Slashdot Mirror


Sorry, But Anonymous Has No Evidence That NASA Has Found Alien Life (popsci.com)

From a Popular Science article: In a new video, the hacker group known as Anonymous claims that NASA has discovered alien life. But before you freak out, let's talk. Sadly, the group of activists and hacktivists doesn't seem to have found any new evidence to support their extraordinary claim. The video is mainly based on NASA quotes taken out of context, and what appear to be videos and information from conspiracy theory websites. The crux of the argument is based on something Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA's associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate, said during a hearing in April. These sorts of hearings are organized to educate the House Science Committee on the latest research in a particular field of study. During this one, Zurbuchen said: "Taking into account all of the different activities and missions that are specifically searching for evidence of alien life, we are on the verge of making one of the most profound, unprecedented, discoveries in history." That's the quote Anonymous is pegging their video on. But if you watch his opening statement, he actually explains his reasoning just before he gets to that part. He mentions the Mars 2020 rover, which will look for signs of past life on the red planet. The Europa Clipper mission is slated to search for conditions suitable to life on Jupiter's ocean-filled moon. In a statement, Zurbuchen said, "While we're excited about the latest findings from NASA's Kepler space observatory, there's no pending announcement regarding extraterrestrial life. For years NASA has expressed interest in searching for signs of life beyond Earth. We have a number of science missions that are moving forward with the goal of seeking signs of past and present life on Mars and ocean worlds in the outer solar system. While we do not yet have answers, we will continue to work to address the fundamental question, 'are we alone?'"

100 of 166 comments (clear)

  1. The thing about Anonymous by rijrunner · · Score: 4, Informative

    Anyone can claim to be part of it and then push any lie they want and the blame will fall on that group..

    1. Re:The thing about Anonymous by bobbied · · Score: 1

      But who would want to?

      Claiming to be part of Anonymous is going to get you some unwanted attention from law enforcement authorities. Anonymous may get the blame for your bogus claims but you now are associated with all the illegal garbage they are assumed to have done.

      It's a two way street... The knife cuts both ways... Or any number of proverbs most would remember...

      --
      "File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
    2. Re:The thing about Anonymous by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      Some people just wish to be remembered or to seek attention. Whether it's for great achievements, psychotic murder, or just a constant cry for attention.

    3. Re:The thing about Anonymous by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 1

      Claiming to be part of Anonymous is going to get you some unwanted attention from law enforcement authorities.

      That is why you do it anonymously.

    4. Re:The thing about Anonymous by Zeio · · Score: 4, Interesting

      This could be government psyops. Recent leaks have shows state sponsored attacks are capable of leaving false fingerprints behind. If state sponsored attackers were able to compromise anonymous, even briefly, they could release garbage like this to attack the organizations overall credibility. On top of that anonymous would then have to choose to ignore, claim they themselves were compromised or refute. Difficult position to be in. The other option for state level attackers is to compromise all key members in such that they are forced to veer off course to damage credibility behind held by threats against life and limb. I've always wondered if folks like Alex Jones were psyops. Put enough nuggets in to pique interest and remain somewhat plausible but then act crazed most of the time to further discredit. Its a situation where you could be revealing the actual truth through a channel like that and discredit it because of the delivery mechanism.

      Information these days is totally warped. How do you even know google/facebook/etc are even letting you see what everyone else is seeing? You are being served up your own version of reality based on preferences.

      Its going to get incredibly hard to follow the truth in the coming years. I already suspect most information is being cleansed and customized by the big boys and "underground" areas are riddled with enough moonbats to keep them from becoming trusted sources.

      The "resistance" needs a ton of discipline not present today to expose the engineering of information going on right now. Underground groups need to protect themselves from key-man issues and master password issues and implement dead-mans-switches (DMS) - sometimes the most damning information needs to be withheld and put into a DMS to allow the group to keep operating.

      Good luck out there.

      --
      Legalize the constitution. Think for yourself question authority.
    5. Re:The thing about Anonymous by gtall · · Score: 1

      Stop watching TV, it is bad for people like you.

    6. Re:The thing about Anonymous by mrclevesque · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Yes. The YouTube channel in monetized and this video already has over 1,300,000 views (their average video view is around 30,000 or less.

      Makes me wonder if the ones responsible are about to 'skip town' with a little money.

    7. Re:The thing about Anonymous by rijrunner · · Score: 1

      That is kinda the entire point of claiming to be part of Anonymous.. it is for the people who don't understand it. It is PR for the ones who need 30 second sound bites. While you are laughing, the idea is being set that there is a group and this is the sort of thing that can discredit people who later try to release real stuff.

      Shoot, I went through the same thing 25 years ago with the definition of "hacker"... "Hackers broke in and did X" "No! Those are crackers. Hackers are good." Guess which made it into the public consciousness?

      Go ahead and laugh, but what do you think will happen if the people releasing the next Snowden level stuff does so under the same byline as the people who released "NASA found aliens"?

