What is SETI@home?
Well, their website has this to say:
"SETI@home
is a scientific experiment that uses Internet-connected computers in the Search
for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI).
You can participate by running a free program that downloads and analyzes radio
telescope data."
You put a program on your computer that receives data from SETI@Home. When you are not using your computer, your computer analyzes the data and sends the results back to SETI@Home. Basically, they are looking for radio signals from space which would indicate the presence of intelligent life. It's a SETI project, SETI, the Search of Extraterrestrial Intelligence. They are looking for aliens! Or, maybe, an alien radio station. KXET maybe? Anyway, SETI projects are always all volunteers who get little real financial help because no one sees an profit in looking for aliens, so it is nice to help them out. Also, it is not like nothing ever came out of this project. Other scientists use the data they collect to figure other cosmic stuff out. Something about hydrogen dispersal I think. Anyway, there is that and, well they did develop this software that allows people to have many smaller computers do the work of larger computers faster and less expensively than would otherwise be possible, so they are contributing to other scientific research. Anyway, the people at SETI@Home can tell you more about themselves than I really care to. You can find them at http://setiweb.ssl.berkeley.edu/