| Personal background |
|---|
I am a 43 year old informatiker and part-time opera-singer working im Germany
(British).
I have a bachelor's degree in Economics and Russian and a master's degree in
Computer Science (albeit I don't think they are of much use anymore!)
After I got my master's degree I wanted to work for NASA - I even applied, but
somehow I ended up here in Germany where I have been writing software for real-
time industrial applications for (almost) the last 20 years - God, it is time
for something NEW!
I use my old computers (3 x 133MHz and 1 x 233MHz cpu's, running Linux) for the
number-crunching - it gives them something useful to do, I can't bear
parting with an old computer as long as it is still running - and my computer
at work, when I am not doing something useful with it ;). I occasionally have
to program, mostly in C/C and shell-programming and (system and network)
administration.
I sing for relaxation. Perhaps a radio broadcast sending out my voice will be
captured by an alien civilisation - a sure guarantee that they will avoid the
earth in the near future!
|
| Thoughts about SETI and SETI@home |
|---|
1.
Extraterrestrial life must exist. I cannot believe that our earth or solar-
system is unique. Space is SOOO big, there must be life somewhere else!
However it is going to take a LOOOONG time to find it. I don't think there will
be either benefits (or disadvantages) from finding it however, as the
distances will not allow any meaningful exchange of ideas and/or solutions
between our civilisations. As much as I admire Star Trek, warp-drive and worm-
holes etc. I cannot ever imagine that we will be able to travel through space.
Anyway, if they are going to be clever enough to find our signals, then they
are going to be either too dumb to understand them or too clever to be impressed
by them. Imagine a little green-man seeing long lost episodes of Gilligan's
Island!
2.
SETI is using the correct approach. It doesn't matter what we send (or find), it
is the knowledge itself, that other civilisations exist, that is importent. Any
signal will do (even Gilligan's Island - I used to watch it on British
television when I was a boy and liked it)
3.
See above (old computers, NASA etc.) I think the project is importent, it will
be a humbling experience to finally prove we are not alone. My only suggestion
is that the project runs a lot longer. Space is so vast and radio waves don't
just appear, they are travelling. What we see today (or don't) may be there in
10, 100, 1000 years in the future. |
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