SETI Finds Interesting Signal 816
Several readers sent in notes about an interesting signal discovered by SETI. No real evidence of Someone Out There, but not fully explainable either. Another reader submits a blurb suggesting that aliens should send spacemail, not signals: "Rutgers electrical engineering professor, Christopher Rose, has an article on Nature magazine's cover today describing the most efficient way for our civilization to be discovered by aliens. On this question of better to 'write or radiate', his conclusions: better not to send radio transmission, when physical media like DNA on an asteroid can declare a terrestrial presence. Similar to what motivated Voyager scientists to attach a plaque for the outbound trip. Rose has some great information payload sizes as examples (like the entire information equivalent for our global genome fitting on a 100 pound laptop!)."
I for one... (Score:2, Funny)
(Sorry, it had to be done...)
Waste of time (Score:5, Funny)
Well, someone has to say it... (Score:1, Funny)
Oh, and to be on topic, here's some other interesting signals... [setileague.org].
DNA Over Signal (Score:5, Funny)
Tragic misunderstanding (Score:4, Funny)
Hmm (Score:4, Funny)
Re:DNA Over Signal (Score:1, Funny)
Menu? (Score:1, Funny)
I'd rather not send a menu with the greeting.
Re:Time to go find the dog (Score:1, Funny)
Re:Waste of time (Score:5, Funny)
Finally! (Score:5, Funny)
When translated the signal reads... (Score:2, Funny)
100 Pound Laptop (Score:2, Funny)
Atari (Score:2, Funny)
Do they know about the magnet? Can they get the chalice across walls?
DAMNIT! (Score:3, Funny)
Oh well, it's probably aliens requesting to be removed from our spam email list.
Re:send engineered DNA (Score:5, Funny)
Everybody knows that if you send some genetically engineered organism into the vastness of space, it will only return far more advanced - and destroy us for sending it's ancestors to a dark and empty prison.
Duh.
Re:SETI finds a signal? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Waste of time (Score:3, Funny)
We're moving so fast that you never see us, but we're there.
Re:face it (Score:4, Funny)
The other option is a return message on a plaque, depicting a male alien with really large reproductive organs. That'll tell us, more than almost anything else, what sort of mentality we're dealing with.
When the signal was finally translated... (Score:5, Funny)
Don't worry, NASA scientists have already modded them down.
Re:100 Pound Laptop (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Waste of time (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Waste of time (Score:5, Funny)
The canonical announcement is... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:SETI finds a signal? (Score:2, Funny)
I call alien deception... (Score:3, Funny)
Alien_sidekick"Hey boss, how we gonna do that without the latest hyperspace frequency propagator? All we have is the older Rev A."
Alien_mastermind"Don't worry about a thing! They'll never pick up on that. It only drifts about 32 Hz--good enough for government work!"
Re:Old Mindset (Score:1, Funny)
I'd stay with spears. Archers suck in Civ III. Now if you can get to steel, you get Legions, or if you were smart (and played the Japanese) then you get SAMURAI, which basically means that you are Jim A. Badass during the middle ages, as long as the Barbarians don't eat all the iron on your continent.
Re:I for one... (Score:5, Funny)
Decode.c: the signal decoded says... (Score:4, Funny)
More importantly...... (Score:3, Funny)
Alien one: what was that! Was it the martians was it the centaurians?
Alien two: Naw prolly some race that just invented warp speed, give them a couple of thousand years and then they will invent warp brakes.
Re:Waste of time (Score:4, Funny)
Send them a free iPod with data on it (Score:3, Funny)
Ooh! And some Viagra. That should show how far our race has advanced.
Re:Waste of time (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Waste of time (Score:2, Funny)
just don't think.... (Score:2, Funny)
Perhaps a few hours of late night TV commercials might be more appropriate. Give them something to ponder on. If they are dumb enough to investigate it, we'll have the upper hand. If they are smart enough to recognize that we are bad news and probably loony tunes, they might leave us alone, and we really don't want *smarter* ETs swinging by, do we?
Re:Tragic misunderstanding (Score:3, Funny)
Food and Fuel Next Exit (Score:3, Funny)
Re:DNA Over Signal (Score:3, Funny)
Re:SETI finds a signal? (Score:2, Funny)
Re:DNA Over Signal (Score:5, Funny)
Well, it's a feel-good PR thing and it probably cost next-to-nothing relative to the overall project and it maybe it helped get the project through appropriations.
"Look, here's our interplanetary probe, and oh, we've engraved our likeness on a plaque with a greeting in case anyone finds it! *wink*"
"Remarkable! What do you think aliens would do if they found it?"
"Oh, it's likely that an intelligent alien civilization will want to find the makers of this probe and pay us a visit to share their knowledge. Isn't that nice!?"
meanwhile, just outside the orbit of Neptune...
"Hey Glargh, look at this..."
"Oh, how cute -- another one of those 'hey, we are here please come visit' things. What should we do?"
"You know standing order #412,323.443!"
"Oh, right -- let's make it look like an accident. Hey, here's a nice, big asteroid in a goofy orbit between the 4th and 5th planet -- just a little nudge... there. Now, in about 100 orbital rotations or so, they'll get a visit they'll never forget!"
"Glargh, its moments like these when it all seems worthwhile."
Re:Waste of time (Score:5, Funny)
Great while we're at it, let's also send them a Macintosh floppy disk. To make it fun, nobody tell them if its big or little endian. Anyone in the universe up for some GACTAGATTGAC?
Re:DNA Over Signal (Score:5, Funny)
My God, it's full of primes! Seriously! (Score:2, Funny)
Folks, we're not alone any more. Once you get the data file, plot it as a function and get a best-fit polynomial approximation for (it's not terribly complex). Take the second derivative.
