[Survey] If we found signs of alien life...

Talk about whatever topic you'd like, RPG related or not. (But please discuss things related to our software in the Tools section, below.)

Moderators: dorpond, trevor, Azhrei

If we found signs of alien life on another nearby planet, should we contact them?

No
6
35%
Yes
11
65%
 
Total votes: 17

User avatar
Sol Invictus
Cave Troll
Posts: 95
Joined: Fri Oct 21, 2011 12:48 pm
Location: Jena/Thuringia/Germany

Re: [Survey] If we found signs of alien life...

Post by Sol Invictus »

Azhrei wrote:Even if we could reach the closest star in a generation (ship time) it would appear to be multiple generations here on Earth.
This brings up a whole new question: Is it responsible to send people away like that? To cut them off from their home society for ever? I don't remember any Earth explorers who went out without the intention of coming back. I don't think that is something we should encourage. What if that tiny society on the space ship takes an unhealthy turn and ends up giving a very bad impression of humanity to the aliens?

User avatar
aliasmask
RPTools Team
Posts: 9024
Joined: Tue Nov 10, 2009 6:11 pm
Location: Bay Area

Re: [Survey] If we found signs of alien life...

Post by aliasmask »

I think Az is talking about REALLY long trip where when travelling near the speed of light those on the ship experience time slower than us here back on Earth. I actually once did the math and if we accelerated at 1 G for about a year we would reach near light speed. Time would essentially stop for those on board and then they would start to decelerate taking another year. So, it'll only take them about 2 years of their life to get mostly anywhere.

User avatar
wolph42
Winter Wolph
Posts: 9999
Joined: Fri Mar 20, 2009 5:40 am
Location: Netherlands
Contact:

Re: [Survey] If we found signs of alien life...

Post by wolph42 »

aliasmask wrote:I think Az is talking about REALLY long trip where when travelling near the speed of light those on the ship experience time slower than us here back on Earth. I actually once did the math and if we accelerated at 1 G for about a year we would reach near light speed. Time would essentially stop for those on board and then they would start to decelerate taking another year. So, it'll only take them about 2 years of their life to get mostly anywhere.

here you go: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lD08CuUi_Ek

User avatar
Bone White
Great Wyrm
Posts: 1124
Joined: Tue Aug 23, 2011 11:41 am
Location: Cornwall, UK

Re: [Survey] If we found signs of alien life...

Post by Bone White »

I believe we discussed this before but I believe that time dilation due to speed is a comparative measure, and not absolute, so while it would appear time would stop for them, this is only in comparison to other beings (e.g. on earth). Therefore the light-speed travellers would live out their lives as normal (assuming they have mobility and conciousness).

User avatar
Sol Invictus
Cave Troll
Posts: 95
Joined: Fri Oct 21, 2011 12:48 pm
Location: Jena/Thuringia/Germany

Re: [Survey] If we found signs of alien life...

Post by Sol Invictus »

I think that Aliasmask did imply that, else I am increasingly confused.
But the Vermi something from the vid Woplph posted does intrigue me. That if FTL travel was possible and if there were other intelligent lifeforms at all we would have been contacted already. I'd feel pretty lonely if that were the case.
I just hope that the aliens have a Prime Directive or something like that, or that they just are not interested in anything we have to offer as prey, trading partners, or a colony. So that we can make contact later on.

User avatar
wolph42
Winter Wolph
Posts: 9999
Joined: Fri Mar 20, 2009 5:40 am
Location: Netherlands
Contact:

Re: [Survey] If we found signs of alien life...

Post by wolph42 »

Sol Invictus wrote:I think that Aliasmask did imply that, else I am increasingly confused.
But the Vermi something from the vid Woplph posted does intrigue me. That if FTL travel was possible and if there were other intelligent lifeforms at all we would have been contacted already. I'd feel pretty lonely if that were the case.
I just hope that the aliens have a Prime Directive or something like that, or that they just are not interested in anything we have to offer as prey, trading partners, or a colony. So that we can make contact later on.
its 'Fermi' and yes AM did imply that. I think that bone white is mixing things up. Yes the travellers will live their live as if nothing 'strange' is happening, while to the observers on earth (if 'observation' was possible, which isn't) they would look like to barely move as their own clock ticks VERY slow.
The point is:
- to the earth observer it would look like the travel would take e.g. 10 years (as 10 years passes between leaving earth and arriving at planet X)
- while for the travellers only 1 year has passed as their clock ticks slower during the travel, so they only grew one year older.

