LWD - Featured Cruncher - Friday, March 5, 2004

Ok I keep feeling bad because it gets really hard to post these the night before and I always apologize about it, but I'm done apologizing! I'm just going to say from here out, it's gonna have to be early the morning of! Unless things change for some reason! Anyways, enough of what I have to say, give it up for... SZ415! Woo hoo!

Nattiebo: So, SZ415… Give us some details about yourself… - Age, Sex, Student/Career?

SZ415: I am a 33 year old male who works as a police officer in a small town in Virginia. I have been married for 8 years and have one daughter who is 4 years old and a son who is 1 ½ years old.

Nattiebo: What is your area of focus in your job?

SZ415:I am a patrol officer. But in a small town you do a little of everything. Writing traffic tickets and investigating complaints mostly.

Nattiebo: [bad joke] What’s a pig like you doing hanging out with a big group of dogs? [/bad joke] Maybe your new name will be Babe… j/k… ok sorry… that was horrible humor… Any response?

SZ415:I think I’ll keep my name as it is. But instead of Babe I think I would like to be Arnold from “Green Acres.”

Nattiebo: So do you have a favorite joke?

SZ415:Now that you have put me on the spot, I can’t think of any.

Nattiebo: Ok, I’ll let that slide because it happens to all of us, but have you ever had any really bizarre calls you attended to through your job?

SZ415: On two separate occasions I have been called for a bat in a house, and a snake in a house. The bat ended up flying out of a bedroom window, and I never did find that snake. Also, I had to help get a possum out of someone’s bathroom. Sometimes I feel more like an animal control officer than a police officer.

Nattiebo: Do you have any hobbies or interests other than computers?

SZ415: I like to run and swim.

Nattiebo: Do you like to race in these or just do them for the enjoyment of them?

SK415: I used to swim on a team as a kid, but now swimming is just to help me stay less fat. I have did run a few races in 2003, and when the weather gets warmer I will try some more this year.

Nattiebo: It’s great to have an exercise like that. Does your work provide swimming facilities?

SK415: No, I just go to the local pool during the summer months.

Nattiebo: How did you get the name SZ415?

SZ415: The “SZ” is my first and last initials, and the “415” is my unit number at work. I thought it would be something easy to remember.

Nattiebo: When did you start running SETI?

SZ415: I think it was My 2001 I started running SETI full time on my home computer.

Nattiebo: Where did you hear about SETI?

SZ415: I was attending a weeklong “Computer Crimes” seminar at George Mason University, when one of the speakers mentioned it. When I got home I downloaded it. My first two work units took 22 and 23 hours a piece to complete. I thought, this is stupid and deleted it. Two years later I bought a new and faster computer, so I tried SETI again. Now I was doing a work unit about every 10 hours with the screensaver. I have been crunching ever since.

Nattiebo: Did the seminar have that same affect on any of the other attenders?

SZ415:I’m not sure. I was the only person from my area, and did not know anyone else there.

Nattiebo: In what context was SETI brought up when discussing things such as Computer Crimes?

SZ415: A representative of a company was talking about using the power of all those pc’s out there in the world while they are not being used. Like using computers at a large business to do work for their company at night or weekends. He mentioned how SETI was using computers to search for aliens. Sounded good to me, so I tried it.

Nattiebo: How did you find LWD?

SZ415: Little White Dog found me. I got an e-mail from “TOMaxwell” telling me about the group. When I checked out the website, I liked what I saw and joined.

Nattiebo: How many machines do you run now?

SZ415: Two machines, 1 at work and 1 at home.

Nattiebo: Are you an overclocking "Freak" on your home boxen?

SZ415: I am probably just one step above a computer novice. I read about overclocking, realized I was not smart enough and gave up the idea.

Nattiebo: Do you use SETI Queue or any other add-ons?

SZ415: For a year or more, I used the screensaver version. I would look in the forums and see people with machines similar to mine crunching work units much faster. A couple people told me about SETI Driver and SETI Spy and how to install them. I have used both ever since. I can do about 7 work units a day on my two machines. Nowhere near the most completed in a day, but I am consistent.

Nattiebo: What do you hope to accomplish by running SETI?

SZ415: The universe is so damn big, there must be something else out there. I don’t know what to expect to find, but I do believe we should look.

Nattiebo: What would your ultimate SETI Crunching machine be?

SZ415: Something fast and powerful.

Nattiebo: In very the near future, possibly as early as later this month, SETI will be ported over to the BOINC Platform, with Astropulse and the Southern Hemisphere Projects coming online shortly thereafter. Can we count on you to switch to one of those when the ßeta test is over? Which?

SZ415: I haven’t kept current on the SETI status or change over. If all I have to do is download a file, crunch it without slowing my computer, and then send it back I will switch over.

Nattiebo: Are there any goals you would like to reach before SETI is discontinued?

SZ415: A verified signal would be nice. Not sure what we should do if we find one though.

Nattiebo: If you got a verified signal that turned out to be a Martian, and the good folks at Berkeley rewarded you with the task of naming it, what name would you give to your Martian?

SZ415:That’s a tough one. I wish I could think of something cool and original to say, but I can’t. My daughter likes to say I’m a Poothead, maybe that could be it ?

Nattiebo: What does your significant other or some of your good friends think about SETI?

SZ415: My wife thinks it is a “hoax” and likes to laugh about it to others. But whenever she sees a work unit is completed she sends it off right away.

Nattiebo: Funny how that happens. Do you think she would miss it if ever (and God forbid you do this) you took it off of the computer?

SZ415: She probably would, even though she would not admit it.

Nattiebo: Have you had any success in recruiting people to LWD?

SZ415: Sorry to say no, I have not tried.

Nattiebo: If you could improve anything about the SETI@Home Project, what would it be?

SZ415: I like it the way it is. But have not read much feedback from others to see what problems they may be having.

Nattiebo: What do you think the best thing is about LWD?

SZ415: Great people !!! When I need a question answered, I know I will find it in the forums.

Nattiebo: Yes, there are so many helpful dogs in there. What was the most painful question you found an answer for in the forums?

SZ415: The questions I asked the most were how to get SETI Driver and SETI Spy to work.

Nattiebo: Well, thanks letting us get to know you a little better. Do you have any final comments (free reign here)?


Telling it like it is...