Page: 1 2 Next > Jump to:  Bottom  Last Post
 keeperlink
Male, 30-39, Canada
 5 Posts
|
Friday, May 14, 2010 12:06:28 PM
Looks like he knows something and doesn't tell us :) |
|
 bigbangbilly
Male, 13-17, Eastern US
705 Posts
|
Wednesday, April 28, 2010 1:09:33 PM
Finding aliens doesn't mean finding good ones.
Just think of finding your own neighbor is a bully instead of a friend |
|
 Peveo4589
Male, 18-29, Eastern US
431 Posts
|
Wednesday, April 28, 2010 12:19:40 PM
sounds like Stephen Hawking has been watching Signs too much. |
|
 almightybob1
Male, 18-29, Europe
4278 Posts
|
Wednesday, April 28, 2010 8:24:15 AM
You guys should read Tau Zero by Poul Anderson. It's a great bit of scifi, about the problems of STL travel. Quite bleak and saddening at points, but very powerful. |
|
 Lionhart2
Male, 40-49, Australia
8285 Posts
|
Wednesday, April 28, 2010 4:56:40 AM
> Reignblazer
> Stephen Hawking... seems to like making ridiculous ideas sound plausible to increase his fame/controversy
He's an attention whore. Same reason he still uses a voice synthesizer than sounds like 1984 MacinTalk when there are realistic human-identical ones now - because this way, everyone knows its HIM. |
|
 Reignblazer
Male, 18-29, Europe
1559 Posts
|
Wednesday, April 28, 2010 2:58:34 AM
Stephen Hawking is a brilliant man to be sure.
He seems to like making ridiculous ideas sound plausible to increase his fame/controversy though.
Given his past theories relating to quantumphysics and 'alternate dimensions' & all that, i'm beginning to think he makes his evidence fit the theory rather than the theory fit the evidence. |
|
 StarDagger
Male, 40-49, Western US
1195 Posts
|
Wednesday, April 28, 2010 1:08:52 AM
WE will have FTL within 200 years, most likely less. I chuckle at all the arm chair scientists trying to sound smart by poo-pooing the idea of FTL.
Minds much more open shall find a way... |
|
Angilion
Male, 40-49, Europe
9556 Posts
|
Tuesday, April 27, 2010 11:24:56 PM
Actually, the far greater option is that mankind will never even get out of the solar system, and never meet anything which may or may not live out there. We believe its possible because of decades of sci-fi, but its just NOT.
Not now, no. Maybe in the future, with more efficient means of converting matter to energy and the strange effects of relatistic speeds.
Maybe our descendents will find some way to cheat their way around the speed limit with shortcuts.
But I doubt if either will happen in the lifetime of any of us here. |
|
Angilion
Male, 40-49, Europe
9556 Posts
|
Tuesday, April 27, 2010 11:13:52 PM
I've also speculated about "generational trip" where a man and a woman (or 2 men and 2 women) go into space at a young age (18-25), mate when they reach 30-35, and when their kids reach 15-20 they return trip.
If the ship nevers goes fast enough for time dilation to have a big effect, it doesn't get anywhere much in 25-35 years. If it does reach high enough speeds to get anywhere much, if they return they'll find millenia have passed on Earth. So maybe humans born millenia after the generation ship left will reach wherever it's going before it does (with some sort of pseudo-FTL drive invented in between). |
|
 vapor13
Male, 30-39, Southern US
118 Posts
|
Tuesday, April 27, 2010 11:12:07 PM
I thoroughly enjoyed Into The Universe this weekend when it aired. |
|
Angilion
Male, 40-49, Europe
9556 Posts
|
Tuesday, April 27, 2010 11:08:28 PM
Angilion, I think you grew up watching too much science fiction.
It's equally science fiction to assume all people from all spacefaring species are caring and gentle. Equally science fiction but more wishful thinking.
Even if it's true, all it means is that you won't need the weapons. Good.
Reason tends to side with a civilization advanced enough for space travel should be advanced enough to not senselessly murder other species.
Technology does not require gentleness. You are treating two different kinds of "advanced" as the same thing. Rome, for example. It was very advanced technologically, but aggressive and bloody.
Even if your hypothesis is true, it wouldn't rule out a less "advanced" society stealing the technology and using it to advance their technology very quickly.
Like ProXLaw, I advise caution when the stakes are our entire species. |
|
Angilion
Male, 40-49, Europe
9556 Posts
|
Tuesday, April 27, 2010 10:57:08 PM
mmm, Young grasshopper. is it the rock that hit you or you that hit rock?
it is we that should adapt to the universe, not the other way around, no?
It makes no difference. What hits what is only a matter of your frame of reference.
And no. We are intelligent tool-users. We adapt our surroundings to suit us. We just need to learn to do it better. |
|
 OldOllie
Male, 50-59, Midwest US
8751 Posts
|
Tuesday, April 27, 2010 9:37:42 PM
I agree with Stevie. All we need is for those idiots at SETI to give away our location, and the next thing we know, were slave labor in a cobalt mine on some God-forsaken asteroid in the outer fringes of the galaxy! |
|
 DrunkStepdad
Male, 40-49, Western US
207 Posts
|
Tuesday, April 27, 2010 9:13:23 PM
Maybe when the aliens take over they will let us all open up casinos. |
|
 elkingo
Male, 30-39, Eastern US
2324 Posts
|
Tuesday, April 27, 2010 8:14:05 PM
Lionhart, I think if we are going to discuss space travel, the biggest question for me, is how hard would it be to stay were we are for 6 months?
