After 35 Years, Another Message Sent From Arecibo 249
0xdeadbeef writes "Two weeks ago, MIT artist-in-residence Joe Davis used the Arecibo radio telescope to send a message to three stars in honor of the 35th anniversary of the famous Drake-Sagan transmission to M13 in 1974. It was apparently allowed but not endorsed by the director of the facility, and used a jury-rigged signal source on what will now be known as the 'coolest iPhone in the world.' The message encoded a DNA sequence, but no word yet on whether it disabled any alien shields. You can get the low-down on Centauri Dreams: Part 1, Part 2."
We are here! Come and get us! (Score:5, Funny)
We are very tasty snacks! Here, have our DNA, and grow some appetizers for the long journey!
Re:Practical joke (Score:5, Funny)
Without any context --- e.g., our biochemistry, amino acid structure, nature of DNA --- this message amounts to about the worst practical joke in the history of interstellar communication. It has a relatively non-random structure, so clearly must mean something, and yet they'll never figure it out.
But if they do figure it out, we'll get a message a century from now: "Delicious! Do you have any other recipes?"
The message (Score:5, Funny)
Dear citizens of Centauri. I have a large sum of gold, 300 metric tons, I need to move off planet. If you'll deposit a small transfer fee, 3 metric tons of gold, in a local bank I will make arrangements to ship the gold to you. Signed crowned prince of Iowa.
Re:Just don't take any calls (Score:5, Funny)
Re:And it was (Score:5, Funny)
Send More Funding
I'm sure they won't be waiting any longer than usual for a response.
Re:Wishful thinking (Score:5, Funny)
This just in - they got a response:
Dear Earthling,
Hello! I am a creature from a galaxy far away, visiting your planet.
I have transformed myself into this text file. As you are reading it, I
am having sex with your eyeballs. I know you like it because you are
smiling. Please pass me on to someone else because I'm really horny.
Yo astronomers, I'm really happy for ya... (Score:5, Funny)
Rickroll (Score:5, Funny)
We could have rickrolled them so they could get a taste of our culture!
Re:Wishful thinking (Score:4, Funny)
Re:The message was so lame (Score:5, Funny)
[_] At our nearest stellar neighbour, Soviet Centaurans serve YOU. (yum yum thx 4 gene seq bzzzt!)
[_] Your call is important to us. Please stay on the line. Your call is important to us. Please stay
[_] What? Can you hear me now? What? Frakking Aldebaran Telephone and Telecommunications! Get me a Droid!
[_] Get the base ships ready to jump! We've found the 13th colony!
[_] Oh shit. Spaceballs! Oh well, there goes the galaxy
[_] What, is your planet still there? The highway goes through next wee, you know!
[_] The
[_] The borg collective are pissed off at how you've portrayed them. They'll be in your area soon to "discuss it." BTW, we're calling first dibs on your planet.
[_] Sorry, we don't want any illegal aliens in the neighborhood. Please go to another quadrant or we'll have to report you.
[_] Why did the zhicvben cross the whowde? To get to the other side! Thank you, thank you. I'm here all diurnal-periods-times-7. Try the phizch.
[_] That is the most odious and obscene collection of insults and violations of universal taboos any alien race has ever sent our way. Prepare to die, earth scum! We will be avenged!
Let's hope that either they're not there, or they can't hear us if they are, or if they can hear us, they can't reach us, because the odds are that what we'll have is a failure to communicate.
we can't even communicate properly between spouses - it's an incredible conceit to think we could get it right first time with an alien species, and not break any taboo, or accidently insult them ... of that they'd be friendly.
Survival of the fittest means that the predators get to the top of the heap. Don't invite predators unless you *know* that you're better able to defend yourself than they are.
Contact with aliens on an iphone (Score:1, Funny)
There's an app for that!
Re:And it was (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Wishful thinking (Score:4, Funny)
Not in my lifetime.
Re:Wishful thinking (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Wishful thinking (Score:1, Funny)
Re:iPhone? (Score:4, Funny)
Exactly. I don’t think the phone model would have been mentioned (and with a wink nonetheless) that way if it were another phone.
Besides: Even a iPhone that sent stuff to another planet and got a reply, can’t beat a Linux running Nokia N900 with built-in full root access, from a company whose phones had SSH terminal software available for more than seven years now. </proper-geek-fanboyism> ;)
Re:Wishful thinking (Score:4, Funny)
Not in my lifetime.
But maybe mine. I plan on living to be at least 500, hopefully more. So far, so good.
Re:Yo astronomers, I'm really happy for ya... (Score:2, Funny)
Re:And it was (Score:5, Funny)
No, it was - "Kids and grown ups love it so, the happy world of Arecibo"
Re:Wishful thinking (Score:1, Funny)
Dear Earthling,
I have been requested by the Inter Planetary Resource Foundation to contact you for assistance in resolving a matter. The Inter Planetary Resource Foundation has recently concluded a large number of contracts for resource exploration in the Alpha Centauri region. The contracts have immediately produced moneys equalling $40,000,000 in your currency. The Inter Planetary Resource Foundation is desirous of resource exploration in other parts of the galaxy, however, because of certain regulations of the Galactic council, it is unable to move these funds to another region.
Your assistance is requested to assist the Inter Planetary Resource Foundation in moving these funds out of the region. If the funds can be transferred to your name, in your Earthling bank account, then you can forward the funds as directed by the Inter Planetary Resource Foundation . In exchange for your accomodating services, the Inter Planetary Resource Foundation would agree to allow you to retain 10%, or US$4 million of this amount.
However, to be a legitimate transferee of these moneys according to Nigerian law, you must presently be a depositor of at least US$100,000 in a bank which is regulated by the Inter Planetary Resource Foundation.
If it will be possible for you to assist us, we would be most grateful. Please reply to this message at your earliest convenience.
Re:Yo astronomers, I'm really happy for ya... (Score:5, Funny)
No, this is the real reply. [nasa.gov]
You did WHAT?!? (Score:3, Funny)
You do realise that sending a message with an Apple product is tantamount to declaring war? Goddammit, did you not see that documentary with the MacBook?
Re:Wishful thinking (Score:3, Funny)
Except that Alpha Centauri's staggeringly advanced "alien" technology has solved this problem long, long ago.
Unfortunately, they have also developed staggeringly advanced spam filters that will dump our message in the "junk" folder.
Again? (Score:4, Funny)
I wonder if we are going to get one back: "Can you keep the ^%£$&^$*$&^ noise down!"
Re:Ok really? (Score:3, Funny)
So why not spend research money doing things that we know are going to work.
"If we knew what we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?"
- Albert Einstein
The ad reborn (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Glass half full of aliens (Score:3, Funny)
Oh, hey! We were about to build a hyperspace bypass through your solar system. But now that we know it's inhabited, we'll reroute that and give you an on-ramp.
Haven't I read this from somewhere before... Except they didn't reroute the hyperspace bypass.