Fundraising for SETI with bitcoins

[swinewine]

Hi Guys,

We are attempting to raise funds for SETI using bitcoins (https://setistars.org/) on Youtipit. We have setup up a tipit (http://www.youtipit.org/t/J3399) where you can send your bitcoin donations. Once their fundraising drive ends (in two days) we will convert the bitcoins donated to USD at the MTGox rate and donate the money to them. Once we do this we will provide evidence that the money was given in the form of an e-receipt.

Why are we doing this? Since many organizations are wary of bitcoin we feel that we could act as a intermediary for bitcoin donations by converting the donated coins into legal tender for them. Of course this requires trust from all parties that we will honestly deliver all the donated money to the intended receiver. On the tipit all donations and their values are listed. We will provide evidence that the money has been transferred to the SETI guys. Youtipit has built up a strong user base and I think that our members have grown to trust us as we operate in a transparent manner and are quick to resolve any issues that arise. We have been operating Youtipit for over year now and this is an experiment for us: we are eager to see if this will be successful. If it works we can see us doing this for other causes in the future...
Whats in it for us? We have an interest in seeing bitcoin spread to a wider audience and we feel that causes like this help show the good side of bitcoin. Although we will not make any money from this we hope it will raise our profile and that of bitcoin as a viable means to donate online.

Any questions, comments or criticisms are welcome...

Thanks,

Brian,
Founder@Youtipit 

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[1713502904]

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[bitrebel]

SETI is a COMPLETE waste of money and I wouldn't donate 2 bitcents to your cause.

Go get some Military Grade Night Vision Infrared goggles and go out on a dark night and you'll find all the intelligent life you want to.

Send me bitcoins instead.

[swinewine]

Ok, signup to youtipit but up some of your work and if I like it,I'll give you tip 

The reason we chose to SETI is because both of us like what they do and they seem like the sort of organization that might be interested in bitcoin. Of course you and others might not agree but I'm interested to see if there are people out there who would like to donate via youtipit to causes like this. If it works we can try it with other causes.

[repentance]

It seems a bit odd to use your computer resources to mine bitcoins and then donate them to SETI or folding@home when you could simply donate some computer power to those projects directly.

[julz]

SETI is a COMPLETE waste of money and I wouldn't donate 2 bitcents to your cause.

Go get some Military Grade Night Vision Infrared goggles and go out on a dark night and you'll find all the intelligent life you want to.

Send me bitcoins instead.

It's investment in pure science and ideas that have no immediate commercial return that often eventually produces the discoveries that give you the toys you so like.

How ironic that infrared radiation was discovered by an amateur astronomer and you choose this example when decrying SETI as a waste?!  

You are a prize goose indeed bitrebel.

[bitrebel]

SETI is a COMPLETE waste of money and I wouldn't donate 2 bitcents to your cause.

Go get some Military Grade Night Vision Infrared goggles and go out on a dark night and you'll find all the intelligent life you want to.

Send me bitcoins instead.

It's investment in pure science and ideas that have no immediate commercial return that often eventually produces the discoveries that give you the toys you so like.

How ironic that infrared radiation was discovered by an amateur astronomer and you choose this example when decrying SETI as a waste?!  

You are a prize goose indeed bitrebel.

And somehow you equate SETI with discovering Infrared radiation?

You are the Goose, and a fool no less.
and may I add, someone who talks a bunch of shit out of their mouth and uses their brains for farting.

[swinewine]

Julz I think you are of a more similar mindset to myself than bitrebel but I can appreciate his opinion:  finding aliens is not his thing
We set up youtipit to reward people who do interesting and worthwhile things in all areas online.
SETI is a relatively large project but I like what they do and maybe others in the bitcoin community do also. Also this might raise bitcoins profile and show it in a positive light.

[bitrebel]

Julz I think you are of a more similar mindset to myself than bitrebel but I can appreciate his opinion:  finding aliens is not his thing
We set up youtipit to reward people who do interesting and worthwhile things in all areas online.
SETI is a relatively large project but I like what they do and maybe others in the bitcoin community do also. Also this might raise bitcoins profile and show it in a positive light.

Finding aliens is not my thing?

