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| Personal background |
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Greetings! I'm a research Scientist for the New York State Department of Health in the Environmental Laboratory Approval Program. I study asbestos. My profession has sent me to important assignments in my field - mainly Libby, Montana and New York, New York after the World Trade Center attack. I am a musician and used to play bass in the Goth-rock band The Flying Buttresses. I also played bass in the Goth-rock band Kali Yuga from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. In addition to playing bass guitar, I've played alto saxophone for approximately 23 years. My major hobby is a cross between powerlifting and bodybuilding. I actively use techniques associated with each so I refer to myself as a weightlifter - but not of the Olympic variety. I am also an Amateur Radio Operator, KB2DSR -- I'm currently messing around with the Echolink voice over IP system. I have a pet turtle my daughter named Turtle.
I am a Skeptic and I write on Skeptical and Scientific topics at www.themadskeptic.com. On Twitter, I'm @themadskeptic. |
| Thoughts about SETI and SETI@home |
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1. I do think there is a good chance extraterrestrial life exists but I think we might be a little disappointed when we first find some. I'm moderately certain viruses, bacteria, or something similar, are the most likely candidates for the first extraterrestrial life discovered. More than likely, microbial life will be encountered during a Mars mission in the near future. My primary concern about discovering an extraterrestrial microbe is the potential effect on the Earth's biosphere. The potential for an unknown microbe to proliferate in a warm, water-rich environment is great. The effects of such a discovery are great and would include scientific fields as diverse as Geology and Biology not to mention the disruptive effect on so-called "pseudosciences" (I don't like the term "science" even loosely associated with these topics) like creationism.
Whether advanced life exists extra-terrestrially, I can't say. If I knew otherwise, I wouldn't be taking part in Seti@home!
2. Humans absolutely should send beacon messages and space probe/beacons into space. If there is a possibility of advanced extraterrestrial life existing somewhere in the cosmos we should try to make contact. The message we send should, probably, be mathematically based and include basic location information. If we keep the message simple, we have a better chance of it being understood. Of course, there is the remote possibility we have been sending cultural information for some time via satellite, television, and radio transmissions. Finally, the mere exercise of undertaking such a project would expand our knowledge of space and technology - having a beneficial effect in everyday society.
3. I run Seti@home to help find the truth about extraterrestrial intelligence and to take part in the largest computational effort in history. |
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