    8. Re:The thing about Anonymous by KGIII · · Score: 2

      And you don't compromise Anonymous. You can just join 'em. I'm pretty sure half of 'em are FBI agents already.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    9. Re:The thing about Anonymous by Rockoon · · Score: 4, Funny

      Well thats ok, the other half are NSA agents.

      Both sides unknowingly investigating the pretended activities of the other, never getting any real evidence, so it just continues forever.

      --
      "His name was James Damore."
    10. Re:The thing about Anonymous by KGIII · · Score: 2

      I would watch a short film based on that idea - and I generally only watch documentaries.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    11. Re:The thing about Anonymous by Highdude702 · · Score: 1

      jeez you're old. Sounds like my grandfather when I was a kid. Documentaries, MASH, and Cooking shows.

    12. Re:The thing about Anonymous by mrclevesque · · Score: 1

      I don't know who runs the channel or how it's run, or if it's just a few gals using the Anonymous meme to make a buck, in which case I agree they can stick around and milk it some more.

    13. Re:The thing about Anonymous by liquid_schwartz · · Score: 1

      So to summarize, fake news.

    14. Re:The thing about Anonymous by bill_mcgonigle · · Score: 1

      I've always wondered if folks like Alex Jones were psyops.

      Yes, but I recently saw an article that said a judge wouldn't believe him and he lost his kids anyway.

      Don't work for the CIA if you want to have kids someday.

      --
      My God, it's Full of Source!
      OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
    15. Re:The thing about Anonymous by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      Equally, anything attributed to Anonymous can be disavowed as the ultimate No True Scotsman.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    16. Re:The thing about Anonymous by KGIII · · Score: 2

      I am. I am not a grandparent, which is unfortunate. Presumably, that's because my kids haven't figured out how to make babies yet. They're grown adults but I'm fearful that they're stupid. I've tried bribery. I offered the first one to make me a grandfather a reasonable house and an SUV of their choice. They know damned well that I'll cover any/all expenses they ever have.

      And they don't make me a grandfather...

      I'm pretty sure they just don't know how. One's married and the other in a long-term relationship. Yet, they make me no babies. Sheer incompetence, I tell ya.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    17. Re:The thing about Anonymous by Highdude702 · · Score: 1

      Hell can I be your son? I'm in Vegas and only semi stupid. Learning how to terminate fiber today. But with bribes like that I'll pump you out a grand baby! But seriously maybe they don't want to being more people into this over populated hell hole of a world we now have. I know that's my one fear about having a child is them turning out like me because of all of the stupidity of the world. I'm a 30 year old cynical asshole. Been in the gutters and brought myself back. I don't want that for my child.

    18. Re:The thing about Anonymous by david_thornley · · Score: 1

      Much like G.K. Chesterton's "The Man who was Thursday".

      --
      "When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
    19. Re:The thing about Anonymous by KGIII · · Score: 1

      They are at a significant advantage. I sold my company ten years back and got a rather obscene amount of money for it. Put it this way, it had to have SEC filings. They don't actually have to worry about money but I'm kinda a prick. I'll give them enough money to survive - I won't give them enough so that they don't have to work. Even when I'm dead, they don't get it all - it is already structured to maintain itself and will pay them reasonable amounts, provide for charitable donations, and other such things. The grandkids kinda got it made, as in they'll never have to worry about paying for education and will be able to take out reasonable loans to start businesses, or similar.

      As near as I can tell, so long as the US remains solvent and the stock markets continue to trade, and the bonds are repaid, this should continue in perpetuity. It probably changes things in that I'm a mathematician. There is no mechanism afford for the family to be able to alter much of this, in a direct fashion. There are a few things for them to control, but not much.

      I will not give them everything they want. They will have to work. I will not have snobs for children.

      One's a doctor, she's my favorite - I tell her that all the time, and I tell my son that, as well. He's a college drop out and is in Peru - he works with his rather pretty native lady friend, at her parent's grocery store. I've made sure he knows that if he produces a baby first, he will become my new favorite.

      I am not above bribery. Nope. ;-)

      It was awesome to have them both here for the holidays. Some near six weeks of joy. But, alas, no babies.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    20. Re:The thing about Anonymous by KGIII · · Score: 1

      A good portion of the desire to have a grandkid is *also* to be able to spoil it a bit and then send it home to its parents - with very, very noisy toys. I am going to get them a drum kit, dirt bike, stereo, and huge Marshal stacks to go with the electric guitars I buy them.

      I confess, it's immature revenge. I fully admit my petty behavior. Those of us who are parents will understand.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    21. Re:The thing about Anonymous by RockDoctor · · Score: 1

      if it's just a few gals using the Anonymous meme to make a buck, in which case I agree they can stick around and milk it some more.

      Sorry, chum ; I've seen lactation videos. I'd prefer them to not milk it any more. Milk is for putting straight into babies not washing the cum off the other tit.

      --
      Birds are not dinosaur descendants;birds are dinosaurs, for all useful meanings of "birds", "are" and "dinosaurs"
    22. Re:The thing about Anonymous by RockDoctor · · Score: 1
      Old joke (because I'm bored with this thread already).

      Why do Bulgarian Secret Policemen go around in threes?

