[meteorite-list] OT: Listening To Fermi

From: Meteorites USA <eric_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu, 16 Sep 2010 20:12:34 -0700
Message-ID: <4C92DCA2.4060901_at_meteoritesusa.com>

Sorry this sentence should read:
The child could be looking out the [right] window at the wrong time. The
horse could have been there and gone. Or the child could be looking out
the wrong window at the wrong time.

Big difference.

On 9/16/2010 8:04 PM, Meteorites USA wrote:
> Valid points Phil... My answer to your question. As many years as it
> takes... Just like meteorite hunting, you have to look where they are,
> and even if you're looking in the right place, you still might not
> find them. ;) (interestingly enough, I think everyone here on-list can
> relate to that)
>
> Time scale though arguably the most important factor, is not the only
> factor. You must consider the technical limitations of Radio, and the
> distance such a transmission would be capable of traveling. It also
> depends on the direction in which you listen, as well as "when" you
> are listening. Putting things into a more simplistic perspective...
>
> The child could be looking out the window at the wrong time. The horse
> could have been there and gone. Or the child could be looking out the
> wrong window at the wrong time. Or the maybe there are no horses in
> the child's neighborhood. Or the child may see the horse, and not know
> it's a horse.
>
> Also to your point, (paraphrasing)"'...if they're out there surely we
> would have heard them..." Is simply a rewording of Fermi's question.
>
> Fermi's original question "Where are they?" is assumptive and based on
> incomplete data. The point being, there is no possible "correct"
> conclusion that can be formed either way at this time, because we
> didn't have and still haven't enough data to form the original
> question in the first place.
>
> However, that is not to say that we (humans) aren't trying.
>
> Regards,
> Eric
>
>
> On 9/16/2010 7:16 PM, JoshuaTreeMuseum wrote:
>> Interesting point Eric. My question is: how many years of complete
>> and total silence would it take to reach the conclusion there's just
>> nobody out there? 1,000? 10,000? a million years? a billion? a
>> googlezillion? You could listen for eternity, hear nothing and say,
>> well we just need a little more time. I don't buy the argument of
>> time scale. If there are aliens out there transmitting at anywhere
>> near the rate of Earth's output, surely in 50 years we would have
>> heard one little bit of Morse Code by now.
>>
>> ------------------------------------------------
>> Phil Whitmer
>>
>>
>>
>> I might agree with that sentiment if there were enough information to
>> support it. However, I've got an interesting question about perspective
>> and time.
>>
>> If a child looked out the window of a house for a mere 32/1000th of a
>> second and formed a conclusion that horses do not exist, would you say
>> he's correct?
>>
>> Eric
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Received on Thu 16 Sep 2010 11:12:34 PM PDT