Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Pastimes : Don't Ask Rambi -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Rambi who wrote (47058)	2/19/2000 11:04:00 AM
From: jpmac	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 71178

G'mornin', Rambi. How was the party here and the concert at home? I missed the party due to a prior engagement. I seem to be quite busy of late. Not sure how that happened, but it's good. A guy comes to install a new window today, hopefully one that opens and doesn't leak cold air. I'm going to look closely to see if he is a movie-star double. Though I'm way out of the loop on that stuff. Then Monday, someone is supposed to fix the kitchen sink. I finally had to bail water with my one pot last night. A two-quart one. Took awhile, it's a big sink. But water was running over and all down the hardwood floor. Next party, I'm wearing my gambler's outfit. All black, of course, but with some cool sequiny type things on the vest. Think Maverick, and that's the outfit. They had some stylish dressin' in that show.

To: Rambi who wrote (47058)	2/19/2000 11:23:00 AM
From: Gauguin	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 71178

The SETI program is a screen saver that scans through data from space while your computer isn't doing anything. Or while, more exactly, it's sitting there thinking "I have 300 megahertz and my owner is a deeno-idiot." "Guy's a typist." A MILLION personull computers around the world are crunching data, in real time, that is assigned by headquarters; and you get a cool blue and red graphic of the data spikes. It makes techno geeks very happy and proud, scouring the near universe for techno geeks in space, the mirror, and I suspect also gives them a moment, or two, when they imagine their computer discovering the Mooo, or the CeeDubeons. Singular, this moment would be. Way, way, way way way past orgasmic. You know? Imagine the effect. These people are, ultimately, gigantasauric perverts. It tickles; and I think it's secretly why this program is such a huge success. "What if my computer discovers 'em? Man-o man-o! Wooo!" Talk about a spike. It could ahppen. Whamm-O. Virtual divination. A hummingbird's beak in lysergic acid. It's fun to watch, the little program; like the universe searching for itself; trying to discover its identity, the prime prime Descartes. New generation machines, mechanical quasi-human minds, searching for each other. Feeling around in the dark. Voyeurs with human voyeurs. "I like to watch." "Well thank goodness for that." Of course, I still have Kathy Ireland as my screen saver. I'm into science, sure; but girls are more immediate. I can't remember for sure, but I think my Techie said the blue and purple screen graphic you see, which is cool, is unrelated to the actual data being processed ~ essentially a mirage. Pretty smart, I think. I mean, except for that it represents a model of typical data, you might as well be watching birds hatch. Which sounds fun.

To: Rambi who wrote (47058)	2/19/2000 11:48:00 AM
From: Ish	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 71178

<<WHen I opened it, it's downloading a HUGE program-- 18 hours worth-- called "The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence at Home" -- it's loading from a Berkeley.edu site so God knows what he's putting on here.>> I've seen that advertised. Gaugs has a good explaination. They receive more info than they have computers to handle it so if your computer is the lucky one to find the species that will destroy the Earth, you get partial credit. I wonder if that 10 billion ton plasma dealy will bother the web. We handled Y2K so what's 10 billion tons of energy?

To: Rambi who wrote (47058)	2/19/2000 8:05:00 PM
From: nihil	Respond to of 71178

The Search is a great world wide experiment. Berkeley sends your home computer data (you keep in on all the time) and that huge program (running in the background) analyzes the data (along the PC's of millions of other folks some day) searching for evidence of extraterrestrial signaling. If your computer on its tiny part of the program happens to discover evidence of ETI, you win the Nobel Prize for physics. Otherwise, nothing. Sounds like a square deal to me. I don't know about the possibilities of writing off the electricity and computer maintenance and depreciation against your taxes, Probably only works if you actually win the Nobel Prize. You can write your expenses off against your prize money (yes, it's taxable.)