Space/Science — HabitableZone

Space/Science » in reply to Have you considered the implications of your actions?

re: Have you considered the implications of your actions?
James Brown — (archived)

Since I’m only looking for beacons and the nearest star that I look for is still about 10 light years away we would have at least 10 years to decide what to do with a confirmed contact. I would be in favor of linking Google directly to the upload and letting them have at it.

As I look back on it I have spent my entire life attempting to communicate in one way or another. My first attempt was when a neighbor gave me a pin ball machine, which I promptly tore apart. This was about 1950. I then built a telegraph between downstairs (my lair) and upstairs (my little brother’s bedroom). After I had all the wires strung around the house and got my bother in place to field the first message, I pressed the key and a shot of flame tore up the wall where I had the wires to the upstairs connected. It flashed into my brother’s bedroom and caught the receiving station on fire. Needless to say I had a wiring problem.

From there I went onto become a Ham at 14, a radio station engineer at 19, a internet user before there was an internet (I had a BBS system), cell phone control of a truck 2,200 miles away to SETI. It seems that my life has been all about communication so you can see that I’m especially ‘tuned in’ too communication.

I watched the results of a group whose charter it was to construct the protocol on first communication with ET. They were busy laying out the format of how the telegram should be worded and who it should be sent to. This was just at the start of the internet and it was obvious that they were being overtaken by technology but just didn’t realize it. I gave up on them. I don’t think an equivalent group has been assembled yet.

When we make the first confirmed signal from an ET I want to be alive. I need to know how the human race will come to terms with a non-human race for the first time. I want to see how the politicians react and if it brings at the worlds people together against a common (perceived) enemy.

It will be an amazing story.

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