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| Personal background |
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My name is Scott Selke and for the last eleven years I have been living in Colorado. I was raised an Air Force brat and was on active duty with the Air Force for over 8 years myself. Growing up in the military gave me a deep interest in technology and science that has only grown as I've gotten older. I am also a huge fan of science fiction, which I credit for my interest in the SETI project. I am a devoted family-man, with a wonderful and beautiful wife, three kids of my own and two step-kids, and more pets than I care to list here!
Among my hobbies are reading, hiking in this beautiful state I live in, watching movies with my entire family, and playing computer games. At one time I was heavily into model rocketry, but that has faded with age. I also enjoy amateur photography.
Having spent the first 26 years of my life in the military, I have a strong appreciation for different cultures, not only from different countries but within my own country. There are significant sub-cultures just within the United States, each with it's own values and beliefs, that make this a very diverse and interesting place to live. |
| Thoughts about SETI and SETI@home |
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I firmly believe that it would be the pinnacle of arrogance to think that the human race is the only intelligent life in the universe. Space is simply too vast for this one modest little planet to be the only home of life; there MUST be something else out there. While I feel that the odds of the SETI project discovering another life form are very slim, any chance at discovering the existence of life is worth trying for, and I'm proud to be able to contribute to the possibility of that happening. They say that "every vote counts", well, in the case of the SETI project, every work unit counts.
On the subject of benefits and dangers of discovery, I believe that there are large amounts of both. The benefits range widely, from an exchange of technolgy and knowledge to the paradigm-shifting nature of finally realizing once and for all that we are not alone in this universe. This would be a major change in our fundamental understanding of our place in the universe. The dangers would be fairly obvious such as a hostile encounter, spread of disease for which we have no possible defense, the potential inability to accept a new life form into our collective consciousness, etc.
Should we transmit a beacon? Absolutely. I believe that the information contained in such a beacon should be the most accurate depiction of our planet that can be contained within a mangeable message. The success of a first encounter must be based on a clear exchange of information, and brutal honesty is the best approach.
I for one feel that any extra-terrestrial life form we ever encounter will be so far removed from our expectations that it is impossible to speculate with any degree of accuracy about their appearance, behavior, technology, etc. We, on the other hand, will be just as strange to them! I hope to be around for first contact... |
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