I'm another refugee from SETI@home. My dad was doing computing with the original project back in the 90's. I didn't get involved in volunteer computing until much later, after college.

I started out with my desktop and laptop running full time. That was fun, but I had caught the bug, and started keeping my eyes open for cheap hardware. At a previous job I made friends with the IT department and was able to get access to the E-waste bin . . . . Twelve recycled computers later, here I am.