      One can read.
      One can write.
      - And one is there to keep an eye on those two suspicious intellectuals.

      --
      Birds are not dinosaur descendants;birds are dinosaurs, for all useful meanings of "birds", "are" and "dinosaurs"
    23. Re:The thing about Anonymous by micahraleigh · · Score: 1

      Anonymous does not need state sponsored assistance in spawning garbage.

    24. Re:The thing about Anonymous by micahraleigh · · Score: 1

      I can see why people in Vegas think the world is a hell hole.

      Everything for the sake of appearances, etc.

      But ... ah, overpopulated? Hmm. That one's much less clear.

    25. Re:The thing about Anonymous by Highdude702 · · Score: 1

      What is that supposed to even mean? but lets face it the world is a hell hole, and its caused by places like Vegas.

    26. Re:The thing about Anonymous by KGIII · · Score: 1

      I suppose I'll do you a favor.

      They didn't vomit in the vomitorium. Vomitorium just means an exit, they exited into the vomitorium which was like a foyer and no longer in the central room. Sometimes, this was directional - as in, you'd enter on one side of the building and exit on the other side. It's not entirely dissimilar to the idea of a outer space that people can spill over and into.

      They didn't actually vomit in the vomitoriums, as a general rule.

      Sheesh....

      Also, if it matters to you, you should know that I give away a lot. What also may matter is that my children are pretty good. One works in a grocery story. His girlfriend's parents own it. He doesn't make much money. My daughter is a medical doctor. She works on a pediatric trauma unit. She doesn't make a whole lot of money, either.

      That said, you're entitled to judge me as you wish. I'm entitled to not care about your judgment. However, I kind of do, but that's because I feel a bit sorry for you. I have to wonder how much strife you must have - just to lash out as you do. You don't even lash out accurately. Your posts are full of ignorance. I do my best to assume it's not willful ignorance.

      Either way, if your life is so difficult that you feel as if I'm some sort of enemy to you, you are entirely too paranoid and truly don't understand who I am. Granted, I am an asshole - but I do strive to do some good. I do accept that I'm an asshole, at least sometimes. I'm also not always correct. Sometimes, I'm not correct AND I'm an asshole at the same time. But, at the other end of the spectrum, I do stuff like donate to the ACLU, even though donations to them are not tax deductible.

      Why the ACLU, you might ask? One of the many reasons I support the ACLU is that they often come down on the correct side of firearm legislation and will fight for the rights to continue to own them. They're not just a question of liberal politics. They're about the individual's liberties, and that includes the right to bear arms.

      You might want to revisit your idea of hating those who are on the left of the political spectrum. We have far more in common than many people think.

      But, see? You even got some of my time. I'll give you that, AC. You can freely have some of my time. You're welcome.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    27. Re:The thing about Anonymous by KGIII · · Score: 1

      There exists some small chance that the results would have been different, had you had the humility to ask without the idea that you'd need a threat. I do have a few bucks, and I will probably continue to have a few bucks because I don't randomly go around buying people stuff like a house.

      I'd probably buy you lunch, but not a house. I'd certainly not bother to buy someone a house who tried to threaten me with something so trivial as their judgment of me. You can think me an ass, a jerk, and even Satan himself. That doesn't actually change who I am. I'm pretty comfortable being who I am - otherwise, I'd change who I am and would be something different.

      Your best bet, if you wanted me to finance something, would be to present an idea to me that you demonstrated a capacity to see through to the other end. However, attempting to threaten me with the idea of you judging me harshly is really not a good strategy. I'd suggest that you think too highly of yourself, if you think I'm actually concerned with how you view me - at the level where I'm wiling to invest money in altering that.

      No, not really. I mean, I feel bad 'cause you're obviously in need of mental health assistance and I'm pretty sure you'd not listen to me and get help. Seriously, get yourself some help. Then, someday, make the next Facebook - and ask me to invest in that. I might invest in it, even though you're obviously a crazy bastard who smokes too much meth. Well, maybe crack. You might smoke too much crack. It's hard telling. You could just be a lunatic.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
  2. No intellegent life found.. by bobbied · · Score: 1

    We have to stay here...

    --
    "File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
  3. Ancient Astronaut Theorists say... by adosch · · Score: 1

    Consult the Tsoukalos! We don't need no stinkin' Anonymous here.

  4. Super-intelligent shade of the colour blue by jfdavis668 · · Score: 4, Funny

    They may have discovered Hooloovoos by spectral analysis of exoplanets.

  5. Aliens would be great for NASA by Oswald+McWeany · · Score: 4, Insightful

    NASA isn't hiding any aliens from us. Discovering alien life would be the best thing that could happen for NASA. Nothing would boost their budget more, or get the public supporting them more.

    The last thing NASA would possibly want to do is hide the existence of ETs from us.

    --
    "That's the way to do it" - Punch
    1. Re: Aliens would be great for NASA by guruevi · · Score: 2, Insightful

      You would also disprove about 90% of Earths religions and given 0% of our elected officials are non-religious I think an amendment to the constitution regarding the further funding of space exploration would be the only bill with 100% bipartisan support before the announcement was even complete.

