Confessions of an Alien Hunter, by Dr. Seth Shostak of the SETI Institute, is a look at SETI from the inside.  In addition, Dr. Shostak talks about who, and what, our first alien contacts may be (aside from microbes or pond scum).  You know me; I would be excited out of my tiny little mind with a microbe.

The hope, the belief, that we are not alone in the universe has been with us since we could envision ourselves as “self”.  We have always looked to the sky and wondered.  Science now tells us that there must be other life; the universe is simply too big for there not to be.  Life is ubiquitous on Earth, it’s found from the bottom of the Mariannas Trench to the summit of Mount Everest.

The SETI Institute was officially funded and created by NASA in 1971, although the first SETI experiment took place eleven years earlier at Green Bank, West Virginia.  Now privately funded, SETI uses scientific methods for the systematic search for evidence of intelligent extraterrestrial life.  They aren’t looking for pond scum.

Confessions of an Alien Hunter is published by the National Geographic Society, one of the world’s largest non-profit organizations.  National Geographic is involved in natural science, education, geology, archaeology, exploration, and conservation… just to name a few.

Dr. Shostak gives televised lectures and interviews, in addition to writing books.  Here is a link to just one of them.  I’d recommend you take time to watch as Dr. Shostak is an incredibly interesting speaker.

This is the link to SETI@home, if you’re interested in linking your computer to assist SETI during the times you aren’t busy.  It functions much like a screen saver.  I’ve had my computer linked to SETI for over a year, and haven’t had any trouble, although some people say it makes their computer over-heat.

Dr. Shostak has already promised us an interview in the future, so if you have any questions for him, let me know and I’ll ask him.