Should we be transmitting rather than listening ?

Shh! ITs all in the Roswell reports!

Actually it's a lot simpler than all that. nanu nanu. ET Phone Home?

i think the closest thing we have to alien contact has to be the WOW! signal. regardless, i suspect that it was probably the result of a star going supernova or something like that; being that it was so close to the hydrogen line. in regards to the transmission/reception debate, is it at all plausible that we are the oldest civilization? that is, if there are other civilizations out there at all. as vast and endless our universe is as we know it, our only hope is to send out a few message-in-a-bottles before we fade into cosmic oblivion. i for one know that there are other forms of consciousne... [More]

i for one know that there are other forms of consciousness out there. i have seen them, but i could still never tell you where they are... Are you saying you've visually 'seen' an extraterrestrial biological entity, or that you've somehow 'sensed' some type of ET consciousness? There's a bit of difference between these two forms of 'seeing'.

scientists would probably use recognition of a series of prime numbers to establish whether a signal source is intelligent or not.

scientists would probably use recognition of a series of prime numbers to establish whether a signal source is intelligent or not. As suggested by Carl Sagan? I've always wondered about that. Why do we assume that everyone would count the same as us? Is it because we've got 10 fingers (mostly), or is it to do with science? Seems a bit of an assumption to me, like the assumption that they'd use radio signals like us.

As suggested by Carl Sagan? I've always wondered about that. Why do we assume that everyone would count the same as us? Is it because we've got 10 fingers (mostly), or is it to do with science? Seems a bit of an assumption to me, like the assumption that they'd use radio signals like us. It's because mathematics are universal and the meaning of numbers doesn't change, regardless of name, if '3' is called 'monkey' it will always represent 3 units of something.

Radio signals have been "leaking" away in to space for a long time now, enough to reach the nearest stars. But it's not like some alien could tune in to a TV station. Even if the signal survived intact they would have absolutely no clue how to decypher it as they would need human technology (nor would we if we found incoming signals). All they would pick up is the same artificial radio signals which SETI is looking for our end; just a bunch of numbers that don't fit the rest of the universe, they can be distinguished from natural ones.

As suggested by Carl Sagan? I've always wondered about that. Why do we assume that everyone would count the same as us? Is it because we've got 10 fingers (mostly), or is it to do with science? Seems a bit of an assumption to me, like the assumption that they'd use radio signals like us. Prime numbers are prime numbers no matter what system or method of counting that you use.

I would use B.B.Q Ribs stacked up in three`s all sorted into nine piles of Three pound piles,with nineteen napkins,spaced by fourty two Ice Cold Beer`s and Loads of Fixxin`s to Please even the Biggest of Appitites! And then Top it off with some really bad Country Western Music. That outta Keep there massive intellects at bay until we can Pour the Salt water upon them t Desolve them.