09-03-2007, 06:53 PM | #1 (permalink) |
I Confess a Shiver
|
The Golden Record
I got to thinking about that The Golden Record again. Hope in a can. It is up there, out there... far, far away... floating onward to destiny. ... I can't help but think about what I'd put in with it, what I feel represents us as a planet, as a species. ... I can't fuckin' believe they left SPAM out of that package! ... What would you have sent as a part of that deep space probe's payload? I think the infamous Kalashnikov automatic rifle and a slinky should have gone. Really show alien life how screwy we are on this spinning globe of funky blue/green! Any other good ideas? Last edited by Plan9; 09-04-2007 at 02:50 AM.. |
09-04-2007, 02:02 AM | #2 (permalink) |
Tilted
Location: British Columbia, Canada
|
As Douglas Adams has already answered this question for me, let me pass along his wisdom. The answer to everything is "42".
As for what I would have put in the can to illustrate humanity... a copy of Windows. A symbol of humanity's quest for productivity and efficiency so full of bugs ans security flaws that it sucks the life out of me every time I get the damn "Windows has detected a problem with..." box that pops up. Maybe someone out here can work out the bugs and beam us the ultimate patch!
__________________
"Forty-two," said Deep Thought, with infinite majesty and calm. |
09-04-2007, 05:36 AM | #3 (permalink) |
Playing With Fire
Location: Disaster Area
|
If they are out there, they already know how screwy we are. Our TV & radio signals have been beamed out into space, at the speed of light, for over 60 years (see 'Contact',w/Jodi Foster, Great Intro). These signals are traveling much faster than voyager.......God only knows how some ET will interpret that eclectic mix of humanities thoughts & ideas.......I hope the ET's are friendly, or we're royally screwed.
__________________
Syriana...have you ever tried liquid MDMA?....Liquid MDMA? No....Arash, when you wanna do this?.....After prayer... |
09-04-2007, 06:06 AM | #4 (permalink) |
I Confess a Shiver
|
Listening is one thing, but holding a shiny flat round thing in your hand is another.
So is holding a slinky with your alien tentacle paws. Or an AK47 assault rifle. ... 'Sides, any intelligent life out there will eventually intercept rerun episodes of Friends and automatically determine that our entire planet is completely barren of intelligence. |
09-04-2007, 06:21 AM | #5 (permalink) |
Playing With Fire
Location: Disaster Area
|
I can see the insight one might gain from personal contact with an ET object, but voyager is simply traveling to slow, it hasnt even reached the next system, Alpha Centauri. TV & radio signals seem more likely to really reach out, over 60 light years in all directions so far. Thats already past the 100 closest stars in this galaxy.
__________________
Syriana...have you ever tried liquid MDMA?....Liquid MDMA? No....Arash, when you wanna do this?.....After prayer... |
09-04-2007, 07:28 AM | #7 (permalink) |
Playing With Fire
Location: Disaster Area
|
No need for violence, I'll tell. It seems impossible to put anything in the can since its traveling along at such a high velocity, and I'm stuck here on Earth. However if I had a matter transfer device I'd beam over a roll of scotch tape, our highest technological achievement.
__________________
Syriana...have you ever tried liquid MDMA?....Liquid MDMA? No....Arash, when you wanna do this?.....After prayer... |
09-09-2007, 06:28 AM | #9 (permalink) | |
warrior bodhisattva
Super Moderator
Location: East-central Canada
|
Quote:
__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing? —Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön Humankind cannot bear very much reality. —From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot Last edited by Baraka_Guru; 09-09-2007 at 06:28 AM.. Reason: Reduced quotation |
|
09-09-2007, 06:39 AM | #10 (permalink) | |
Psycho
|
Quote:
There's a definite limit to how well one can resolve a signal from background noise. My gut tells me that to get anything useful an alien species would have to be pretty damn close to Earth. That is not to say they wouldn't be able to detect signals that came from Earth, thus proving that we're an "intelligent" species, they just would never be able to make anything coherent out of them much less see a rerun of friends or what have you. |
|
09-09-2007, 08:16 AM | #11 (permalink) | ||
Playing With Fire
Location: Disaster Area
|
Quote:
Quote:
__________________
Syriana...have you ever tried liquid MDMA?....Liquid MDMA? No....Arash, when you wanna do this?.....After prayer... Last edited by DaveOrion; 09-09-2007 at 08:21 AM.. Reason: Automerged Doublepost |
||
09-09-2007, 08:32 AM | #12 (permalink) | |
Une petite chou
Location: With All Your Base
|
a pencil and paper. they'll be obsolete soon.
photographs of people of every race, both genders and all ages. a candle and matches. george w. bush.
