h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Yep, it would indeed take a lot of energy and have a lot of practical problems. I doubt interstellar travel will happen unless someone invents a warp-drive like system.

Now there's an idea!

or when they show up we could all stick our head in a bucket

The words 'can' and 'worms' spring to mind...



GT

I didn't know a) 2legs had a Bacon, and which set of underpants does he keep it for safet?, and b) there was one missing?

More to the point, would the Aliens really want, or understand a Bacon?

Wouldn't Hirst or Emin be more to their taste? Or Lichtenstein???



MMF

Lookthe Goodyear Blimp

Will do a proper post once I have had time to think for a while, as I do have some views on the subject.........



GT

Is there anybody out there??

To my mind, it is almost inevitable that there is. Somewhere!

The Milky way Galaxy on it's own should be swarming with life. Whether that life is intelligent or not is another question; whether it is intelligent another question entirely.

If it is intelligent, has it developed a technology? If so, is that technology two centuries behind us, or is it 200 years in front of us?

If it is behind us, then there is nothing to worry about: However, if it is in front of us, then there would be NOTHING we could do to thwart an invasion.

What would they look like? Nothing like us, you can be sure of that. We are the result of four billion years, and at least half-a-dozen Mass Extinctions, where nature almost wiped the slate clean, and started again with what was left.

Is there any way of calculating the number of extant aliens? Fortunately, yes there is. It was devised by Frank Drake in 1961, and is called 'The Drake Equation'.

It can be found at:

http://www.activemind.com/Mysterious/Topics/SETI/drake_equation.html

Bear in mind. Drake is only assessing the Milky Way Galaxy ONLY...

There are hundreds of billions of other galaxies in the universe, so multiply your results by that..


Is there anybody out there??

Make up your own mind!!!


GT

You might as well as "how fares Schroedinger's Cat?" Since we've never found any extraterrestrial life our knowledge of the possible intent of such life is basically zero. All we're doing is wildly speculating, as is Professor Hawking.

Having said that, I think he's erring on the right side of caution but, then again, we've been sending radio signals out for decades both those intended to reach alien life and those unintended to, so it's a bit late to decide we need to keep quiet and hope they ignore us.

What we really need to be doing Zagrebo, is listening more, and shouting 'Here we are' less!!


GT

And if we hear aliens saying 'Ooh, look! A tasty planet.'...what should we do?

Fetch the tomato sauce

Oh, i dunno

Aliens I've met all seem to prefer the company of their own kind

Not many of us here have much to worry about, eh?

<>

line up the cows for mutilation

drop our trousers and grab our ankles and hope the novelty of anal probes wears off soon

<>

Point at the dolphins and say "Ook?"

Drop your trousers, grab your ankles and kiss your a*se goodbye!!!


GT

Take 'em to Krispy Kreme. Any planet capable of such melt-in-the-mouth doughnutty goodness must surely be worthy of elevation to the Next Level.

Maybe we could show them the glory of the cultural products we have to offer them.


Mind you...on another thread it's been argued that the acme of 20th century music is Rick Wakeman.

Another train of thought I have come across is this......

If the aliens are vastly ahead of us in the technological stakes, it can only mean that they have learned to live with their power, and get along with each other on their homeworld, and other species in the universe.


GT

In much the same way that we've learned to get along with rodents and insects.