When UFOs Arrive

www.popularmechanics.com ^ | February 2004 | BY JIM WILSON

[Chris Talk]

Dream on, many of us have seen them time and time again.

[Moosilauke]

I used to think PM was a pretty dry publication. Lately it seems to have been taken over by the lunatic/conspiracy fringe. First they publish the "Al-Qaeda blew up the transmission network" theory, now they get involved with the pseudo-scientific "Drake equation" nonsense. I guess for hard news I'll have to go back to National Enquirer.

[stuartcr]

What if they are metaphysical beings?

[RightWhale]

many of us have seen them time and time again.

Oh really. Tell us more.

[Jasper]

Great album

Was listening to the CD earlier today.

[Frank_Discussion]

Then we have more work to do. ;-)

I believe that we all have a metaphysical component as humans anyway, so the prospect of connecting via metaphysics shouldn't be seen as an impossibility. that said, I don't subscribe to the "ET's are more spiritually enlighted" bit as a necessary condition in any eventual contact. The physics and technology of today is magical in the eyes of the past.

[Chris Talk]

I would, but right now the alien implant in my leg is giving me such fits that I can't concentrate.

[Enterprise]

"klatu verada nictu"

Oh nevermind. It's just Poodle F'n Kerry.

[Frank_Discussion]

Y'all play nice, see you tomorrow!

[EUPHORIC]

"Instead of getting a handshake from the head of NASA..."

Hmmm.... Wonder if PETA would sue if I started up "People for the Ethical TReatment of Aliens...?"

[Momaw Nadon]

PETRA?

[JoJo Gunn]

"The motivations of an ET will not be all that far removed from our own...."

You are still humanizing something utterly alien. They might know nothing of altruism or morality. For all you know, they might be Borg, totally dedicated to finding foodstuffs from other worlds. Or maybe they'll be irresistably drawn to our sewage.

All we can do is guess.

[stuartcr]

Not to offend, but because you believe we all have a metaphysical component, doesn't really mean that we do, or that we should be able to connect metaphysically. You're assuming a lot...do you know something we don't...are you an alien?

[Chris Talk]

If the Borg land, be sure to let us know. You can be the Borg warner.

[NeoCaveman]

Manbeef is an essential part of a nutritious low-carb diet.

Even the aliens are on Atkins...

[Chris Talk]

One female abductee asked them why they keep coming around here on earth, and was told that it was because their systems were such as to have to live almost entirely upon beef products, and...

"There isn't a decent beefsteak between here and Arcturus."

I kid you not, that is what he is supposed to have told her. Also, this Mad Cow scare is to get us humans to eat less Beef so there will be more for the Aliens.

[Paul C. Jesup]

When dealing with ET Aliens, the human race is in a strange retro flux where we are to smart for them to trick us into worshipping them like Gods and we're to insane for them to really try to talk to us.

[Nick Danger]

If ET has read Emily Post, or her intergalactic equivalent, and calls ahead, we could have years, even decades, to prepare for first contact

Really? How is that gonna happen? We do not know how to receive any sort of transmission that isn't some form of electromagnetic radiation. The message will therefore have been travelling at the speed of light while getting here.

If aliens arrive from some other star system, they will not have been travelling at the speed of light. They almost can't get here without figuring out some way to go faster than that. They are going to get here before their "we're on our way!" message arrives.

Also, we should not screw with anybody who knows how to build a ship that goes faster than light. If they know that, they know other stuff.

[JoJo Gunn]

[Twinkie]

They have a cookbook called "To Serve Man".