__________________
Here's how life works: you either get to ask for an apology or you get to shoot people. Not both. House Quote:
The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me. Ayn Rand
|
|
09-09-2007, 04:51 PM | #14 (permalink) | |
Wise-ass Latino
Location: Pretoria (Tshwane), RSA
|
Quote:
__________________
Cameron originally envisioned the Terminator as a small, unremarkable man, giving it the ability to blend in more easily. As a result, his first choice for the part was Lance Henriksen. O. J. Simpson was on the shortlist but Cameron did not think that such a nice guy could be a ruthless killer. -From the Collector's Edition DVD of The Terminator |
|
09-09-2007, 06:43 PM | #16 (permalink) | |
Psycho
|
Quote:
At distances of the earth and solar system even it's not as bad, but we have help we know the approximate location of the receivers and transmitters and of the stuff in between them, and all sorts of clever tricks make it possible for us to share information effectively. |
|
09-09-2007, 07:07 PM | #17 (permalink) |
Confused Adult
Location: Spokane, WA
|
how messed up would it be if they saw "star trek" and thought we were some advanced race?
I'd put a dick in the box, err I mean, youtubes greatest hits? err damn this is hard. Uh.. maybe a 12" vinyl cut of Heaven Scent, cuz somehow I wound up with 4 copies of the damn thing when "Groove" (the movie) made waves in the raver culture. (I still think that movie blew ass) |
09-09-2007, 07:09 PM | #18 (permalink) | ||
Playing With Fire
Location: Disaster Area
|
Actually you did say "never".
Quote:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SETI Quote:
__________________
Syriana...have you ever tried liquid MDMA?....Liquid MDMA? No....Arash, when you wanna do this?.....After prayer... |
||
09-09-2007, 07:35 PM | #19 (permalink) |
Super Moderator
Location: essex ma
|
i like to think that out there somewhere another group of beings gets to watch leave it to beaver.
dont you? and they get to watch everything else. i think that's enough.
__________________
a gramophone its corrugated trumpet silver handle spinning dog. such faithfulness it hear it make you sick. -kamau brathwaite |
09-10-2007, 07:20 AM | #21 (permalink) | |
Psycho
|
Quote:
I talked to my Electricity and Magnetism professor. He said it was plausible to send a communication of some sort to places even a 100 light years away, we have dishes large enough on earth that could also pick up such a message assuming the power was sufficient. He said that since tv signals are not generally pointed into sectors of space that it wouldn't be likely for aliens to ever see any tv show. |
|
09-10-2007, 08:50 AM | #23 (permalink) |
Wise-ass Latino
Location: Pretoria (Tshwane), RSA
|
I'd send them a Top Gear video.
__________________
Cameron originally envisioned the Terminator as a small, unremarkable man, giving it the ability to blend in more easily. As a result, his first choice for the part was Lance Henriksen. O. J. Simpson was on the shortlist but Cameron did not think that such a nice guy could be a ruthless killer. -From the Collector's Edition DVD of The Terminator |
09-10-2007, 11:48 AM | #26 (permalink) | |
still, wondering.
Location: South Minneapolis, somewhere near the gorgeous gorge
|
Quote:
We're listening to us right now. I'd send some silly virus. Or a nice picture of my mom with a brief explanation attached.
__________________
BE JUST AND FEAR NOT |
|
09-10-2007, 03:36 PM | #29 (permalink) | |
... a sort of licensed troubleshooter.
|
Quote:
|
|
09-18-2007, 10:05 AM | #30 (permalink) |
<Insert wise statement here>
Location: Hell if I know
|
I'd have to send up a potatoe. That way it would become their new staple food, then when the famine hits, they'd have to come here. Then I could steal a ship and get the hell outta here.
__________________
Apathy: The best outlook this side of I don't give a damn. |
Tags |
golden, record |
|
|