      --
      Custom electronics and digital signage for your business: www.evcircuits.com
    2. Re: Aliens would be great for NASA by xxxJonBoyxxx · · Score: 4, Insightful

      >> disprove about 90% of Earths religions

      Religions are already adapting so that such news would not conflict with their worldview. For example, here's the modified Catholic story:
      https://cruxnow.com/global-church/2017/02/23/catholicism-handle-discovery-extraterrestrial-life/

      >> 0% of our elected officials are non-religious

      Hmmm...better do some Googling before you claim an absolute like that.

    3. Re: Aliens would be great for NASA by gnick · · Score: 3, Insightful

      You would also disprove about 90% of Earths religions...

      Established religions won't tolerate being disproved. The best you could hope for is encouraging them to re-interpret their holy writings to fit the new reality.

      ...0% of our elected officials are non-religious...

      I think that a lot of them are less religious than they let on. That's not to say that their religious facade won't impact their actions.

      --
      He's getting rather old, but he's a good mouse.
    4. Re:Aliens would be great for NASA by k6mfw · · Score: 1

      The last thing NASA would possibly want to do is hide the existence of ETs from us.

      I read someplace that designing a spacecraft with goal to determine if there is life at [insert planet/moon here], then problem would be if none found then no follow up mission. i.e. Project Viking in 1970s goal was to find life on Mars. It found none and we never went back until 20 years later. Nowadays it is endless Mars mission but it seems nobody wants to have detecting life as a requirement (if none found, end of funding for future missions). But then there's more to detecting life than just a yes/no answer besides looking for plants or animals. Of course finding a fossil on Mars would be interesting (forget sending humans to Mars, it will never happen). Or more exciting is video of the little fishes in oceans of Europa (speculation at this point but fun to think about).

      --
      mfwright@batnet.com
    5. Re: Aliens would be great for NASA by tsqr · · Score: 1

      You would also disprove about 90% of Earths religions

      Nah. The Christian religions would just cite John 10:16 ("And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.") and be about their business. And I'm sure the non-Christians would find a way to rationalize alien life as well. There's just too much money and power at stake to give up easily.

    6. Re:Aliens would be great for NASA by jeff4747 · · Score: 1

      I read someplace that designing a spacecraft with goal to determine if there is life at [insert planet/moon here], then problem would be if none found then no follow up mission.

      Except there's a nearly infinite number of [insert planet/moon here]s.

      You might not get a follow-on to the same celestial object, but there's lots of celestial objects.

    7. Re: Aliens would be great for NASA by invid · · Score: 2, Funny

      You would also disprove about 90% of Earths religions.

      It depends on the aliens. If we can talk to them and they say "Your God is BS, you should worship Flarg instead." I'm sure it would cause lots of confusion. Or they might clumsily try to get on our good side by lying. "Oh yeah, we know Jesus. Yep, he visited our world last year. We thought about killing him too, but we couldn't decide on a method. Nailing on a cross, we'll remember that the next time we see him."

      --
      The Moore-Murphy Law: The number of things that will go wrong will double every 2 years.
    8. Re: Aliens would be great for NASA by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 2

      They'll either claim that it's a bunch of lies created by Satan-loving 'scientists', or that the alien life itself is of Satan, inherently evil, and exists only to sway the Faithful; religious leaders will tell the Faithful to ignore it all and 'stay stong in their Faith, believe the Word of God, blah blah blah' and so on. You could have sentient, technologically advanced, interstellar aliens land on Earth in their starship, and they'd declare them False and Evil and Of Satan. You'd have religious nutjobs trying to kill the Evil Satanic Aliens who obviously have come to turn Man away from their kind and loving God (whichever one it is) and destroy us all. You could even have aliens land on Earth, and be converted to Islam or Catholicism or *whatever*, and it wouldn't be good enough, they'd still be declared Anathema and targeted for destruction. And then, after some fanatical lunatic kills them, their civilization declares war on the Earth and Mankind for their crime, which of course justifies everything the religious nutjobs have been saying up to that point, and we all get annihilated when they bombard us from orbit. Haven't you been paying attention? Cautionary tales like this have been written more times than I can count.

    9. Re: Aliens would be great for NASA by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 2

      I'm not him, and I'm not going to bother doing that research, but I can say that it's hard to get elected to public office in these United States unless you're a 'good Christian' or at least can fake it well.

    10. Re: Aliens would be great for NASA by Zontar+The+Mindless · · Score: 1

      Reincarnation is not the same thing as resurrection.

      --
      Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
    11. Re: Aliens would be great for NASA by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 1

      You would also disprove about 90% of Earths religions

      As if. They've survived dinosaurs, evolution, the Big Bang, and countless other discoveries that contradict them.

      --
      systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
    12. Re: Aliens would be great for NASA by angel'o'sphere · · Score: 1

      Of course not.
      I played World of Warcraft long enough.

      In Christian history only one got resurrected.

