September 1999, Vol. 16, No. 8 Just so crazy it might work Turning the Internet into one big super computer Perhaps the old adage "many hands make light work," could be changed to "many PCs connected to the Internet, make light work of terabytes." Earlier this year SETI@home (Berkely, Calif.; setiathome.ssl.berkeley.edu), an independent project sponsored by The SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Intsitute (Mountain View, Calif.; www.seti-inst.edu) and other groups, launched an impressive initiative to turn PCs connected to the Internet into a massive computer processor. First, participants download and install a screensaver-like application. When the computer is not in use, the application begins to analyze data units of SETI radio telescope recordings. Once completed, the data is sent back to SETI@home. As of the end of August the project has generated over 60,000 years of CPU time. Now Cerentis (www.cerentis.com; New York, NY), a privately owned technology consulting and training firm, has announced the launch of a similar endeavor, Terra One. Terra One works the same way SETI@home does. Registered users download a small "screensaver" program from the Cerentis' website. Once installed, the screensaver automatically receives data units via the Internet, completes the data processing and sends the data unit back to the server, restarting the cycle. Internet access is only required when the PC needs to swap data units. Average processing time for a data unit is seven to ten days, depending on how much time the PC is in screensaver mode. Cerentis realized that it had to offer an incentive and reward program to registered users; so, in association with large online retailers, including Amazon.com, Dell, The Sharper Image and etoys, each processed data unit will build up credits that can eventually be used to make purchases at these and other online stores. Potential clients for Terra One include governments, scientists and corporations. With its ability to process up to three terabytes of data per week, Cerentis has contacted several organizations, such as the U.S. Department of Energy and NASA, for an expression of interest in Terra One. Although the data is distributed to many personal computers, high levels of encryption make it virtually impossible for any individual to "read" the data contained in a unit. Web Site © Copyright 1999 by Lionheart Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. Lionheart Publishing, Inc. 2555 Cumberland Parkway, Suite 299, Atlanta, GA 30339 USA Phone: 770-431-0867 | Fax: 770-432-6969 E-mail: lpi@lionhrtpub.com Web: www.lionheartpub.com Web Design by Premier Web Designs E-mail: lionwebmaster@preweb.com