It seems to me, it would be more important to see what is on the other side of the sun first, as opposed to what is at the next star. |
|
 SilverThread
Male, 30-39, Western US
3360 Posts
|
Tuesday, April 27, 2010 7:47:52 PM
Ohh Crap Lionhart checks Universe Today as well!?
And yeah I tend to think the idea of us departing the Solar System with any hope of actually going *somewhere* is a good looooong ways out there.
*However* We do have a pretty frickin' awesome Solar System, apparently all to ourselves. Colonization of other planets and their moons doesn't seem too far fetched to my mind, and the fact is, it seems like a pretty damned good idea if we like the idea of the Human Race continuing to exist.
Either way I am with Mr. Hawking in his belief if for no other reason than the fear that *if* we met an alien species, there are enough stupid members of my own species that would do something irrational like starting a war for no good reason that it's probably best for all parties if we just keep to ourselves until we learn to coexist with all of the creatures that share our genus. |
|
Lionhart2
Male, 40-49, Australia
8285 Posts
|
Tuesday, April 27, 2010 7:10:18 PM
> Spider_sol
> But the far greater option is that they would search the billions of planets in billion of galaxies and be able to find one on which they don't have to destroy the native people
Actually, the far greater option is that mankind will never even get out of the solar system, and never meet anything which may or may not live out there. We believe its possible because of decades of sci-fi, but its just NOT.
To get to Proxima Centauri, the CLOSEST of the billions of stars out there, will take 81,000 years using the yet to be invented but not far away Ion Drive.
Here's a good website showing the reality of space travel. |
|
 Spider_sol
Male, 18-29, Midwest US
1454 Posts
|
Tuesday, April 27, 2010 6:40:09 PM
Angilion, I think you grew up watching too much science fiction.
Personally I think this is an option, some alien race may come to our planet and destroy us. But the far greater option is that they would search the billions of planets in billion of galaxies and be able to find one on which they don't have to destroy the native people.
If we ever get the technology for long distance space travel, we will have many unmanned scout ships going first (we already have some now). We won't choose an inhabited planet and destroy the natives.... I would hope.
Reason tends to side with a civilization advanced enough for space travel should be advanced enough to not senselessly murder other species. |
|
 Flashpacker
Male, 18-29, Europe
652 Posts
|
Tuesday, April 27, 2010 6:17:50 PM
@Angilion
"blow up that rock that was going to hit your ship/whatever."
mmm, Young grasshopper. is it the rock that hit you or you that hit rock?
it is we that should adapt to the universe, not the other way around, no? |
|
 LazyMe484
Male, 18-29, Canada
10503 Posts
|
Tuesday, April 27, 2010 6:13:36 PM
Or... we could be the ones doing the interstellar conquering, in which case it will be like Avatar, and there will be epic music. |
|
 IkeRay
Male, 18-29, Western US
2724 Posts
|
Tuesday, April 27, 2010 5:49:29 PM
scary to think I think just like Hawkings about the subject. I love space exploration, I'd love to see terraforming or really just how far through our solar system is feasible for a single trip (I've also speculated about "generational trip" where a man and a woman (or 2 men and 2 women) go into space at a young age (18-25), mate when they reach 30-35, and when their kids reach 15-20 they return trip. talk about giving your life for science, it might be unrealistic the way technology advances as in 30-50 years we might have overcome the exit velocity using up all the fuel and maybe create a faster form of travel w/o destroying the body during acceleration.
but I've told LOTS of people, lets hope the aliens aren't like humans. "look that one is running, shoot it quick!" "that one has holes, lets stick our [insert reproduction organ name] in it" |
|
Angilion
Male, 40-49, Europe
9556 Posts
|
Tuesday, April 27, 2010 5:27:34 PM
Why would an alien space ship have weapons on board?
Prudence. If you have no idea what's out there, have some way to defend yourself.
Aggression. Maybe there's something out there you want. Maybe someone else is out there and also wants it. Make sure you'll win.
Knowledge. Maybe you know that there are people out there like that. Maybe piracy occurs. Maybe it's like Elite out there.
They really thought "I better chuck some of this food out to fit in some nukes just incase I come across a liveable planet filled with smart monkeys".
If they can travel in space for long periods of time, they must have cracked the problem of carrying enough food.
Food is no use if you're dead because you couldn't fight back/blow up that rock that was going to hit your ship/whatever. |
|
 Asspenny
Male, 18-29, Midwest US
1358 Posts
|
Tuesday, April 27, 2010 4:38:32 PM
It's interesting in that, if we had the technology, and regardless of whether or not our planet was a waste land, we'd still probably try to annex the planet for our own needs. Nonetheless, I still think we should make contact. |
|
 Mr_Chubbles
Female, 13-17, Western US
290 Posts
|
Tuesday, April 27, 2010 4:26:45 PM
Well, they didn't get technologically advanced enough to come to earth be being NICE. And of all the bazillions of planets out there, who says we're the first ones they've come in contact with?
I do think they'd want to preserve some humans, however, cuz if you came across a species smart enough to transmit pictures of cats in less than a second, you'd want to keep some alive too. |
|
 Spocom
Female, 13-17, Southern US
712 Posts
|
Tuesday, April 27, 2010 3:15:20 PM
I think he's upset because aliens will never come for him... |
|
Page: 1 2 Next >
|
Back to Listing
){kind=avatar}
){kind=avatar}
){kind=avatar}
){kind=avatar}
){kind=avatar}
){kind=avatar}
){kind=avatar}
){kind=avatar}
){kind=avatar}
){kind=avatar}
){kind=avatar}
){kind=avatar}
){kind=avatar}
){kind=avatar}
){kind=avatar}
){kind=avatar}
){kind=avatar}
){kind=avatar}