maddash wrote:That people have seen an unidentified flying object? Yes
That the UFO is alien in nature? No
Mark me down in that column.
Me too.
We have guys at work running SETI at home, and even use that as a "burn-in" test for our new computers. So far, no luck. The window of opportunity has probably already passed - if you were going to hear something you probably were going to hear it right away. What are the odds that the signal is just a year or two away?
I don't doubt that there are other life forms in the universe. It's a big place.
maddash wrote:That people have seen an unidentified flying object? Yes
That the UFO is alien in nature? No
Mark me down in that column.
Me too.
We have guys at work running SETI at home, and even use that as a "burn-in" test for our new computers. So far, no luck. The window of opportunity has probably already passed - if you were going to hear something you probably were going to hear it right away. What are the odds that the signal is just a year or two away?
I don't doubt that there are other life forms in the universe. It's a big place.
I agree. I think the chances that there's life on other planets is pretty good... given the vast nature of the universe and how we think life evolved here on this planet (well, at least the scientific explanation). But the idea that an alien race could achieve the technology to fly to Earth and crash? Or achieve that technology, fly to Earth, and make their presence known to even one person? That's just implausible. How could an alien race have the technology to essentially break the laws of physics as we know them to get here, but not hide themselves from us? To take a page out of the Star Trek book, a "prime directive" almost has to be a certainty for a civilization that advanced.
2. the odds of intelligent life elsewhere than earth - lower, but still high.
3. the odds of intelligent life elsewhere than earth right now - medium (think of how long there have been intelligent life here, 5,000 or so out of 5,000,000,000 years the planet has existed).
4. the odds of intelligent life elsewhere than earth right now that are also technologically advanced enough - low (we've had serious technology, that could even pretend to be interested in other planets for about 50 years of the 5,000,000,000 the planet has existed).
5. the odds of intelligent life elsewhere than earth right now that are also technologically advanced enough and near enough to earth for us to care - very low (if there's a civilization as advanced as us 20,000,000 light years away, we will know of them in 20,000,000 years... not really relevant to anything).
6. the odds any of them have visited us recently, and chose to speak with - of all people - some drunk redneck on his way home from a barn dance - nil.
arnie.k wrote:
4. the odds of intelligent life elsewhere than earth right now that are also technologically advanced enough - low (we've had serious technology, that could even pretend to be interested in other planets for about 50 years of the 5,000,000,000 the planet has existed).
6. the odds any of them have visited us recently, and chose to speak with - of all people - some drunk redneck on his way home from a barn dance - nil.
The universe is approximately 13.7 billion years old. Humans are approximately 200,000 years old. We're pretty new to the party here, thanks to the damn dinosaurs, luckily a meteor took them out. I don't think it's that hard to believe that maybe another society on another planet got a couple million year head start on us, and in that time developed technology we can't even comprehend.
And you're 6th point is such a cliched misconception. It's not just drunk rednecks who are coming forward with information. Pilots, astronauts, other nasa employees, military, government officials have all reported things.
JCShutout wrote:I think its possible that a species on another planet might have achieved advanced space travel, and I'll conced that its possible that they might have visited this star system, as much as anything is possible, but I highly doubt it, especially considering the billions of stars in this galaxy, and how long it would take another race to explore it. I also doubt it because of just how long it would take to travel to even a close star even at light speed.
Its just as likely that another species is still in the stone age, or killed themselves off with some version of chemical/nuclear weapons.
arnie.k wrote:
4. the odds of intelligent life elsewhere than earth right now that are also technologically advanced enough - low (we've had serious technology, that could even pretend to be interested in other planets for about 50 years of the 5,000,000,000 the planet has existed).
6. the odds any of them have visited us recently, and chose to speak with - of all people - some drunk redneck on his way home from a barn dance - nil.
The universe is approximately 13.7 billion years old. Humans are approximately 200,000 years old. We're pretty new to the party here, thanks to the damn dinosaurs, luckily a meteor took them out. I don't think it's that hard to believe that maybe another society on another planet got a couple million year head start on us, and in that time developed technology we can't even comprehend.
And you're 6th point is such a cliched misconception. It's not just drunk rednecks who are coming forward with information. Pilots, astronauts, other nasa employees, military, government officials have all reported things.
i never said there weren't societies like that. i said the odds are low, and that the odds are lower that they are close enough for anyone to care.
and the sixth point was a joke. should i have used a different color font?
