Allen Telescope Array is the forerunner of other larger radio astronomy arrays planned for later in the decade. As telescope and SETI technology have advanced, it is now possible to detect intelligence not only by directed message from one interstellar location to another but by the same kind of 'noise' we accidentally broadcast to the cosmos via radio, television and radar signals. SETI truly is a long-term project.
Read it carefully Smartmouth. You are wrong on your key point. The rest of your tripe is just opinion.
Since you initiated the pleasantries, you should not object if I label you a dimwit who lacks (among many other things) reading comprehension skills. I direct you to post #10 in which the distance that the SETI crew can detect "civilization noise" is FAR less than the distance to any possible sources. NOT MY STATEMENT, HIS statement. It was that statement that caused me to completely dismiss SETI as a boondoggle at best and more likely a con akin to the weight loss pills advertized on late night TV.
To be honest (something that you haven't been so far), that was in 1994 (or maybe '95) so their detection levels have probably improved somewhat, but signal strength drops as the SQUARE of the distance, so a signal of the same initial power at 100 ly is 10,000 time weaker than than a signal at a source at 1 ly. I doubt that their ability to detect signal from noise is 10,000 times better that it was 18 years ago.
forerunner of other larger radio astronomy arrays planned for later in the decade
Nowhere do I see how these are to be funded. I doubt it will be private funds.