Futurism
Lies, Damned Lies, and Deus Ex
17/04/05 19:34
When I started goofing around with computing and
technology nearly twenty-five years ago I was told
that the machine waited on me more than I waited on
it. And, that computers would make us so productive
that our work weeks would begin to get shorter.
They lied. Read More...
They lied. Read More...
The day sentient life on Earth changed. Forever
09/12/02 20:20
The Planetary Society is running
an article stating that the
Berkeley SETI@Home folks are going to
revisit their 100 best signal candidates for 24
hours in early 2003.
What happens to us, to humanity I mean, if one of those candiates turns out to be a genuine signal of extraterrestrial origin? Even if we cannot decode any of the content of the signal it will be sociologically shattering for many on this planet. If the signal is an intentional transmission meant to broadcast information there is a very real chance that we will be able to decode it. For a very good lay treatise on how we would go about doing so take a look at Beyond Contact: A Guide to SETI and Communicating with Alien Civilizations.
How will the religions of the world react? The Catholic church has already stated that the existence of extraterrestrial life is not at odds with their views. So the Catholics will simply drink one to our new found neighbors. *giggle* Scientology will do a press release stating that L. Ron's Operating Thetan spirit is manipulating MEST (Matter, Energy, Space, Time) to create the signal as the latest addition to the OT manuals.
Those of a scientific stripe, much as myself, will simply go on with life. Realizing that the Universe will never be the same again, with the knowledge that there are (or were) other sophonts out there. Even if we only find evidence of one other sentient race that the Universe became a much warmer and friendlier place than it was. Maybe, hopefully, it will force humanity into realizing just how insane we have been. Even though we may never communicate with another sentience, just the realization that there is another out there may rid us of our ability to act stupidly. I know, wishful thinking... but maybe it is the swift kick in the pants our race is in need of so badly.
Here's an even more interesting thought. When we recieve and decode the signal, what if it turns out to be the "boot-strap" signal? Encoded in this signal would be a program that teaches us how to solve the protien folding problem boot-strapping our society into full-blown nanotechnology a few hours later. Anyone who has seen Carl Sagan's wonderful Universal Clock quickly realizes that interesting things happen on a continually quicker basis. Humanity has arisen into a technological civilization in just the last second before midnite. What is there to keep us from transcendence into near god-hood in the millisecond before midnite? Especially with assistance from an extraterrestrial intelligence that has already made the transfiguration and understands that sentient life is the most valuable thing in the Universe and is doing everything it can to make sure that others don't kill themselves.
All it takes is one.
What happens to us, to humanity I mean, if one of those candiates turns out to be a genuine signal of extraterrestrial origin? Even if we cannot decode any of the content of the signal it will be sociologically shattering for many on this planet. If the signal is an intentional transmission meant to broadcast information there is a very real chance that we will be able to decode it. For a very good lay treatise on how we would go about doing so take a look at Beyond Contact: A Guide to SETI and Communicating with Alien Civilizations.
How will the religions of the world react? The Catholic church has already stated that the existence of extraterrestrial life is not at odds with their views. So the Catholics will simply drink one to our new found neighbors. *giggle* Scientology will do a press release stating that L. Ron's Operating Thetan spirit is manipulating MEST (Matter, Energy, Space, Time) to create the signal as the latest addition to the OT manuals.
Those of a scientific stripe, much as myself, will simply go on with life. Realizing that the Universe will never be the same again, with the knowledge that there are (or were) other sophonts out there. Even if we only find evidence of one other sentient race that the Universe became a much warmer and friendlier place than it was. Maybe, hopefully, it will force humanity into realizing just how insane we have been. Even though we may never communicate with another sentience, just the realization that there is another out there may rid us of our ability to act stupidly. I know, wishful thinking... but maybe it is the swift kick in the pants our race is in need of so badly.
Here's an even more interesting thought. When we recieve and decode the signal, what if it turns out to be the "boot-strap" signal? Encoded in this signal would be a program that teaches us how to solve the protien folding problem boot-strapping our society into full-blown nanotechnology a few hours later. Anyone who has seen Carl Sagan's wonderful Universal Clock quickly realizes that interesting things happen on a continually quicker basis. Humanity has arisen into a technological civilization in just the last second before midnite. What is there to keep us from transcendence into near god-hood in the millisecond before midnite? Especially with assistance from an extraterrestrial intelligence that has already made the transfiguration and understands that sentient life is the most valuable thing in the Universe and is doing everything it can to make sure that others don't kill themselves.
All it takes is one.