British Astronomers Turn To Interstellar Spam

Barrista En Flambe alerts us to a stunt that may reflect the desperate funding crisis in British astronomy: astronomers have agreed to beam a 30-second Doritos ad to a solar system 42 light years from Earth. The transmission is being directed at the solar system of 47 Ursae Majoris, a star similar to the Sun which has planets and may have a habitable zone.

Another prowd British first!

[AmiMoJo]

Unfortunately this is a very good illustration of the problem we have in this country with R&D/science stuff. We used to be pioneers of technology, but these days people aren't interested.

My theory is because we have no society any more. One of Maggie Thatcher's most famous quotes is "there is no such thing as society". It's true, there isn't in modern Britain. Even when British people do achieve amazing things, we don't seem to care or make a big deal of it. Thus, anything which does not bring individuals obvious and immediate benefit becomes very hard to justify.