researching the best methods by which we could reach the stars themselves.

The IXS Enterprise as envisioned by Mark Rademaker

In collaboration with NASA, in 2014, artist Mark Rademaker revealed conceptual artwork of the IXS Enterprise, a subliminal spaceship first conceived by NASA scientist Dr. Harold G. White. The IXS Enterprise would be theoretically capable of achieving warp travel that would make travel to the stars feasible. Currently, Dr. White is currently running the White–Juday warp-field interferometer experiment in the hopes of creating a Alcubierre warp bubble. He is also researching what is known as an Em Drive that shows even greater potential.

The IXS Clarke as envisioned by Mark Rademaker

I do not know whatever happened to our vision of space exploration. Don't get me wrong. I dearly love Forbidden Planet (which by a delightful coincidence today celebrates its 60th anniversary), Star Trek, Star Wars, and the wonderful Firefly TV series, but let's be honest. After we walked on the moon and retired the shuttles, our dream of space appears to me to be just that: a dream.

And now, I wonder what our future does hold. Watching what passes for news nowadays, I fear humanity's ability to dream of a future bigger than bread and circuses has become too limited. I just sincerely hope it is just not too late. With visionaries like Sir Richard Branson (Virgin Galactic), Eric C. Anderson (Space Adventures, Ltd.) and Elon Musk (SpaceX), there may still be hope for us all providing we don't all get so fascinated by the mud on which we stand that we forget to ever look up.

What I want for Christmas