      But so did in: Egypt history (Osiris), in Germanic/Nordic history (Odin), or in sumerian mythology (Dumuzid)

      Well, just bragging with my nerd knowledge ... what was the point? I have no point.

      --
      Cost free eBook I read (by iBook/Kobo/Amazon/ObookO/Gutenberg etc.): "The Green Odyssey" by Philip Jose Farmer.
    13. Re: Aliens would be great for NASA by ColdWetDog · · Score: 1

      But it's worth about the same in Scrabble.

      --
      Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
    14. Re: Aliens would be great for NASA by Enigma2175 · · Score: 1

      It's more likely to go down like this

      --

      Enigma

    15. Re:Aliens would be great for NASA by BatesMethod · · Score: 1

      There are people who take aliens and UFOlogy seriously. Hard evidence may not be easily produced, but YouTube has plenty of footage on the UFO topic, including astronaut testimony, a Dan Aykroyd documentary, a Bob Lazar documentary, claims by William Tompkins, and something called Sirius Disclosure. Altogether, it has the appearance of a cottage industry. Additionally, some of the mythology can be interesting.

    16. Re: Aliens would be great for NASA by Zontar+The+Mindless · · Score: 1

      You do, but in the former case, it's not the same one.

      --
      Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
    17. Re: Aliens would be great for NASA by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      Using Christianity as an example, would much even need to change? Missionaries have long being heading out into the world to spread their dogma, which implies that those parts of the world and all the people who lived and died there before the missionaries arrived had no opportunity to be saved from God's wrath and eternal damnation, so why would aliens be any different?

      They already got past the earth being the centre of the universe, the only other major obstacle that I can see.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    18. Re: Aliens would be great for NASA by guruevi · · Score: 1

      But it hasn't been without it's beheadings, torture, tar-and-feathering etc. It's only in the last few decades that religions have been more civil and then only in the western world.

      --
      Custom electronics and digital signage for your business: www.evcircuits.com
    19. Re: Aliens would be great for NASA by Oswald+McWeany · · Score: 1

      As anonymous coward pointed out above, Trump isn't religious and got the top job.

      I remember seeing research a while back that listed different groups and how many people would consider voting for them. The lowest group of all was "atheist". Below "poor", below "black", below "muslim", below "ex-convict".

      The average American is less likely to vote for an atheist than any other demographic. I suspect that is because many Americans have the stereotype of the atheist like one of those Dawkins disciples who go around wearing all black with pierced faces and telling religious people how evil and wrong they are for believing in religion and being awful prats in general.

      Most Atheists and Agnostics aren't like that. We keep our thoughts to ourselves unless specifically asked, and respect other people's opinions. We're not the loud-mouthed Dawkins and Fry type who hate religious people that the media portrays us as.

      --
      "That's the way to do it" - Punch
    20. Re: Aliens would be great for NASA by nasch · · Score: 1

      The point is, he pretended well enough that people were willing to vote for him. He said he went to church, he said things like "God bless America", and so on. If he had regularly said things like "I don't believe in God", the election probably would have gone very differently.

    21. Re: Aliens would be great for NASA by Oswald+McWeany · · Score: 1

      The point is, he pretended well enough that people were willing to vote for him. He said he went to church, he said things like "God bless America", and so on. If he had regularly said things like "I don't believe in God", the election probably would have gone very differently.

      Quite possibly, although I don't think anyone was really convinced. This was a fairly unusual election though. Both main parties fielded unusually weak candidates that did not get the true backing of their party. Clinton's nomination was down mainly to the presence of super delegates and probably would have lost in a fair fight against Sanders. Trump's approval rating with republicans was in the 30% or lower range for most of the nomination process, he only got nominated because he ran a populist campaign against a crowded field of conservatives who took votes from each other in the nomination process. Trump probably would not have got nominated (in part because of his lack of faith) in a one on one fight against Rubio, Cruz, or Bush.

      Once the nominations were in. No republican was going to let Hillary win just because Trump wasn't religious. Republicans were energized because of 8 years of Obama. Democrats were complacent because no-one really liked Hillary and thought she was a shoe-in anyway. The rest is history.

      --
      "That's the way to do it" - Punch
    22. Re: Aliens would be great for NASA by Oswald+McWeany · · Score: 1

      I guess in summary what I'm saying is that Trump didn't get elected because he was religious. He got elected because he snuck through the nomination process, which is where he normally would have been filtered out.

      --
      "That's the way to do it" - Punch
    23. Re: Aliens would be great for NASA by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 1

      Trump is an anomaly, in more ways than just this.

    24. Re: Aliens would be great for NASA by micahraleigh · · Score: 1

      They don't live like they're religious ... the politicians, that is.

    25. Re: Aliens would be great for NASA by micahraleigh · · Score: 1

      Christians didn't freak out when they discovered humans in North America, Hawaii, or Australia, or whatever.

      The Bible doesn't say anything about that (hint: because where you live doesn't affect the value of your life very much, especially compared to how you live and what is going on inside).

      They just sent missionaries to tell them about Jesus and to clothe and feed them.

