SETI on to something?

[vorticon]

oooh their using the hydrogen channel, just like in a niven novel...im so impressed...

their cat-like being hell bent on destroying human civilization, everyone run to lazs's house for protection!!!

[RTStuka]

Originally posted by AKS\/\/ulfe
So, if we attach a message to a courier pigeon - how long before they recieve it?
-SW

I think a swallow would work better, preferably an african swallow, I remember a documentary where they dissucssed how fast they could travel.
As for the signal, im thinking its whoever is up there on the space station ***** with us. I mean think about it, how bored would you be up there, they are all very intelligant people. Im sure they are just up there going. "Hey wanna have some fun, lets send fake alien signals too earth"

[Gunslinger]

Originally posted by Skuzzy
Radio waves travel at the speed of light.

It is not to hard to imagine why radio waves would be used in some form by an intelligent life.  It is a basic component of what is emitted from various sources throughout the Universe.
If you want to get a handle on what is 'out there', a basic understanding of radio waves is very helpful.

the great skuzzmeister is correct here RF in space travels at the speed of light.

However, it is much different when transmitting on earth.  Here on tera firma we have to take into account "atmospheric ionization"  while it doesnt effect the speed all that much it will help with distance reception and signal strength.  This is especially true when you are not using line of sight and actually bouncing signals off the atmospher.

This is mainly how a RADAR works.  RF waves are transmitted and timed on how long it took them to bounce back.  Add a known azimuth to that and you have a basic RADAR.

A civilization a thousand light years away transmitting a signal has a good chance of not even being there anymore by the time we recieve it.  

Who knows this could be Alien Spam offering us bigger noodlees, lower mortgage rates, and the ability to spy on anyone.

[Gunslinger]

Originally posted by SLO


the use of LASER's will come into account when we decide too communicate over long distances

I'm not sure how this will be more or less effecient than good ole RF considering the speed of light is a constant and lasers would have the same "speed limits".

The only difference I could see on further thaught would be less effect by cosmic radiation causing interference.

[BlueJ1]

lasersailor, I already knew that. I think you confused me with another poster.

      If another civilization recieves the signals from 60 years ago, it must make us look pretty bad. World War, Mass Genocide, On the edge of nuclear war. If the civilization is more advanced then us, I imagine they are receiving these signals with much interest, almost like the earth is a giant soap opera (yawn). Or we all could be on a reality tv show hosted by the E.T.s. (South Park) And a taco that poops ice cream is the porducer that can eliminate the world with a push of a button.

[Chairboy]

Originally posted by cpxxx
Hmm 98 325 hours, that's 4096,875 days or 11 years. So you downloaded the thing in 1993?  Care to explain that? Considering Seti@home only started in 1998?  Are you an alien who had access to future technology way back in 1993?  I think the men in black may be paying you a visit sometime soon.

Joking aside I have seen that on a few PC's Must be a glitch on the software.

Not a glitch, I've run it on multiple computers at times.  On occasion, I installed it on every computer in my lab.  It's measuring the number of 'computer hours', not absolute time that has passed since install.

To simplify, if it's on two computers and one hour passes, you have just accumulated 2 hours of testing.