There are 1000 god damn videos on youtube of alien ships all over the earth and space, live network news shots, over the dome in Israel, over Washington DC, on the 4th of July, videos by children, by grandparents, from, the US, Russia, Turkey, Yugoslavia, germany, france, and every country in the world.....

 and you want to send bitcoins to SETI?

This is the reason bitcoin will never succeed, if it dies. Too many bitbrains, or not enough people with half a bit for a brain, like the OP.

[swinewine]

It seems a bit odd to use your computer resources to mine bitcoins and then donate them to SETI or folding@home when you could simply donate some computer power to those projects directly.

... yep there are many way to contribute to a project. Bitcoin donations are just one of the way you can help. I remember installing the SETI client years ago and it blew my mind to think of the project that I was in some small way contributing to. Interesting to think of the bitcoin mining parallels though.

[bitrebel]

It seems a bit odd to use your computer resources to mine bitcoins and then donate them to SETI or folding@home when you could simply donate some computer power to those projects directly.

... yep there are many way to contribute to a project. Bitcoin donations are just one of the way you can help. I remember installing the SETI client years ago and it blew my mind to think of the project that I was in some small way contributing to. Interesting to think of the bitcoin mining parallels though.

Donate your brain to science to study stupidity and there you go.

[bitrebel]

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ed+grimsley&aq=f

Watch this in awe, and realize the only search for intelligent life need to be done inside your skull, because my girlfriends 10 year old child knows more about ETs than you or SETI.

[memvola]

It seems a bit odd to use your computer resources to mine bitcoins and then donate them to SETI or folding@home when you could simply donate some computer power to those projects directly.

On the other hand, this way, you are helping both projects. 8D

[swinewine]

It seems a bit odd to use your computer resources to mine bitcoins and then donate them to SETI or folding@home when you could simply donate some computer power to those projects directly.

On the other hand, this way, you are helping both projects. 8D

+1 

[PatrickHarnett]

It seems a bit odd to use your computer resources to mine bitcoins and then donate them to SETI or folding@home when you could simply donate some computer power to those projects directly.

There are over 50 BOINC projects and some are better or more "worthwhile" than others.  SETI might be well known, but many in the BOINC community dislike it for various reasons.

However, running computer time for things like SETI (normally CPU) doesn't pay their bills and feed the interns who often do the day-to-day work.  Donating some of the GPU generated coins helps.

[TraderTimm]

I think SETI is worthwhile. Any attempt to detect intelligence in the universe is useful. Lord knows we're not stockpiling any here, lol.

[Yuusha]

Go get some Military Grade Night Vision Infrared goggles and go out on a dark night and you'll find all the intelligent life you want to.

Haha, wow, this is great. Tin foil hats are entertaining.

[RodeoX]

I am more of a skeptic than most. But SETI is a very worthwhile project.  This is real science and not some kind of fringe pseudoscience. They are not looking for spaceships or secret conspiracies. They are looking for a patterned EM signal.  If someone tried looking at Earth with a radio telescope, they would find us.  So why not look?

[bitrebel]

I am more of a skeptic than most. But SETI is a very worthwhile project.  This is real science and not some kind of fringe pseudoscience. They are not looking for spaceships or secret conspiracies. They are looking for a patterned EM signal.  If someone tried looking at Earth with a radio telescope, they would find us.  So why not look?

It's been stated numerous times by many intelligent people that intelligent life would not be using radio waves to communicate. We're almost past that now as humans. If you want to see intelligent communication, watch this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pO3bo-T1qhA

[Yuusha]

It's been stated numerous times by many intelligent people that intelligent life would not be using radio waves to communicate. We're almost past that now as humans. If you want to see intelligent communication, watch this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pO3bo-T1qhA

Yes, the best form of communication is clearly crop circles!

... seriously?

[bitrebel]

It's been stated numerous times by many intelligent people that intelligent life would not be using radio waves to communicate. We're almost past that now as humans. If you want to see intelligent communication, watch this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pO3bo-T1qhA

Yes, the best form of communication is clearly crop circles!

... seriously?

I never said it was the best form, but obviously one that is already being utilized and overlooked as well. r u sirius?