|
| Personal background |
|---|
I'm a serviceman in the Royal Canadian Navy. I've been interested in science and science fiction since I don't remember when, but certainly since I was about five years old - I have a dim memory of watching Neil Armstrong and 'Buzz' Aldrin's landing on the Moon, and wondering what it would be like to shoot up into space. I was a fan of Star Trek when it started showing in re-runs, and I've watched just about every medium and hard science and science-fiction show out there.
When the first pre-assembled hobby computers appeared on the market in the late seventies, my dad bought one (a TRS-80 Model 1 with a whole - wow! - 4 kb of RAM) and together he and I started learning about programming and computer hardware, an interest that both of us have retained to this day. These interests have even shaped my naval career; I'm an electrical technician by trade, and have opted for every course I could get in programmable logic arrays and microprocessor control systems. |
| Thoughts about SETI and SETI@home |
|---|
The question of whether life exists elsewhere in the universe (or, to hold it to a somewhat more manageable scale, our galaxy) is, to my mind, backward. The question ought to be "What makes you think life doesn't exist elsewhere?" Life is pervasive; the wide spectrum of environments on earth alone in which life flourishes is evidence enough of that.
Of course, the question is usually meant as "Does extraterrestrial life - that looks and thinks somewhat like us, with which we can communicate, preferably as equals - exist?" Here, I'll hedge my bets. Intelligent on a scale paralleling that of humans - yes. Looks like us? Probably not. Communication, paradoxically, may not be the biggest issue; the electromagnetic spectrum is the logical information carrier in the universe. Understanding, however, will be more difficult. Consider how much difficulty we have understanding one another - and we're all of the same species; our 'hardware' is fundamentally the same.
Those who believe in SETI are searching for evidence of intelligent life. By that token, however, there is in my mind, an obligation on our part to send out a signal. Other races may well be watching the skies, listening to the 1420 MHz band. Let's provide them with something to listen for.
I believe that SETI is a worthwhile endeavour; even if we do not find what we seek, that does not mean it doesn't exist - one can never prove a negative. However, other good may well come of the search, whether we discover another civilization or not; the history of science is replete with examples of findings that were complete accidents, or an off-shoot of the main line of research.
By all means let us continue the search. It's a big universe, and I sure hope there are others out there to play with. |
| 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 |
|
|
