SETI: Run by charlatans or fools?

Discussion in 'Astronomy, Exobiology, & Cosmology' started by Dinosaur, Nov 25, 2013.

  1. Mazulu Banned Banned

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    I think we would have better odds of making contact with space-aliens if we gave the money to Steven Greer and the other UFOologists and let them construct a landing site for spaceships in the middle of the Arizona desert.
     
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  3. Balerion Banned Banned

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    I never saw the post, but the SETI folks themselves would disagree with it.

    And placing bets on a long-odds horse is stupid.
     
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  5. Balerion Banned Banned

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    Because aliens need a landing site in a desert.

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  7. Mazulu Banned Banned

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    They need to know where to land. We should use lots of LED's! Play music! Have lots of girls in space-suits.
     
  8. paddoboy Valued Senior Member

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    Hmmm, getting rather nasty...perhaps I have hit a nerve????

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    No it isn't. Perhaps a possible agenda or baggage you are burdened with, leads you to perceive unreasonable interpretations.


    Some more points on SETI and its advantages and benefits......

    at....

    http://www.jetpress.org/volume13/cirkovic.html

    1. Introduction

    It is hard to deny that the Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence (SETI; for a recent review, see Tarter 2001) is one of the major scientific adventures in the history of humankind. At the beginning of twenty-first century it remains one of the oldest and most fascinating scientific pursuits. However, SETI is just a small part of the larger field of astrobiology, the field that is currently in the epoch of explosive development (see beautiful recent reviews of Des Marais and Walter 1999; Darling 2001; Ehrenfreund et al. 2002).[1] A host of important discoveries have been made during the last decade or so, the most important certainly being a large number of extrasolar planets, but also the existence of many extremophile organisms possibly comprising “deep hot biosphere” of Thomas Gold; the discovery of subsurface water on Mars and the huge ocean on Europa, and possibly also Ganymede and Callisto; the unequivocal discovery of amino-acids and other complex organic compounds in meteorites; modeling organic chemistry in Titan’s atmosphere; the quantitative treatment of the Galactic habitable zone (Gonzalez et al. 2001); the development of a new generation of panspermia theories (e.g. Raulin-Cerceau, Maurel, and Schneider 1998), spurred by experimental verification that even terrestrial microorganisms easily survive conditions of an asteroidal or a cometary impact; etc. But the role of astrobiology does not end here; in the nice phrase of Des Marais and Walter (1999), “recent discoveries create a mandate”. The same authors continue:

    Operationally, astrobiology integrates key research disciplines into a program that combines technology development, remote observation (space missions), model building, and the extensive involvement of educators and the public. This agenda addresses the following three canonical questions: How does life begin and develop? Does life exist elsewhere in the universe? What is the future of life on Earth and in space?... Astrobiology strengthens linkages between science, technology, and the humanities, creating an integrated view of our world that will be beneficial for helping to define the roles that future generations will play as stewards of our global environment and its resources.

    more at the link....
     
  9. Mazulu Banned Banned

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    Maybe the aliens don't land because they don't feel welcome. Maybe we should build a giant welcoming center for the aliens to come land at. Major politicians, like the US president, should welcome the aliens and promise not to attack their spaceships if they enter our air space.
     
  10. paddoboy Valued Senior Member

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    ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
    To say Earth is the only planet we know has life within our solar system, is 100% wrong.
    _________________________________________________________________________________________________________






    Obviously you are not an English teacher kiddo.......
    To clear the air for you, we know on Earth there is life. We do not know that it does not exist elsewhere.
    And of course the continuing paragraph from whence you got my quote, re-enforces that meaning, so that those [like you] that accidentlly misunderstands what has been said, then has clarification of the real meaning.
     
  11. Mazulu Banned Banned

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    I'm watching the movie: Alien Planet, on Netflicks. Too bad we've never found remains of a science probe from another world. If an alien planet sent a probe to the earth, a probe made of plastic, metal, glass, I wonder how long it's parts would last after the probe broke down. Any guesses?
     
