SETI is one of those things that's just completely harmless at worst, and groundbreaking at best.

The program is one good example of distributed computing. Each user that runs the program is given a certain amount of data to decode by the central server. When done, the program uploads the decoded data and downloads the next set of data. Thus, the central server acts as a type of nervous system while all the remote computers do the number-crunching.
The brilliance of the system is the sheer computing power that can be assimilated through numbers.

In practice: You can only use your computer so much during a day. Routinely you will be on break or doing other work and your screen saver pops up. At this point, you have an excess of processor time; your computer is essentially lying idle. SETI works by crunching data in the background while displaying a neat screensaver. The program only runs when you aren't using your computer and it instantly stops when you start using it again. Thus, with no hindrance or annoyance to yourself, you are able to participate in the program.

There are other perks as well. Not only is the colorful screen saver fun to watch, but there are a number of stats that you can track. On the SETI homepage (http://setiathome.ssl.berkeley.edu/), one can look up the total hours spent, the number of data sets decoded, and so on. Additionally, you can join a certain "team," like a university or company, and help them bring up the team totals.

All in all, SETI is an easy and carefree way to help out researchers. Not only that, but you'll quickly find yourself hooked to checking your status and hoping/wishing that you'll help find something important.



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