|
| Personal background |
|---|
I was born in Crema, Italy, in 1971 and an engineer by education... I hope not so "square" as people usually consider engineers... Apart from working in the field of electronics/telecom, I sing in a band, play guitar, write stuff I wouldn't ever call poetry (some of my very few readers do, blame them) and generally put my nose where curiosity leads me.
I am a frantic reader of basically anything, and I've always been fascinated by space and its exploration. I was an avid devourer of Sci-Fi books, and still am, to an extent, while the years have brought more interest in all other genres. The thought of going back to school and getting degree in theoretical physics has not yet left me - I take it as a good sign. Perhaps one day I'll do it. My fascination with this branch of physics comes from the writings of Stephen Hawking and others (Kip Thorne, just to mention another) and the idea that "whatever is out there" can be understood -including alien intelligence, I guess. |
| Thoughts about SETI and SETI@home |
|---|
I think, quoting a famous movie/book that if no other intelligent race in addition to ours exists out there, well, "it would be an awful waste of space." Other, more scientific kinds of explanations about this point out this fact: the probability that other intelligent beings exist out there is not zero.
It is very difficult to say if and when we might find conclusive evidence that other intelligences exist, but I think it's worth it. I think of this eventual discovery as a de-provincialization of the human race. Knowing someboy else is out there helps one to put oneself into perspective (if the immensity of the Universe compared to our minuscole size were not enough already).
Discovery of such intellingences is hugely easier, in my opinion, than having the chance to communicate with them, being limited, as it seems we are, by the speed of light, but theoretically this exchange of information could be a major breakthrough for us.
I think we should also send a beacon for others to find. The plaques placed on the voyager probes is a good example of what information we could send out. Perhaps the message could also contain a protocol to be used in case another race wants to send a reply to us, so that listening to that "ringtone" we could be instantly alerted.
I run Seti@Home because I want to participate in this search, give my little contribution (wish I had more computers to run it!). Going back to the begninning of this project
I think it's worth to mention what its promoters said when they started it: "Few will deny the profound importance, practical and philosophical, which the detection of interstellar communications would have. We therefore feel that a discriminating search for signals deserves a considerable effort. The probability of success is difficult to estimate, but if we never search the chance of success is zero." - Giuseppe Cocconi and Philip Morrison, 1959
|
| Your feedback on this profile |
|---|
| Recommend this profile for User of the Day: |
I like this profile |
| Alert administrators to an offensive profile: |
I do not like this profile |
|
|
