| Personal background |
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I am thirty-seven years of age. I live in a village in Warwickshire, Great Britain with my parents. I moved back here when I graduated from polytechnic, thinking it would be temporary. Not as temporary as I thought.
I graduated from Coventry Polytechnic with a degree in combined engineering, specialising in manufacturing. After doing various part-time courses I am currently doing a part-time, distance learning course in computer programming in JAVA. This will hopefully (unlike the other courses I have studied) lead onto better employment prospects.
Job wise I work as a laboratory technician for a civil engineering company. Where, amongst other things, I test geological samples for effective stress.
My hobbies and interests include reading, astronomy, SETI (that was a bit obvious!), history, archeology (with a cautious interest in alternative archeology), practical conservation work, green issues and training at the gymnasium. |
| Thoughts about SETI and SETI@home |
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I think that extraterrestrial life is probably quite widespread. However extraterrestrial intelligence is likely to be a lot rarer. Look at our own history. We have only got to where we are after a long time and some lucky breaks (if we stay at a high level is not guaranteed either). I think that we will discover it either with radio telescopes or possibly with sighting astronomical anomalies which could only be caused by massive, artificial intervention.
What would happen in a first contact situation is anyones guess. Some science fiction plots and first contact situations in our own history are just some ideas. Although it is not certain that extraterrestrial intelligence would be benevolent, I would like to think that it is. I do feel fairly optimistic about this. However, even then I think that they will have to contact us in a careful, responsible fashion. Hopefully people have become accustomed to the idea, so it would not be too much of a shock.
Putting out a beacon is probably not necessary, with all the radio signals that there are escaping into space. Although I agree with the principles of SETI, looking for signals and possibly replying. I do not know if it is a good idea to over advertise our presence with a beacon. There is, after all, no guarantee that all extraterrestrial intelligences would be friendly (as much as I would like to think that they are).
SETI is something that I have been interested in for as long as I can remember just about. When I was a small child in the late sixties-early seventies 'Star Trek' and 'The Clangers' were two of my favourite television programmes (I will still watch them now!). Being a small part of SETI, via SETI@Home, is a great honour. It makes one feel that we are contributing to the greater good of humanity and, hopefully, to any intelligences that we may encounter. |
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