  6. Re:Trump would have blabbed by gnick · · Score: 1

    We know there aren't aliens because Donald Trump would have blabbed about it by now if there were.

    I'd like to believe that our government keeps some secrets from DJT. I don't know that's the case, but believing it helps me sleep at night.

    --
    He's getting rather old, but he's a good mouse.
  7. No, parent is right about religion. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    If life were found on another planet, the Judeo-Christian-Islamic World - 90% of the World's population (I think the GP meant that) - would totally freak out. Their mythology is based upon we humans being created here on Planet Earth in God's Image.

    Now, there's nothing I know of in any religious texts that says that their god created other planets and and other people, but it is assumed that we are It in the Universe.

    I mean really, those people are freaking out over our globalized World and the increasing secularization of it. Do you honestly think that those people would be OK with finding life on another planet?

    I don't. I see shit hitting the fan like in Carl Sagan's "Contact".

    1. Re:No, parent is right about religion. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Now, there's nothing I know of in any religious texts that says that their god created other planets and and other people, but it is assumed that we are It in the Universe.

      LDS (Mormon) texts talks about this in a few places. One example is God and Enoch talking about it:

      "And were it possible that man could number the particles of the earth, yea, millions of earths like this, it would not be a beginning to the number of thy creations;"

      Now you know of at least one.

    2. Re:No, parent is right about religion. by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      Only the Mormons consider themselves a 'Judeo-Christian' religion. The rest of the religious world just, politely, doesn't raise the subject (I'm a heathen).

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    3. Re:No, parent is right about religion. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      would totally freak out

      Naw. Look at the precedents:

      Scientists: It turns out the Earth is not the center of the Solar System.
      Religions: Oh, God must have done that on purpose.
      Scientists: Evidence suggests life evolved over billions of years.
      Religions: So, that's how God created life! What great evidence of his hand in creation.
      Scientists: We are starting to understand the brain. No evidence of a soul, though.
      Religions: This complex organ is just more evidence of God's impressive design.
      Scientists: We found aliens.
      Religions: God has been busy!

    4. Re:No, parent is right about religion. by KGIII · · Score: 1

      To be fair, I've seen you post about having read the article. That does, indeed, make you a heathen - and probably a heretic.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    5. Re:No, parent is right about religion. by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      It's a fair cop: I read part of the Gwyneth Paltrow article yesterday, but it was about yonis, so...

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    6. Re:No, parent is right about religion. by KGIII · · Score: 1

      I did not read it. I did consider clicking but an AC noted that there weren't any webm or animated gifs. So, I declined.

      Also, you said "yoni."

      Even Cowgirls Get The Blues? Yoni Yum?

      (I confess, I actually also like the movie.)

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    7. Re:No, parent is right about religion. by guruevi · · Score: 1

      You're forgetting how for ages, anyone proving that Earth was the center of the Universe simply got their heads removed - Galileo wasn't very popular. People (Christians too) are still blowing up things up today over evolution and procreation. Sure, some are easily adaptable in this day and age but the majority of religious people aren't so keen (look at Islam)

      --
      Custom electronics and digital signage for your business: www.evcircuits.com
    8. Re:No, parent is right about religion. by Oswald+McWeany · · Score: 1

      Scientists: We found aliens.

      Religion: God has been busy!

      I'm not a religious man (I'm not a religious woman either); however, I've got to say, nothing in any religious text I've ever read suggested that God couldn't have created other worlds and other sapient beings.

      If God is all-knowing and all-powerful, why wouldn't he create other intelligent beings to entertain himself? It would explain why earth ISN'T the centre of everything, because we're not even his only project... heck, we might not even be his main project.

      --
      "That's the way to do it" - Punch
    9. Re:No, parent is right about religion. by david_thornley · · Score: 1

      Considerably fewer than 90% of the people in the world are Christian, Muslim, or Jewish. Many of them are not particularly devout (in fact, I'd suspect that a good many people listed under those headings are not actual believers).

      Religious texts omit a lot of things, and people realize this. I don't know of any major one that claims that Earth is the only planet with intelligent life (if you know of one, please correct me). Religious science fiction writers like C.S. Lewis, R.A. Lafferty, and James Blish had no problems with writing about extraterrestrial intelligent life.

      There are people who would freak, but not, I believe, primarily for religious reasons.

      --
      "When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
    10. Re:No, parent is right about religion. by micahraleigh · · Score: 1

      The athiests aren't freaking out that life isn't forming in all these planets, moons, exo planets, whatever. If evolution is so likely, or whatever, there should be life all over the stinkin place.

      The athiests didn't freak out when Darwin's attack on genetics turned out to be false and mildly ridiculous either.

      People are just deciding how they want to live and then backing their world view into it.

      Live happy, I say.

  8. We need to update the space alien by k6mfw · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I mean we need a new space alien look instead of the same retread from 20th century big eyes, small mouth, big head with slender body. We need diversity instead of same little green men. Also why are all space aliens naked? It seems anyone that travels interstellar distances at superluminal speeds would want a flight suit with cool patches.

