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| Personal background |
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| I'm a 23 year old web developer from New Jersey. I've been interested in space (manned exploration, astronomy, etc) for as long as I can remember. Currently my hobbies include aviation, computer and video games, cars, and computers. So of course when I found out about SETI@home a few years ago, I had to sign up. |
| Thoughts about SETI and SETI@home |
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I think that the chances are overwhelming that ET life *does* exist. And I think that our best chances of finding it are through SETI. The effects of such a find are unclear. As the saying goes, "We may be alone. We may not be alone. Either way, the thought is staggering". If it does happen, it will probably be from what? Hundreds? Thousands of light years away? When we do find it, the next day will be much like the day before. We won't be talking to them. We won't be learning secrets, but it will be worth it. We'll know somewhere in the inky void, another world's looking up at their own sky. And probably another, and another after that. This is good science. It will help our understanding of the universe.
As for a beacon, it's a great idea. If we can't find them, maybe they can find us. It must be an obvious pattern, one that will not be mistaken for noise. A mathematical signal would likley be the best "universal" language. A way of demonstrating "Hey, we're intelligent!" It wouldn't have to be complex. A series of prime numbers could work. The trick is sending something that they'll recognize. If we're sending media, the type of content placed on Voyager would be a good start. Perhaps sounds and images, scenes of the Earth, people, and entertainment.
I run it to contribute. Because I want to know. From the time I was a little, I can remember wanting to be an astronaut, to feel weightless, to go to Mars. I wondered who else was having these thoughts. Do alien children look up and dream of being astronauts too? Is that giving too much human character to civilizations we know nothing about? What thoughts and feelings are universal? Which are human? With noone to compare ourselves to, we don't know if love, humor, or others that we take for granted as universal are just our quirks! These are thoughts I have every day. I have doubts about SETI. But the great thing is that it only has to work once! That's why I run it. No matter how small the chance of finding that whisper from the dark, we have to try. |
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