Posted on 11/17/2005 6:17:33 PM PST by KevinDavis
Care to back up this assertion?
Yes they are.
A silly endeavor on its face.
How is the possibility of finding other life in the universe silly?
But assuming there is such a thing as Extraterrestrial Life and that it would give a damn about us, it is almost certainly VERY far away. Too far to make any difference in our lives or that of our children or grandchildren or great grandchildren or .. well you get the idea.
So? The very nature of us not being alone would have a huge impact of how we not only view ourselves, but our relationship with the universe. This is not unlike saying; all astronomy is bunk, since it has little affect of the average life.
Now everyone is free to spend their money how they want -- but that doesn't stop it from being a boondoggle.
Is any exploration that does not have an immediate return a boondoggle?
What is required to identify the presence of intelligent life in space?
INTREP
what evidence would indicate that intelligent lifeforms exist?
I agree. As I said before.. Billions upon billions upon billions of stars, there is there no way in heck that we are alone..
> what evidence would indicate that intelligent lifeforms exist?
Prime numbers would be a start.
How would prime numbers help?
> People are sending money on an alleged Search for Extraterrestrial Life. A silly endeavor on its face.
Nope. If nothing else, SETI produces far more than just "nope. Nothing today, again" messages. It also does straightforward radio astronomy in the process.
> Too far to make any difference in our lives or that of our children or grandchildren or great grandchildren or .. well you get the idea.
Incorrect. The world went slightly ape back in '97 when the "Mars fossil" was unveiled. And *that* was, if it was what they hoped it was, a sign of nothing more than a nanobacterium that had been dead a billion years. A verifiable radio signal, say, would be the biggest thing in human history. Even if it came from a source 15,000 lightyears away and translated out as the last message of despair sent out by the last survivor of a dead species, it would have *massive* philosophical, religious and scientific implications.
Their sequence is not random.
so a non-random sequence of prime numbers would indicate an intelligent source?
I agree it's a boondoggle, but it's more speculative than scientific. Sure, SETI employs some cool technology, but its purpose is certainly useless and its prospects most likely (IMO) futile.
It ought not be funded from forced exactions. I'm sure billions and billions of Saganists and UFOlogists would be happy to contribute voluntarily if they could keep a paying job.
WHOMP WHOMP...
WHOMP WHOMP WHOMP...
WHOMP WHOMP WHOMP WHOMP WHOMP...
WHOMP WHOMP WHOMP WHOMP WHOMP WHOMP WHOMP...
I love that scene.
'Contact' is a great movie. Watch it again.
SETI is entirely funded by voluntarily contributions. Its main source of data, currently, is radio astronomy used by tapping into the Arecibo Radio Telescope in Puerto Rico and pulling off signals in wavelengths that are not concurrently being investigated by other astronomers.
Their main methods of gathering data are piggy backing on existing systems in a non-interfering way, and using lots of 'backyard astronomy' with the assistance of amateurs.
You may consider it a waste of someone's time, but it is not a waste of your tax dollars. It's totally private.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.