    --
    mfwright@batnet.com
    1. Re:We need to update the space alien by gtall · · Score: 2

      What? Trump isn't alien enough for you. He's got the weird hair, beady little eyes, Messiah complex you see in any Hollywood alien leader. The only thing he's missing is some funny costume, maybe like Rick Moranis in SpaceBalls, that would really complete the look.

    2. Re:We need to update the space alien by Tablizer · · Score: 1

      That depends. If you are talking about alleged actual sightings, then most tend to resemble what you describe: "the Greys". But Hollywood aliens seem to have a lot of variety. Look at the 1953 War of the Worlds flick, 1958's "The Blob", or the 1979 "Alien" alien.

      As far as clothing, in Star Trek aliens usually have clothes. Even the Gorn had a metallic skirt-like thingy.

      It seems in general, Hollywood thinks aliens are scarier without clothes, as if it invokes more primitive fears. After all, the dancing alien in Space Balls looked less intimidating with a cane and top-hat then the "Alien" version it spoofed. Trek probably puts clothes on them because the concept is more often meeting new and interesting intelligent beings rather than battling murderous space-beasts. Thus, Hollywood's alien design mirrors the emotion and intent of the presentation.

    3. Re:We need to update the space alien by c · · Score: 1

      It seems anyone that travels interstellar distances at superluminal speeds would want a flight suit with cool patches.

      The rumour I heard is that they started the trip wearing flight suits with cool patches, but nobody remembered to bring change for the space laundry machines.

      --
      Log in or piss off.
    4. Re:We need to update the space alien by SCVonSteroids · · Score: 1

      Did you just say diversity?

      What if these little green men do the job just fine? Hiring tall grey girls just for the sake of diversity isn't going to get the job done any quicker y'know?
      And no don't link me your "stats" about how Reptilians are underpaid by as much as 20% compared to their little green counterparts, that was debunked eons ago.

      --
      I tend to rant.
    5. Re:We need to update the space alien by Tablizer · · Score: 1

      Trump isn't alien enough for you[?] He's got the weird hair, beady little eyes, Messiah complex you see in any Hollywood alien leader. The only thing he's missing is some funny costume

      such as a frumpy suit, long red tie, and goofy MAGA cap?

      But you'd think an interstellar species would have a cure for A.D.D.

    6. Re:We need to update the space alien by Tablizer · · Score: 1

      Men-In-Black gave me a zero to hide the truth?

    7. Re:We need to update the space alien by nasch · · Score: 1

      Or as Major John Sheppard said, "Is he supposed to be naked like that?"

  9. Intelligent life taunts with pointed absence... by Narcocide · · Score: 1

    Frosty piss.

  10. Re:Trump would have blabbed by Roger+W+Moore · · Score: 2

    Unless he *is* one of them - deep cover

    With his skin tone I'd hardly call it deep cover.

  11. Re:Trump would have blabbed by WaffleMonster · · Score: 1

    Indeed. Area 51 aliens? Bigfoot? Time travel? The existence of Trump as president is a death knell to so many conspiracy theories because, you really think he'd be able to keep his mouth shut about that sort of thing?

    Don't be too quick to assume the president would ever be told. President Clinton made public statements nobody told him about aliens and president Whitmore was only told *AFTER* aliens invaded earth and starting blowing shit up.

  12. Gotta spice it up for politicians. by Gravis+Zero · · Score: 1

    Few politicians understand that science is something that we need to continually advance even if it there is no profit in it. This means you have to make them feel it's "worth it" somehow which leads to grand statements like,

    we are on the verge of making one of the most profound, unprecedented, discoveries in history.

    The only mystery here is how smart hackers can be so easily fooled by there own confirmation bias.

    --
    Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
    1. Re:Gotta spice it up for politicians. by gtall · · Score: 1

      Senator, you should support science because if you get cancer and you haven't given us any money for research, we won't give a flying rat's ass about your ass. Oh, and yer kid will be working at McDonald's just before he gets replaced by a bot.

  13. Trump would have squealed by gurps_npc · · Score: 1

    As per Ryan Sohmer's comic (http://www.leasticoulddo.com/comic/20170605/), it is quite clear that the US government has no contact with aliens, wizards, or psychics.

    Because there is NO way that Donald "Covfefe" Trump could have kept that to himself. Similarly, Bin Laden was the author behind 911 and Obama had him killed.

    --
    excitingthingstodo.blogspot.com
  14. Re:Trump would have blabbed by Tablizer · · Score: 2

    We know there aren't aliens because Donald Trump would have blabbed about it by now if there were. Unless he *is* one of them

    Kind of: He worries his hair might want to go home if it knows there's a ride nearby.

  15. shame by nuc1e0n · · Score: 1

    I was looking forward to trying the alien's cuisine. I wonder once the announcement is made how long it'll take Virgin Galactic to do flights ;P

  16. Re:Trump would have blabbed by gtall · · Score: 1

    Yep, and U.S. allies (Israel) won't be briefing His Bigliness anytime soon.

