Posted on 02/28/2015 4:34:21 PM PST by NRx
...So began SETI, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, a form of astronomical inquiry that has captured the imaginations of people around the planet but has so far failed to detect a single “hello.” Pick your explanation: They’re not there; they’re too far away; they’re insular and aloof; they’re zoned out on computer games; they’re watching us in mild bemusement and wondering when we’ll grow up.
Now some SETI researchers are pushing a more aggressive agenda: Instead of just listening, we would transmit messages, targeting newly discovered planets orbiting distant stars. Through “active SETI,” we’d boldly announce our presence and try to get the conversation started.
Naturally this is controversial, because of . . . well, the Klingons. The bad aliens.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
I’m told that at about one light year distance, our TV/radio signals break down into just noise. That’s not even half way to the next nearest star.
Our radio and TV transmitters are designed to broadcast signals slightly above the horizontal. Their antenna pattern looks like a donut with the antenna in the center. That donut rotates with the Earth. Anything off Earth will be in the pattern of a given station for only about an hour out of every 12 hours. The rest of the time they're out of the pattern. They're not going to get everything broadcast by that station.
The so-called "Drake Equation" is not an equation at all. It's dimensionally incorrect.
We have no idea what any of the factors in the so-called equation are. The thing is junk science. Nothing but guesses.
At any time they wish, the conquest of Earth would be a simple task. They would have weapons and capabilities we cannot even imagine. They could use advance nano technology to control our minds and enslave us, if they wanted an army of obedient Earthling workers to strip our small planet of resources.
Hmmm, maybe the visitors are responsible for climate change. LOL
we know the Ferengi (liars on star trek) exist because they left one behind, without his birth certificate, here when their last prison ship flew by
Well said, friend. I’ve similar reservations about what type of neighbors there are in the universe. For all we know these neighbors know what’s best for us whether we like it or not.
“In short, I’d like to know a little more about the neighbors before we invite them over for dinner. If for no other reason than to be sure that we aren’t likely to end up as the main course.”
There was a Twilight Zone episode called, i believe, “To Serve Mankind.” as the story went, the aliens had come to find food, as in humans.
I remember that one! “How to Serve Man”. Dude you must be old - like me ;- )
Hell. We have been doing that for 120 years already. Every thing form ship-to-shore Morris Code from the Titanic, to Amos & Andy to I Love Lucy, to Obama on C-Span has been moving across the Universe at near the speed of light. Anyone listening within 100 light years would have already heard us.
Unless you want to shut down the electromagnetic spectrum, there is no way we can just hide on planet Earth and pretend we're not here. We make noise, lots of it... that's just a fact.
At the same time,we have been listening for over 30 years now, and we haven't heard even one sign of intelligent communication. If 'they' are out there, and are thousands or millions of year more advanced than we are, how come they don't make any noise?
As to some boondoggle project to blast signals at some hypothetical 'inhabitable' planet, I vote hell no. It's a waste of money.
That argument is addressed in the article.
we're here for the party, and we ain't leavin till they throw us out... 
We'll counter them with our SKYNET cyborgs!
That just might work! At least it’s a shot. The bugs though... I’m still worried about the big bugs.. Jeez.. what’d we gonna do about them suckers? Big cans of Raid?
Bugs? A judicious application of DDT.
If they received our chatter from 1939-1945 the relativistic impactors are already on the way...
http://www.amazon.com/Bowl-Heaven-Gregory-Benford/dp/0765366460
Bowl Of Heaven does a nice job of depicting advanced life in a universe constrained by known physical laws. It and it’s sequel were a couple of my best recent Sci-Fi reads...
Ever hear of that theory from, I think it was Sitchin, who figured we could be genetically engineered, and part of that engineering was our inordinate love of gold. We’d accumulate it over thousands of years, and they come back, spray for humans, and collect the neatly stacked metals from our vaults...
Their infiltrators already have disabled that weapon from our arsenal...
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