Now, notice that there are lots of places where the new graph will almost touch zero (coming within 4% of mean) then reverse direction, but in other places the line continues right across zero like a typical sine curve. Also note that the zero-crossings and near-zero-crossings are at almost regular intervals.
Next, assign an arbitary "zero" to those places where the graph reverses direction suddenly, and "one" to the actual roots. String those zeros and ones together.
Starting at 11.32 seconds into the signal, I got a string of 11 ones then a zero, then 13 ones and a zero, then 17 and a zero, then 19, then 23, then 29, then 31, then 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, and so on until the resolution falls off at about 43.87 seconds.
You heard it here first, Slashdotters. We're not alone anymore! I'm literally trembling while I type this. WE HAVE NEIGHBORS!!!
I'm not sure what the name of the data file meant, but I guess we'll know more when their server comes back online.
Alien Message... DECODED! (Score:5, Funny)
Let me start by introducing myself. I am Sub-Commander Qulon Zarg, credit officer of the Trans Galactic Bank Ltd. I have a concealed business suggestion for you. Before the Pulson/Darius war our client Overlord Argus Vader who was with the Gandor Star Force and also business man made a numbered fixed deposit for 18 calendar months, with a value of Twenty millions Five Hundred Thousand Zerglian Dollars only in my branch. Upon maturity several notice was sent to him, even during the war early this year. Again after the war another notification was sent and still no response came from him. We later find out that the General and his family had been killed during the war in bomb blast that destroyed their entire planet. After further investigation it was also discovered that Overlord Argus Vader did not declare any next of kin in his official papers including the paper work of his bank deposit. And he also confided in me the last time he was at my office that no one except me knew of his deposit in my bank.
So, Twenty millions Five Hundred Thousand Zerglian Dollars is still lying in my bank and no one will ever come forward to claim it. What bothers me most is that according to the to the laws of my country at the expiration 3 years the funds will revert to the ownership of the Episilon Prime Government if nobody applies to claim the funds. Against this backdrop, my suggestion to you is that I will like you as a foreigner to stand as the next of kin to Overlord Argus Vader so that you will be able to receive his funds.
WHAT IS TO BE DONE:
I want you to know that I have had everything planned out so that we shall come out successful. I have contacted an attorney that will prepare the necessary document that will back you up as the next of kin to Overlord Argus Vader, all that is required from you att his stage is for you to provide me with your Full Names and Address so that the attorney can commence his job. After you have been made the next of kin, the attorney will also fill in for claims on your behalf and secure the necessary approval and letter of probate in your favor for the move of the funds to an account that will be provided by you.There is no risk involved at all in the matter as weare going adopt a legalized method and the attorney will prepare all the necessary documents. Please endeavor to observe utmost discretion in all matters concerning this issue. Once the funds
have been transferred to your nominated bank account we shall share in the ratio of 70% for me, 25% for you and 5% for any expenses incurred during the course of this operation. Should you be interested please send me your private phone and fax numbers for easy communication and I will provide you with more details of this operation. Your earliest response to this letter will be appreciated.
Kind Regards,
Sub-Commander Qulon Zarg
Re:DNA Over Signal (Score:2, Funny)
Ya, send a bunch of aliens pictures of humans and animals... and pray that they don't think it's a menu.
I'll go with weak radio signals, thanks.
I Know This About Intelligent Life in the Universe (Score:3, Funny)
first message from aliens: (Score:1, Funny)
That stupid SETI@home thing doesn't work. (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Coral Cache Ineffective (Score:5, Funny)
You foolish humans and your 'universal' time. We from Persei Omicron 8 will smash you for your arrogance!
100 pound laptop? (Score:3, Funny)
You want me to send them my old TRS-80 Model 4P [digibarn.com]?
Re:DNA Over Signal (Score:3, Funny)
Jesus Christ. Voyager: Veeger, get it? Or have you forgotten the one with the transporter accident where the Vulcan gets beamed onboard and then sent back and doesn't quite arrive in one piece? You know, the one with the theme song that was used when a Frenchman was Captain...
It's only the worst Star Trek movie ever made...
Re:But ... (Score:1, Funny)
Re:I for one... (Score:4, Funny)
Did I miss something or is it the first time the overlords are supposed to be intelligent?
That might be something to welcome indeed.
Brilliant (Score:2, Funny)
Some claim that the best proof of extraterrestial intelligence is that they have _NOT_ attempted to contact us...
If extraterrestial lifeforms will ever show up, it will Vogons coming be to clear away this pathetic planet..
Go ahead Bush, don't let them get that chance, blow up the planet
Re:1 is not prime (Score:3, Funny)
But if we do, our reply should start out "You dumbass,
Re:DNA Over Signal (Score:3, Funny)
s/deflect/get mushed by/g
HTH, HAND.
-- Pete.
My God, it's full of trolls!!! (Score:3, Funny)
Re:It definitely comes from earth (Score:2, Funny)
Get a life, you people (Score:5, Funny)
Re:DNA Over Signal (Score:1, Funny)
Re:Forget the math for a second (Score:3, Funny)
Oh wait...
Re:Waste of time (Score:1, Funny)
Re:Waste of time (Score:1, Funny)
Yeah, I saw this line and was like "What are we communicating with a race of giants?"
Some of the 17 inch screen laptops get pretty big, but who has a 100 pound one? screw that I'll stick with my sony vaio picturebook, I don't care if the screen is too small to see some menus!
Re:Waste of time (Score:1, Funny)
I always suspected they were married --