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Detection of Earth-like Civilizations in Space Now Possible
Mr. McGibby writes "Astronomers have come up with an improved method of looking for extraterrestrial life with an Earth-like civilization. Theorist Avi Loeb proposes to use instruments like the Low Frequency Demonstrator (LFD) of the Mileura Wide-Field Array (MWA), an Australian facility for radio astronomy currently under construction. The array could (theoretically) detect civilizations broadcasting in the same frequencies as our own society. From the article: 'Loeb and Zaldarriaga calculate that by staring at the sky for a month, the MWA-LFD could detect Earth-like radio signals from a distance of up to 30 light-years, which would encompass approximately 1,000 stars. More powerful broadcasts could be detected to even greater distances. Future observatories like the Square Kilometer Array could detect Earth-like broadcasts from 10 times farther away, which would encompass 100 million stars. ' The original paper describes the details."
Great...
So we're going to pick up an alien version of "The View"?
Insisting on "correct" English is like saying that there is only one, definitive recipe for chili.
Could you list any of the current areas of research which may some day allow for information transmission faster than c? Let's keep in reasonable: only mention theories we may be able to explore within the next 1000 years.
A slashdotter who didn't build his own computer is like a Jedi who didn't build his own lightsaber.
The Recording Industry Galactic Alliance (RIGA) mandated that no radio signals shall leave the atmosphere of any planet.
The respective governments all attempted to stop this legistation getting in but the RIGA had bigger guns!
liqbase
And I, for one, welcome our new nearby, low-frequency-emitting overlords.
And I would like to remind them that as a net.geek, I could be useful in rounding up others, to toil in their oneline goldfarms.
FATMOUSE + YOU = FATMOUSE
The signals we'd pick up from a civilization similar to ours would be viagra spam and Saved by the Bell reruns. So disappointing it might set back space exploration by centuries.
I could just imagine the space phonecalls..
EARTH: Hey, guys. How's it going?"
ALIENS: Well, our environment is crapping itself, we're all trying to kill each other, and we still won't grant marriages to every couple who wants one.
EARTH: Yeah, same here. Any, you know, wise alien tips for us?
ALIENS: Well... have you invented Reality TV yet?
EARTH: Yep, doesn't seem to have helped much.
ALIENS: Have you, I dunno, tried invading someplace oil-rich?
EARTH: Done that, lots of times.
ALIENS: How about starting arguments about the origins of your own species?
EARTH: Oh hell, don't get me started on that can of worms buddy.
ALIENS: Well, try inventing a couple of new incompatible game consoles...
Slashdot Burying Stories About Slashdot Media Owned
> Plus, radio is our current means of communicating with our spacecraft(isn't it? I may be wrong).
No, we use quantum entanglement for long-distance communication, and gravity waves for short-distance (say, under 5 light years). Radio is too slow for the distances involved.
Do daemons dream of electric sleep()?
Universes Worst AIM Conversation Ever... EarthDudez: Hey! Waz up? [30 years later] GrayGuys: Nothing much... u? [30 years later] EarthDudez: brb [400 years later] EarthDudez: back! [30 years later] GrayGuys: your moms back. [30 years later] EarthDudez: lolz. dude you're so GrAY! [30 years later] GrayGuys: lol
Eek!