  12. Balerion Banned Banned

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    Is English your second language, or are you just awful at it? Or, more likely, did you make a mistake and lack the maturity to admit it?
     
  13. paddoboy Valued Senior Member

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    You never saw the post???. How much more have you intentionally missed, when it doesn't align with your own narrow perception of things?
    Why would the SETI folk disagree with it?
    Why is placing a bet on a long shot [SETI] stupid, when the returns would be a mankind/civilisation changing event?
    Or are you one of those who are self centered and arrogant enough to believe that Earth is the center of all that is, and that we are it, and we are in some sort of privileged position in time and space?
    Here is the post again....

     
  14. Balerion Banned Banned

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    You call that nasty? You must be very thin-skinned.

    Again, basic English disagrees with you.

    It's a trivial point, one that I got over as soon as your actual meaning was clarified. I'm surprised you lack the integrity to offer a simple, "Yeah, I mistyped." It seems being right is more important than being civil, or decent, or correct.

    I don't see how SETI factors into any of this. It claims to be a part of a larger field, and then expounds the virtues of said field without enumerating the contributions of SETI itself.

    :shrug:
     
  15. paddoboy Valued Senior Member

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    Ever seen "CONTACT" with Jodie Foster Mazulu?
    Great movie, great message and some great lines in it.
    My favourite being the one near the end when Elle tells a group of school children when asked a question of whether we are alone...her reply...
    "I'll tell you one thing about the universe, though. The universe is a pretty big place. It's bigger than anything anyone has ever dreamed of before. So if it's just us... seems like an awful waste of space. Right?"
     
  16. Balerion Banned Banned

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    Casting aspersions instead of making an actual argument doesn't do anything to advance the discussion.

    And how high-strung are you that one question mark isn't enough? Take a pill, homie.

    Because the SETI folk themselves don't believe there will be a null result. They've said as much themselves, and the post by Pete contradicts their position.

    I didn't say placing bets on SETI is stupid. I was speaking specifically to Pete's example of placing bets on a longshot horse.

    Though, now that you mention it, betting on SETI is pretty dumb, because it's highly unlikely they'd know what to make of a signal even if they could determine it was the result of alien intelligence.
     
  17. paddoboy Valued Senior Member

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    You so far have achieved a big fat zero out of three...wrong, uncivil and indecent.

    That's point of view is expected from you, considering the baggage you are burdened with.
     
  18. Balerion Banned Banned

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    Thanks for proving me right on both counts.
     
  19. paddoboy Valued Senior Member

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    A long shot horse does have a chance of winning with big returns. SETI does have a chance of detecting an ETI signal....BIG BIG RETURNS.



    So they receive a signal from an intelligent source, havn't a clue what it says, and that's dumb??
    What rock are you hiding under?
    Like I said, it would be the greatest revelation for human kind since we climbed down out of the trees.
     
  20. paddoboy Valued Senior Member

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    It's three counts and you are most certainly wrong in all concerned.
     
  21. Boris2 Valued Senior Member

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    pete's response was to someone who questioned whether a null result was a valid position to aim for. he wasn't commenting so much on SETI itself.
     
  22. Mazulu Banned Banned

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    I saw the movie. I liked it. I liked the movie Close Encounters a lot better. I hope there are aliens out there somewhere.
     
  23. Balerion Banned Banned

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    What are those big returns, exactly? And are they worth the billions required to gain them?

    Not just haven't a clue what it says, but can't actually determine if it's intelligent in nature. Remember the WOW signal? There have been a few more recently where they best they can say is "maybe."

    Except we pretty much already accept that there are intelligent alien species out there, so this would confirmation, not revelation. I mean, if it happens, great. But I don't have high hopes that SETI will be what does the trick. And I sure don't like the fuzzy maths they use to make their silly "predictions."
     

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