Were they to return with the same speed then overall they would have grown 2 years older while everyone on earth would have grown 20 years older

User avatar
Bone White
Great Wyrm
Posts: 1124
Joined: Tue Aug 23, 2011 11:41 am
Location: Cornwall, UK

Re: [Survey] If we found signs of alien life...

Post by Bone White »

So the key to immortality is travelling as fast as possible?

User avatar
jfrazierjr
Deity
Posts: 5176
Joined: Tue Sep 11, 2007 7:31 pm

Re: [Survey] If we found signs of alien life...

Post by jfrazierjr »

Bone White wrote:So the key to immortality is travelling as fast as possible?
Only if by immortal you mean everyone else's perception... by your own, you will still be getting older just as you are today.
I save all my Campaign Files to DropBox. Not only can I access a campaign file from pretty much any OS that will run Maptool(Win,OSX, linux), but each file is versioned, so if something goes crazy wild, I can always roll back to a previous version of the same file.

Get your Dropbox 2GB via my referral link, and as a bonus, I get an extra 250 MB of space. Even if you don't don't use my link, I still enthusiastically recommend Dropbox..

User avatar
Bone White
Great Wyrm
Posts: 1124
Joined: Tue Aug 23, 2011 11:41 am
Location: Cornwall, UK

Re: [Survey] If we found signs of alien life...

Post by Bone White »

I should've realised that -.-

It should be almost impossible for a ftl entity to interact with a slower entity, therefore the ftl entity may as well be for all intents and purposes, dead to those slower. What's the point in being "immortal" in someone's eyes if you can't interact?

User avatar
Vhex
Giant
Posts: 162
Joined: Fri Sep 09, 2011 4:41 am
Location: Honolulu, HI

Re: [Survey] If we found signs of alien life...

Post by Vhex »

Not only should we contact them, but we should rule them like gods. (cue war scene & stargate music)
Last edited by Vhex on Fri Feb 22, 2013 10:18 am, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
Sol Invictus
Cave Troll
Posts: 95
Joined: Fri Oct 21, 2011 12:48 pm
Location: Jena/Thuringia/Germany

Re: [Survey] If we found signs of alien life...

Post by Sol Invictus »

Yeah, especially jfrazierjr - by the power of his divine forum user level!

User avatar
Bone White
Great Wyrm
Posts: 1124
Joined: Tue Aug 23, 2011 11:41 am
Location: Cornwall, UK

Re: [Survey] If we found signs of alien life...

Post by Bone White »

Sol Invictus wrote:
Azhrei wrote:Even if we could reach the closest star in a generation (ship time) it would appear to be multiple generations here on Earth.
This brings up a whole new question: Is it responsible to send people away like that? To cut them off from their home society for ever? I don't remember any Earth explorers who went out without the intention of coming back. I don't think that is something we should encourage. What if that tiny society on the space ship takes an unhealthy turn and ends up giving a very bad impression of humanity to the aliens?
I believe the current NASA plan for a first manned landing on Mars is a non-return journey.

User avatar
Xaelvaen
Dragon
Posts: 498
Joined: Wed Aug 31, 2011 9:49 pm
Location: Somewhere between Heaven and Hell

Re: [Survey] If we found signs of alien life...

Post by Xaelvaen »

Sorry for the absolutely long delay ^^;

Wolph, that to which I am referring is the Nuclear Fission development to create energy, or at least that's what history will tell was the ultimate 'ideal' behind the development of releasing raw nuclear energy. It didn't take much effort to adapt Fission to Friction.

I see the topic has exploded however! Perhaps this thread should be translated into 100 different languages (including binary) and then beamed unbidden into space and let them answer the question, heh.
"An arrogant person considers himself perfect. This is the chief harm of arrogance. It interferes with a person's main task in life - becoming a better person." - Leo Tolstoy

User avatar
wolph42
Winter Wolph
Posts: 9999
Joined: Fri Mar 20, 2009 5:40 am
Location: Netherlands
Contact:

Re: [Survey] If we found signs of alien life...

Post by wolph42 »

Xaelvaen wrote:Sorry for the absolutely long delay ^^;

Wolph, that to which I am referring is the Nuclear Fission development to create energy, or at least that's what history will tell was the ultimate 'ideal' behind the development of releasing raw nuclear energy. It didn't take much effort to adapt Fission to Friction.

I see the topic has exploded however! Perhaps this thread should be translated into 100 different languages (including binary) and then beamed unbidden into space and let them answer the question, heh.
I understood that and was teasing you a bit. Although for the record: the atoms bomb was FIRST and born out of the need during war and later it was turned into something (a bit) more benign. So no, it *really* is strive that really pushes the boundaries of tech.

Post Reply

Return to “General Discussion”