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

Two replies for now

The idea that maybe we are just an atom on the fingernail of some super-being has been bandied about for a long time. And there is no denying that it is possible, only problem is, it's also impossible to prove or even conjecture on. Fun thought I admit, but pure theory.

Next we get into our analogue transmissions, for smaller transmissions that works out very well but it takes one entire period of the wave. Now this is where binary transmissions get really interesting, carrier waves. Instead of the traditional complex waves we employ a much easier to decode format. Imagine a sine wave with the x-axis as normal, horizontal and straight. Now imagine we take the axis and bend it into a sine form. we now have a wave upon a wave. This process can theoretically be extended to infinity but for practical purposes only a certain amount can be decoded. Even a small amount of carried information can quickly become a large amount of information. For shorter amounts, say were we to transmit the numbers associated with ASCII characters the reference and data transmissions are very efficient for communications. All you need are 122 data strengths. Seperate them by about 3% for accuracy and you can get that with a 500% maximum energy transmission. But if you get the computationtal power to put even 8 carrier waves onto one wave then the same transmission can be made for the original 100% energy. now if we assume the 500% energy fulls into the class of standard deviation it's actually an average of 250% of the energy. Therefore analogue is more efficient up to the level of 3 carriers per wave, something not within the current realm of possiblity but maybe someday...

I'll respond to the last message in a bit, but for now I'll just say this, the chances are actually increadibly small.

My reply has become so lengthy that i wouldn't subject you too it here but rather direct you to my homepage if you want to read it. Mostly I went on about how it bothers me that people think that because we haven't heard from any aliens yet they must not exist and how we are so arrogant as to believe that an alien civilization must be 1)Earth-like and 2)More advanced than we are. If you are interested visit my page.

I notice another human arrogance is that we assume the aliens would be interested in US! (see Star Trek IV: the Voyage Home for a variant on this)

We have such a human-centred view of the universe that if a "being" flies by overhead, we automatically assume that it must in some way affect us, and never consider that they may be communicating with, say, the cattle in the next field...

even south park noticed that.

If they were so interested in the cattle, what's with the anal probe?

Maybe they were gay aliens...

and don't diss pete's analogue transmission!

I'm not. It IS the best we've got right now for wave transmissions, I'm expounding a theoretical wave data technology. Like I said we can't beat out analogue in efficiency right now but maybe someday.

As for the aliens contacting other species, It certainly is possible, but so far we haven't heard of any kind of radio transmitters being built underwater by dolphins or such which would be able to recieve signals of the nature I was speaking of. Of course it could all be some kind of telepathy, Maybe the oceans are one giant resonance chamber amplifying whale song to interstellar levels...

I don't think that would work (everyone in the room is suddenly silent, they watch him intently, just waiting for him to make even a minor-but fatal-mistake)
The resonance from whalesong (he loosens his collar and takes a deep breath) Doesn't have any effect on the motion of the surface of the sea, because it is always moving already.(he pauses nervously, suddenly aware of an uncontollable urge to urinate)
What use would whales have of interstellar communication anyhow?..(He smiles timidly, and scurries off to the bathroom.



Insert scathing criticism and general ripping to shreds here
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Of course you are correct, To bad these forums don't display sarcasm very well. My intent got lost in the wash...

Hey, I'm still not happy with the anal probe explanation. Happy aliens? I don't think so!

You have a point there, aleins may be asexual.
Hmm.Maybe they are a rece of extremist comedians, and found a fat kid with an anal probe something to be laughed about...



Tempus mori