A Conversation for The Forum

Astronomic Effort

Post 1

novosibirsk - as normal as I can be........

This from bbc.co.uk. News Page

<< http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7041183.stm >>

If they find any 'signals' will this be interpreted as alien lifeforms, or will the theists claim it as the voice of God?

Seriously, what do posters hope for, success or failure?

Novo


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Post 2

WanderingAlbatross - Wing-tipping down the rollers of life's ocean.

It's a fundamental paranoia: Are we all alone? or is there something else out there that hasn't noticed we're here? Yet. Take your pick.


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Post 3

badger party tony party green party

Paranoia?

I think that paranoia comes from inside its directed by how youve been treated and how you think about others (im talking here about the non clinical sense of the word)

Im not paranoid about aliens wanting to do bad things to us. I project myself onto this and imagine if I were ever in a position to get a good luck at an alien civilisation my first thought wouldnt be how can we conquer/enslave them or should we drink red or white wine when we eat them?
Id love to know that there are tripod with no eyes who navigate by sonar or that there is a species of sentient life with five distinct sexes and who live symbiotically with plants inside them.

Even if we didnt get to know about them knowing they were out there would be fantastic.

I am not paranoid about the enslavement/conquering and other horrible things happening to people there is no need to be paranoid as I know we already doing all tis anyway.

one love smiley - rainbow


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Post 4

Alfredo

Well, who ever we are, to me any human being has an almost hidden question in him-/her; "are we alone?"

Of course I cannot prove that.

I do have that question, but I believe mankind will never know.
Why?
Because there are so many opportunities by which it would be possible.

If there may be any intelligent life somewhere else they

- have to be interested in astronomy and being capable to do anything in that "item".

- There has to be a civilization that exists at the same time as we walk around at this globe.
Well, how long shall mankind survive at this globe? After about fifty thousand years there maybe some humans around the globe, but most of them not and with these extinct ones, also knowledge etc. gets lost.

It would be extremely rare that two intelligent civilizations would exist at (about) the same time.

greetings from cosmic Amsterdam smiley - smiley


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Post 5

Effers;England.

I think it would be fantastically exciting and wonderful to discover other life forms in the universe. And it would be even more amazing to discover that life forms evolving on another planet had evolved intelligent consciousness and technology.

It wouldn't surprise me so much that life had evolved elsewhere, but to have also become consciousness of itself would astonish me. When you think of all the hundreds of millions of years of evolution of life on earth, but it is only in the last million years or so that consciousness has evolved, and only in the last hundred years that we have developped technology that can send out signals into space.


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Post 6

Arnie Appleaide - Inspector General of the Defenders of Freedom

It's going to be a really slow conversation if we do find anything ...


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Post 7

swl

No kidding. On our side, we're going to have huge committees poring over every word of the message. That's once we've got over the months of huffs and stormings out whilst they decide a language.

I reckon we'd have at least two years of bickering before we can agree on a message. Then it'll be couched in such obscure and complicated language that any aliens will spend years trying to figure it out.

smiley - winkeye


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Post 8

Noggin the Nog

Not to mention the hundreds of years it would take for the messages to go back and forth.

Noggin


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Post 9

Effers;England.

Maybe we could send a little 'greetings, alien brothers' note down a wormhole?smiley - winkeye


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Post 10

swl

Sexist pig. smiley - winkeye


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Post 11

swl

And racist too. Why do you feel the need to highlight "Alien"? Is that what you think defines them? Is it a useful label you can employ so you can pigeon-hole them in the appropriate prejudiced box?

smiley - tongueincheek


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Post 12

swl

Great - Fanny just started an interplanetary war.


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Post 13

Effers;England.

smiley - laughsmiley - tongueout

Oh alright then, just to satisfy the politically correct amongst us.

"Greetings alien brothers, sisters, and transexuals"

smiley - winkeye


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Post 14

Effers;England.

Blimey I can't keep up with your lightning posting.

Scrap alien then. And maybe substitute, 'androgen' for transexual.

What was that you said about huge commitees?


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Post 15

swl

So, you suggest "Greetings brothers, sisters and androgens"

Why in that order? Are you assuming that an alien civilisation will be male-dominated, with the females taking the lesser, submissive role? Why put androgens last? Are they the lowest rung of the pecking order? Might it not be insulting to presume sexes at all? In which case should it not read "and/or androgens"? What if they combine sexes? What if hermaphrodism is the norm? You've just basically called them deviants by sending that message. Why not just send a message saying "Greetings Deviants"?

Is sending a message in itself not a condescending act? Effectively we're humiliating them by initiating contact on the assumption that they cannot. After all, we found them not vice versa hence an inherent superiority complex is created. If they were so smart, why didn't they find us first?

All in all, if you're going to send a message, you might as well send a thermo-nuclear bomb to be on the safe side.


I vote Fanny doesn't get a say in composing the message.


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Post 16

Effers;England.

OK I vote SWL gets to compose the message.

And what will they think?

'Blimey these earthlings are a fussy politically correct lot, lets just ignore their message!'


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Post 17

swl

My message would be -

"Free Beer*"

*Time limited offer, subject to Terms & Conditions. No purchase necessary. Please drink responsibly


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Post 18

Effers;England.

I liked your message up until it said, >>Please drink responsibly<<

Could we maybe scrap that bit?


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Post 19

Arnie Appleaide - Inspector General of the Defenders of Freedom

Yeah, what Noggin said.


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Post 20

swl

I think the biggest problem might be recognising intelligent life if/when we find it.


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