somebody wrote:
> My resolution is simple: Give some immediate benefit, however
> little, and you'll get a lot more people contributing (*).

Yes. But the benefit can be as simple as "Cool, I helped do that." I think 
that's where the SETI bit came in - if someone actually found signals, 
everyone who contributed could say "Gee, I helped with that."

Had the raw answers actually been published, I could have looked at it and 
said "Cool, maybe in some years somebody will look at this and cure 
something."  It would be a tangible result. As it is, the tangible result is 
"the guys who freeloaded off you published a paper you don't get to read."

> I see a lot of volunteer effort with good intentions wasted
> on bad projects already.

I see a lot of good volunteer effort wasted on greedy people taking 
advantage of it also. That's what I object to - when some charity calls me 
on the phone, and I donate $25 to help homeless people, and the guys who 
called on the phone take $23 of that to pay for making the phone calls. I'd 
much rather just give the $25 to a homeless person.

-- 
   Darren New, San Diego CA, USA (PST)
   My fortune cookie said, "You will soon be
   unable to read this, even at arm's length."

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