Slashdot Mirror
Broadcasting Spam into Space
A reader writes "Apparently frustrated by the crackdown on SPAMers by ISPs around the world, a group of Davis, California innovators made headlines this week in the Sacramento Bee by unveiling their "intergalactic communication system (U.S. Patent Pending)" which will beam unsolicited email into outer space. According to one of the founders, "this is the ultimate expression of free speech", but it will cost the general public $10.95 to have a 1000 word message launched. "
Oh good, I'm glad they've made provisions.
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This really works!
Just send 5*10^50 atoms of hydrogen to each of the five star systems listed below. Then, add your own system to the top of the list, delete the system at the bottom, and send out copies of this message to 100 other solar systems.
If you follow these instructions, within 0.25 galactic rotations you are guaranteed to receive enough hydrogen in return to power your civilization until the heat death of the universe!
I reckon they can be sued for that, polluting Australian airwaves and all.
It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
In theory, any RF signal will go on forever, decreasing at the 4th power of the distance.
.5 watt signal can't be detected even by a theoretically perfect receiver. The distance would probably only be about 10e14 meters, or a distance just outside our own solar system. I think that number was for a 1 watt signal on 1.0 GHz, or maybe it was the 250 milliwatt signal from one of the early spacecraft. Time dims memory.
In reality, there is a limit where a signal can no longer be detected. Because of the background radiation of 3 degrees kelvin, and a host of other factors, eventually even a
Their site is pretty funny, they aren't taking themselves too seriously. But there isn't anywhere they tell about what frequency or coding scheme they are using. I'd love to know. I've just posted a message to their board (number 3, they don't have a slashdot base of users, yet)
the AC
Hemos is like...sci-fi fans;he thinks technology is cool, but he hasn't bothered to understand the science it's based on
Now Earth is going to be blacklisted on the galactic Internet. I guess we'll be considered as an open relay.
:P
PS: Can I change my ISP to another planet? This one has bad service and is *way* too busy even though the phone-to-customer ratio is something like 2:1!
æeee!
Seattle company to allow money to be transmitted into the earth.
SEATTLE Shoeboy Industries, a local high tech firm known for their extensive bong testing labs has developed a new technique to allow individuals to send money towards the center of the Earth.
"Scientists have long speculated that there might be vast populations of intelligent beings living in a vast hollow cave within the earth's core." observered Shoeboy, founder and CEO of Shoeboy Industries, "Our process allows you to send money to these tunneling superbeings. We take your money and deposit it in my bank account. I then write a check to the underground men and deposit it as close to the earth's core as is possible with current technology."
Little is known about the exact method Shoeboy uses to send these checks, but many industry insiders have speculated that it involves a highly specialized tool known as a 'shovel.' Such a tool could be purchased at the 'Tweedy and Pop' hardware store down the street from Shoeboy's apartment, but until know, industry analysts have considered the $14.95 price tag too high for a small firm like Shoeboy Industries.
When questioned, Shoeboy revealed that his firm had recieved extensive backing from a prominent venture capital firm. "We used the words 'Internet' and 'e-commerce' in the same sentence and these dudes dropped 20 million on the table." reported Shoeboy. "We were all like, whoa dude think of all the twinkies we could buy."
When asked if he thought that people would pay money to send a message to recipients whose very existence is a remote theoretical possibility Shoeboy replied "well, there's a whole mess of gullible idiots out there on the web."
--Shoeboy