Picked this up in an article in New Scientist:

I disagree with the premise of the article. I would think that if our communications were received by another race, it would still be interesting to someone in that society, even if it was only the scientists that took notice. I sincerely doubt that we're not hearing from anyone because we're too boring.

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Yes, they laughed at Einstein, but only because of his silly hairstyle; no one was actually laughing at his science.

A la McLuhan, our messages have been the medium: we exist; we seek dialog.

For any receiving beings worth talking to, what more is needed?

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Indeed, what would we tell them? I guess since I'm a pretty simple layperson, I was sort of taken aback by Dr. Hawking's comment that if we were to make contact with a more advanced civilization, it might not go too well for us ("Hey... he's right... we do sort of tend to crush ants and impose our will whenever necessary - and it's usually found to be necessary!").

I think a fascinating field of study would be the preparations for this dialog and potential meeting with an alien species. What do we say - and not say? What do we ask? How do we project ourselves? And how have our communications been received - what information have we given them that they've actually understood? And if the roles are reversed, what kind of messages are we expecting to receive, and what are we not prepared to receive?

Do we invite them to dinner, or wait for an invitation ourselves?

Even if the messages intended for extraterrestrials are boring, I'm certain the decades worth of TV programming wouldn't be.


"I am Lurr of the Planet Omicron persei Eight! We demand McNeil!"


ETA: LynnF1- I think that the fact that we are even aware of it kinda makes it a moot point. Now if we had these traits and didn't realize it- then we wouldn't be able to help ourselves...

I once proposed a pampered group of humans to be extraterestrial negociators. On the assumption that ET might read minds, the negociators need to be totally without gile. They must not even think an unkind thought. Of course we need to also consider which kind thoughts might cause offence.

For useful comunication I suggest scientists and engineers write for ET (what they know best) and include a language and math lesson with each article, in hopes that ET would eventually figure out what we are trying to say. It will not be easy for us to translate ET science and technology to useful and safe products. Neil

Oh, I found you guys interesting enough to visit.

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"If you think the LHC will create black holes, you might as well believe Hobbits are at the bottom of your garden."- Dr. Mike Inglis
Rovers forever! - ToSeek
"Carl Sagan sent a message to ET,
Neil Armstrong walked in the Sea of Tranquility
Steve Squyers built Spirit and Opportunity
Dan Haylen upchucked in zero gravity." -Brent Simon, The Space Camp Song

I read that article and laughed. It shows how silly political correct ideas are infecting the sciences.

The idea that Aliens will only answer us if we send them messages about earths culture and politics is just so mind blowingly pathetic its hard to take seriously.

Please take the sciences away from the altruistic pipe dreamers who seem to think that the universe operates on human sensibilities.

Perhaps they take it as spam. They get a message like "a single negatively-charged electron circles a single positively proton," and think, "okay what are these guys selling?"

perhaps the would be interested in the gene sequence of some nice food plants.

Would they see we have one moon, and give us hydrogen?

(ST-TNG reference for some of you)

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Numbers are not case sensitive. (me)

You mean Britney Spears and Paris Hilton? WE'RE DOOMED! Oh, wait, they might have some guile somewhere, so maybe we're off the hook. Phew!
As if we're so good at that with our own species. Approved Teddy Bear names anyone?

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Microsoft is over if you want it.

The bar has been lowered for the promotion of ATM ideas; the bar for the acceptance of ATM ideas must remain high.

That's so sad. Aliens are working around the clock to decode our messages and it says, "You're boring us".

The EMO aliens are going to have a fit.

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Fields of Space

LOGIC, n.
The art of thinking and reasoning in strict accordance with the limitations and incapacities of the human misunderstanding.

In the Year 2525.

"One small step for (a) man. One giant leap for mankind".

If an astronaut doesn't need good grammar, niether does you.

Host of Seraphim

Thank you for brightening up my day with that hilarious scenario, tears of laughter don't come often these days.

It is nice to inspire THOSE kind of tears for a change...

I had a frightening thought while trying to fall asleep the other night:

What if an alien race accidently provided us information in response that triggered a psychogenic death reaction in human beings, from the shock of realization it could induce?

Silly, I know...

I guess you kind of had to be there.

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- JRR

"The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance -- it is the illusion of knowledge." - [Daniel Boorstein]

Yes. The biggest mistake in the article to me was the assumption that there is a universal definition of "civilization" and that there is some kind of undefined line separating "intelligence" from lifeforms in general. We don't know what intelligence actually is when applied to alien life.

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"Insignificant molehill sometimes more important than conspicuous mountain." - Charlie Chan

The article also assumed that alien civilizations would automatically be democratic in nature, and that we should ask for advice on how to make democracy work better, which is a notion that I find patently absurd. Just because most humans tend to prefer democracy of some form (when given a choice in the matter) doesn't mean that aliens couldn't have a very different psychological makeup. What if an alien civilization has something like a hive mind, or if a totalitarian form of government works better for that species? What if they actually have the kind of psychology that would allow true communism to work for them, something that most humans don't have (since we tend to be a pretty competitive, greedy bunch)?

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Yes, they laughed at Einstein, but only because of his silly hairstyle; no one was actually laughing at his science.

It's just a bit more of the current psychobabble that we are a deeply faulted species that will ultimately destroy ourselves without someone rushing in to save us.

It's on the opposite end of the scale from the Star Trek Universe psychobabble that makes humanity seem like the great hero's of the galaxy- without which it would only destroy itself in inter-species war.

Ah I love these conversations. If they have saw something like us before or used to be similiar to us before they evolved into who knows what. We may very well be boring to them. It's not likely but it is possible. Or maybe they've foud the "true meaning of life" if there is one and it has nothing to do with us so why would they care if a little blue planet is on the internet and watching TV all day? I think we're boring.

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perfect is an opinion word-3dknight

it doesn't matter if I get 3 hours of sleep or 6, I still wake up just as tired!-Neverfly

These are the questions that boggle my mind-3dknight

Start transmitting messages to imaginary Galactic conquest fleets in all directions. That'll get there attention.
Probably not listening on our frequencies, might be using sub-hertz bands.
Might have found something better than radio, like electron pair communications or something.