OR...
Some research may find that X combined with Y with a little bit of Z tossed in will make a combination that will increase the ( fill in the blanks) and make solar power in this case a much more viable product.
It is all in how you look at things my friend.
Is the glass 1/2 empty or 1/2 full?
If my memory is correct when Thomas Edison was asked about his reseach to make the light bulb he replied something like:
'I found 2000 ways not to make a light bulb and one that did."
Research is just as the word implies; searching over and over looking for the correct answer to a problem.
It may take years but thats what the price will be.
A suggestion for you:
When you get those times when you feel that the work is useless look at a child, any child, and say to yourself that what we do today will hopefully make his/her life a better one.
We may not be here to see it but does that really matter?
I have an expression that I use when people ask me why we should do this with all the costs involved and not seeing any immediate gains.
I tell them this:
'If not us who? If not now when?"
My best to you and Happy Holidays to you and yours.

All results are in the public domain and are free for researchers to use. So there are no "royalties" to speak of. The data that is used is to develop more efficient organic solar power, that is of more benefit than the vastly remote possibility that we will discover a signal that could possibly be of extraterrestrial origin.

SETI is an awesome idea and I would be ecstatic if it could prove alien intelligence, but to compare how "useful" SETI@home is to humanity to this project, when we are approaching a serious energy crisis is frankly silly.

To be honest, what other credit do you think you deserve other than a mention for your donated computer cycles? What other effort are you expending other than downloading a client and tinkering once in a while or changing projects you are involved in? Did you program the WUs? Did you interpret the data and make it usable? No, you DONATED computer time so that research could be done far more quickly than using university clusters of computers. To say you deserve 49% of a company/money because of simulations that you volunteered to run is just crazy.


This research could help 100% of this World if it pays off, not the .00001% that you named. Organic solar power would revolutionize the way we generate electricity, and would be a huge step in the right direction for a greener society.

You are entitled to your opinion ajpr but I think you are wrong, and I'm sorry you feel this way

[duplicate...

Guys, it's best just to ignore the people who leave for selfish reasons. We can't convince everybody.

But i would like to take this opportunity to thank all you crunchers who donate with no thought of reward except the hope of a better future. We are already making a difference. I can't wait to see what further results we will produce.

How much have you earned by SETI? As far as i know, NOTHING useful was produced there, no real signal.
You asked about 49% of the royalties. How about SETI, if you find a signal, will they give you a spaceship or a planet, probably the royalties for the new Aliens that we find, what do you think?