Space Alien Search Costs AZ School Worker His Job

[Fansome]

December 2, 2009
Space Alien Search Costs AZ School Worker His Job
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Filed at 9:05 p.m. ET

MESA, Ariz. (AP) -- A former Arizona school district employee is accused of using school computers in an experiment to find space aliens, costing the worker his job and the district more than $1 million.

Schools officials say Brad Niesluchowski, who was Higley Unified School District's information technology director, downloaded free software on district computers in 2000.

The program, known as SETI(at)home, uses Internet-connected computers worldwide to analyze radio telescope data in an experiment to find extraterrestrial intelligence.

But Superintendent Denise Birdwell told the East Valley Tribune that the program also bogged down the district's system and interfered with technology use in classrooms.

Birdwell said it will take more than $1 million to fix the problem, including removal of the SETI software. She says police are conducting a broader investigation.

Niesluchowski resigned from the district Oct. 22.

His lawyer did not return calls for comment.

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Information from: East Valley Tribune, http://www.eastvalleytribune.com

[Tube Shortwave]

$1 million to remove software from the school computers?  What does the I.T. dept. charge per hour??!!!!

[Zoidberg]

Bizarre.  SETI has used that model for shared computer resources for years and I've never heard anyone claim it caused problems that would require that kind of money to fix.  Heck, several years ago I had an old Mac online as part of that SETI@home project.  Didn't cause any problems.

I suspect Ms. Birdwell may be a gray.  Someone call Roddy Piper, tell him it's time to chew bubblegum and kick a$$.