McKlown Posted September 4, 2004 Share Posted September 4, 2004 So, yesterday while me and my family where evacuating our FL home thanks to the latest hurricane , my dad heard an announcement on the radio that the Arecibo(sp) radio telescope had detect three different radio signals from outside our solar system. Needless to say, this got my interest and I surfed the news channels in the hotel room hoping to catch something. Of course between the storm and the Republicans I didn't see anything. Today we moved to another hotel with broadband in each room, and one of the first things I did was check the news sites. First I found this: Yahoo article Then I noticed there was also a link to a BBC article denying it: BBC Article Now maybe me and my parents are just paranoid, but we all think there is something fishy about that second article. Maybe it's just not detailed enough or something, I dunno. What do you all think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ladic Posted September 4, 2004 Share Posted September 4, 2004 http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml...76§ion=news Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mechaninac Posted September 4, 2004 Share Posted September 4, 2004 (edited) Sounds like the innitial report was nothing but hype. According to my understanding of SETI doctrine regarding potential ET signals, any possible detection has to be confirmed by other radio telescopes to eliminate the chance of equipment glitches at the original detection site. From the two articles it appears that the signal in question showed up a couple of times, but only at Arrecibo. Therefore, until other radio telescopes trained on the exact same patch of sky can replicate the apparent contact, and these too survive a battery of tests to weed out errors, this "news" is pretty much moot. Keep in mind that extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof. Edited September 4, 2004 by mechaninac Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Jenius Posted September 4, 2004 Share Posted September 4, 2004 If Aliens contacted us, nobody would know for years. National Security. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Effect Posted September 4, 2004 Share Posted September 4, 2004 I agree, unless they come in person in such a way that everyone just looking up could see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VF-19 Posted September 4, 2004 Share Posted September 4, 2004 If Aliens contacted us, nobody would know for years. National Security. If aliens really did contact us, everybody would know. The signal wouldn't be soley inteded for the USA. Not to mention, scientists have a habit of shooting off their mouths (ie, meteor strikes turn out to be near misses). I always thought the movie "Contact" did a good job of portraying the "what if" scenario concerning alien contact. The book was excellent too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnollman Posted September 4, 2004 Share Posted September 4, 2004 Thought the book was better, personally.... Best thing Sagan ever wrote was The Demon-Haunted World though.... awesome book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amped Posted September 4, 2004 Share Posted September 4, 2004 Of course, this is all part of the effort to prepare us for when we make contact for real. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeszekely Posted September 4, 2004 Share Posted September 4, 2004 Of course, this is all part of the effort to prepare us for when we make contact for real. What, you mean the same effort that includes Duke Nukem 3D? (Check out rumor #3.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Jenius Posted September 5, 2004 Share Posted September 5, 2004 If Aliens contacted us, nobody would know for years. National Security. If aliens really did contact us, everybody would know. The signal wouldn't be soley inteded for the USA. Not to mention, scientists have a habit of shooting off their mouths (ie, meteor strikes turn out to be near misses). I always thought the movie "Contact" did a good job of portraying the "what if" scenario concerning alien contact. The book was excellent too. By "us" the USA was implied. Its not about who the message is intended for, its who gets it first. The US would try to get everything they could out of our visitors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VF-19 Posted September 5, 2004 Share Posted September 5, 2004 Ahh, but the catch is: We (by "we" I mean North and South America) would have to be facing the radiowaves as they come in. If we are facing the other way, Europe, Asia et al would get the message. Plus, since the Earth revolves, the US would "set" as the message is being broadcasted. So sharing message components is a must, in order to get the entire thing. The next trick would be to figure out what the heck it means. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commander McBride Posted September 5, 2004 Share Posted September 5, 2004 The United States Government is in contact with ailen forces, and has been for 8 seasons......err, years. We have dealings with Asguard all the time, and don't even mention the Goa'Uld..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kin Posted September 5, 2004 Share Posted September 5, 2004 If we are going to another planet... what would the inhabitants think of us and what shall we "aliens" do? I think earth's signal detectors are unreliable... there are so many interference.. I rather see those detectors launched into space or on the moon facing away from earth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zentrandude Posted September 5, 2004 Share Posted September 5, 2004 The United States Government is in contact with ailen forces, and has been for 8 seasons......err, years. We have dealings with Asguard all the time, and don't even mention the Goa'Uld..... and intergalactic travel consist of a giant letter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noriko Takaya Posted September 5, 2004 Share Posted September 5, 2004 "Mister Chambers! Don't get on that ship! The cover of the book, "To Serve Man", it's.. it's a cookbook!" Well, that's as best as I can remember that phrase! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anubis Posted September 5, 2004 Share Posted September 5, 2004 I agree, unless they come in person in such a way that everyone just looking up could see. Ah, but they have. Remember the ring of lights above Phoenix some years back? Coverage the night it happened, and then silence, no mention anywhere. Also the lights some pilots were chasing in south america a few months ago. Wacky explanation they gave on that one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Major Posted September 5, 2004 Share Posted September 5, 2004 no offence to anyone but that duke nukem theory is about as wacked as the 2012 theory. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ogami Posted September 5, 2004 Share Posted September 5, 2004 What are the chances that Alien still use radiowave/binary digital signal to communicate... ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eriku Posted September 5, 2004 Share Posted September 5, 2004 Well I think this is all just a part of the advertising campaign for the new ALF DVD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McKlown Posted September 5, 2004 Author Share Posted September 5, 2004 What are the chances that Alien still use radiowave/binary digital signal to communicate... ? You don't honestly think that all alien life that might be out there is automatically more advanced than us, do you? Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if we're still using some form of radio 200 years from now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KingNor Posted September 5, 2004 Share Posted September 5, 2004 What are the chances that Alien still use radiowave/binary digital signal to communicate... ? You don't honestly think that all alien life that might be out there is automatically more advanced than us, do you? Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if we're still using some form of radio 200 years from now. i've never understood the theory that if we contact someone they "must" be more advanced than us. seems like an odd thing to automaticly assume. i'm not too excited about finding alien life elsewhere simply because there's not really anyway to talk to them, it takes something like 20 years to get a signal to the nearest star, and who knows how long it will take to comunicate with aliens when we find them. i kind of assume there is life in the universe, proof would be intresting but after the initaial "wow, we arn't alone" it would be DECADES before we knew anything else about them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mechmaster Posted September 5, 2004 Share Posted September 5, 2004 i'm not too excited about finding alien life elsewhere simply because there's not really anyway to talk to them, it takes something like 20 years to get a signal to the nearest star, and who knows how long it will take to comunicate with aliens when we find them. Actually the nearest star, Alpha Centauri, is only 4.3 light years away but even if there was a sufficiently advanced civilsation there I have to agree with you that conversing by radio would make for uncomfortably long pauses in the conversation. For any sort of meaningful dialogue to occur I think THEY would have to visit us in person and there are so many freaks on Earth that we probably wouldn't even notice THEM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F-ZeroOne Posted September 5, 2004 Share Posted September 5, 2004 Wasn't it Arthur C. Clarke who said that the best sign that theres intelligent life elsewhere in the Universe is that none of them have tried to contact us yet? Personally, I'm going to be very disappointed if "they" don't turn out to be a race of hot female mecha pilots... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stamen0083 Posted September 5, 2004 Share Posted September 5, 2004 Ahh, but the catch is: We (by "we" I mean North and South America) would have to be facing the radiowaves as they come in. If we are facing the other way, Europe, Asia et al would get the message. Psh. Do you really think those satellites we put up in space is used for navigation and communication? No way man. Those satellites were put up there to get a jump on the rest of the world when aliens try to contact us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zentrandude Posted September 6, 2004 Share Posted September 6, 2004 Ahh, but the catch is: We (by "we" I mean North and South America) would have to be facing the radiowaves as they come in. If we are facing the other way, Europe, Asia et al would get the message. Psh. Do you really think those satellites we put up in space is used for navigation and communication? No way man. Those satellites were put up there to get a jump on the rest of the world when aliens try to contact us. lies! when aliens contact us the satellite companies will broadcast our tv channels like mtv and pro wrestling to them to make mega bucks or latium or what ever they would use for currency if they have it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VF-19 Posted September 6, 2004 Share Posted September 6, 2004 Ahh, but the catch is: We (by "we" I mean North and South America) would have to be facing the radiowaves as they come in. If we are facing the other way, Europe, Asia et al would get the message. Psh. Do you really think those satellites we put up in space is used for navigation and communication? No way man. Those satellites were put up there to get a jump on the rest of the world when aliens try to contact us. lies! when aliens contact us the satellite companies will broadcast our tv channels like mtv and pro wrestling to them to make mega bucks or latium or what ever they would use for currency if they have it. The sad part about all that, is: Our radio and TV shows are our ambassadors to the other races. Aliens are going to get a VERY screwed up perception of us. Especially when it comes to the old Superman broadcasts... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skull Leader Posted September 6, 2004 Share Posted September 6, 2004 [Cue evil Robotech reference] "Did you see that!?!? It's a deathray!!!" [/Cue evil Robotech reference] It's only a matter of time before SETI pulls through and finds something. I anxiously await the day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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