  17. Funny Soil Chemistry by Tablizer · · Score: 1

    Project Viking in 1970s goal was to find life on Mars. It found none and we never went back until 20 years later. Nowadays it is endless Mars mission but it seems nobody wants to have detecting life as a requirement

    That's because NASA learned the hard way that it's difficult to distinguish between life and "funny soil chemistry" (FSC). Viking results are still heavily debated.

    To do it "right" probably requires devising progressively more-specific experiments based on early ones to distinguish between competing theories. That could require several feedback cycles (new missions), and in the end still not rule out FSC.

    Until several microbe specimens are observed moving and/or reproducing under a microscope, the question will likely never be settled. Since any microbes are probably small and few in number, probe-based microscopic observation is not trivial. But advances in scope miniaturization may make it so one day. However, the radiation on Mars is so strong that there may be a limit to practical miniaturization, unless maybe samples are robotically delivered to a "cave lab" probe.

    By the way, the 2003 UK Beagle 2 lander mission had life-detection instruments, but unfortunately failed to fully deploy. It's a bummer because in-orbit photos suggest that it landed okay, but some mechanical problem prevented it from fully deploying the solar panels. Its particular "daisy" design required all the solar panels to open before the antenna could function. They should have included a non-hidden low-bandwidth backup antenna for status and engineering communication.

    Such a backup saved NASA's Galileo Jupiter orbiter mission when the main antenna failed to deploy properly. Couldn't send a lot of images, but it did other wonderful science.

  18. More fake news from 4chan? by MatthiasF · · Score: 1

    LIES!! Everything discovered on 4chan is 100% authentic and legitimate. The media is lying! Aliens are real!

    REEEEEEEEEEEEE!!

  19. Re:Yeah well by WrongMonkey · · Score: 1

    How could have Anonymous sabotage Trump's election campaign? What rumor could they spread or information could they dig up that would be worse than what is already publicly known.

  20. Re:Interestingly... by bobbied · · Score: 2

    Yet, science has shown that moving objects have a different perspective on what the speed of light actually is. Everybody sees the same speed from their perspective, but the passage of time runs at varying rates for other objects that are moving in relation to the observer.

    Let that sink in....

    --
    "File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
  21. Trolls by rolias · · Score: 2

    It's like concluding that trolls exist based on an offhand remark made by Norway's prime minister.

  22. Re:Yeah well by Trogre · · Score: 1

    Look at what they said then decide for yourself.

    --
    "Nine times out of ten, starting a fire is not the best way to solve the problem." - my wife
  23. Re:Interestingly... by Jason+Levine · · Score: 1

    From my physics classes (from way back when I was a physics major - before I hit Quantum Mechanics): Nothing prevents an object from travelling faster than the speed of light. It just can't start below light speed and accelerate beyond light speed. However, the equations do work - sort of - with speeds greater than the speed of light. "Sort of" being that it introduces an imaginary number (square root of negative one). This might mean it's impossible or it might mean something else entirely. We're not quite sure yet.

    --
    My sci-fi novel, Ghost Thief, is now available from Amazon.com.
  24. It is in the X-files ! by petermp · · Score: 1

    The truth is out there ! :)

  25. Oh? by CanEHdian · · Score: 1

    Admittedly I didn't watch the entire video, but I've seen enough of it to know that Anonymous didn't set out to claim that NASA *currently has* evidence of the existence of alien life. They claimed NASA would soon reveal the evidence, based on the amount of resources poured into finding said evidence.

    --
    When the copyright term is "forever minus a day", live every day like it's the last.
  26. Re:Taxation is theft by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    I don't mind taxes being used to operate courts and other services that are freely available to every citizen. We all have contracts that need to be enforced.

    You assume that I am for lawlessness, but you present this as there is only two mutually exclusive choices, but that is simply not true. I believe you did this in a dishonest attempt to discredit my argument.

    I am very much for the rule of law, in addition I am for citizens having a democratic right to choose how public funds are spent and to limit the government's power through limiting its budget. We can easily find hypothetical examples that we universally agree that we should not spend public funds on, and we've already demonstrated we can find situations where we disagree. There is a line where was we find reasonable and what we find unreasonable, I draw my line closer to the side of individual freedom, and you draw your line closer to collectivism. You really have no business painting me as some kind of anarchist in order to justify your extreme views.

  27. Re:Interestingly... by david_thornley · · Score: 1

    Assuming that Special Relativity holds, FTL travel is time travel. If you can travel faster than light in two different reference frames, you can go backwards in time.

    --
    "When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes
  28. Where is truth? by iq145 · · Score: 1

    They'll say it's not proof of extraterrestrial life, even if they believed it is, just to keep people calm. Only last week, there was a report that astronomers were looking at a distant star and something passed in front of it and momentarily blocked their view of it. It wasn't "natural", because it came back passing the opposite way, which astral bodies can't do, and even changed speed.

  29. Re:Interestingly... by micahraleigh · · Score: 1

    Matter and particles can't. Space itself can.

    Good luck getting the energy necessary, though.

  30. Re:Trump would have blabbed by micahraleigh · · Score: 1

    President Clinton made a lot of statements that were later found in court to be perjurious.