Rival chip makers such as Texas Instruments and Motorola, which are strong in digital signal processing (a technology used in mobile telephones that is particularly suitable for intelligent appliances) welcome the chance to compete in a market that Intel does not dominate.

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In the future, we hope that a global army of open-source code developers, students and other experts in digital signal processing, as well as citizen scientists willing to lend their intelligence to our exploration, will have access to the same technology and join our quest.

CNN: What if there's somebody else out there?

The cylindrical speaker features two high-performance drivers, a built-in bass port and digital signal processing software to extend frequency response on the high end while providing tighter low ends for deeper bass response.

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Barry Cheetham, senior lecturer in The School of Computer Science at the University of Manchester, is combining his academic expertise in communications, networks and digital signal processing with his love of choral singing.

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Right now the site is geared to those knowledgable about digital signal processing, but in the coming months, anyone -- from a child playing a setiQuest game to an interested adult -- can join the search for intelligent life in the cosmos.

CNN: What if there's somebody else out there?

For example you might have Texas Instrument or TI which is the biggest supplier in the base-band market or DSP (Digital Signal Processing) but still have competition from the likes of Lucent, Motorola, Qualcomm.

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