I just watched a 2-hour documentary about the Voyager 1/2 space mission. Absolutely fascinating. What they were able to do with less computing power than a car's keyless fob (said the scientist, though I find that impossible to believe - 1972 technology).
Anyway, they managed to steer around Neptune by getting so close to it's surface that gravitational force changed Voyager's course to enable a flyby of Triton. They missed their target by 2 miles - from 3 billion miles away. The whole thing is mind-boggling to me.
My ex-colleague runs SETI @ Home on his office computer, which runs 24-hours a day. He's a Star Trek/Star Wars fan. Personally, I would not be able to allow any program to have 24-hour access to my computer, because I've been binge-watching Alias for the past two weeks and don't trust ANYBODY!!!!
