UFO's. What Do You Think?

[Kidlicious]

Originally posted by Urban Ranger


A cruise missile?

I don't think so. I said comet, because I've never seen a meteor that big. But I've seen comets, and you know about those from the news. It was as big as a comet, or just looked that way.

edit: actually it looked bigger than a comet.

[Vince278]

Originally posted by Seeker
I'm convinced that I once saw a satellite in a clear night sky.

I saw one of those in a clear night sky in Saudi Arabia back in 1984. It looked like a point of light that went from horizon to horizon in about 15 seconds or so. Thats typical of low earth orbit objects.

[MrFun]

To answer the question of what I think of UFOs.


I believe that there is advanced extraterrestrial life somewhere, in other parts of this universe, or in other universes.

I do not believe any intelligent extraterrestrials have ever visited our planet. The ones that people have "seen" are some other forms of unidentified phenomena or deliberate hoaxs.

[Kidlicious]

What do you think the thing I saw was MrFun?

[Vesayen]

I think the universe is so enormously vast that sentient life which has empires spanning multiple solar systems almost certainly exists, in our galaxy, right now.

I also think that time is so vast its unlikley we'll ever contact each other while we both still exist.

No alien visitors have(proboably) ever been to earth.

[Seeker]

Ok some serious things...

Why would a really advanced civilization be 'into' the whole colonize and explore other planets thing? What would they gain? Surely a civilization capable of interstellar journeys has solved any population problem and is tapping the energy of their star for whatever needs they have.

Transporting resources that a super-advanced civ just can't make in it's own system?? I doubt it...

Just for kicks? Too much time invested..

Military reasons? Why would they be interested in planetary surfaces when stations or asteroids are more convenient industrially?

In fact, there are many compelling reasons to want to be left alone, if only to avoid the inevitable power politics and competition.

Science? Surely they would explore like we do, by observing with sensitive equipment at a distance.

IMO, a really really advanced civ probably just stays in their own system and develops it to some unimaginable degree, like dyson spheres or matrix like simulated universes, and only moves in case their sun becomes unuseable. The certainly aren't interested in the rectal contents of a distant primitive species that hasn't even mastered the engineering of their own bodies.

The so-called UFO phenomena is not new...they used to be called angels or faeires or the Wee Folk. There is a long tradition of hallucinatory visions of tiny humanoids...one researcher in Sudbury believes this is because of a strange rare effect of geomagnetism on the brain of individuals in a state between sleep and wakefulness which tends to create intensely emotional (fear/love) hallucinations often involving shadowy anthropomorphic figures.

The rest is just what I'd call 'Fantasy Prone Personalities' and honest mistakes.

[MarkG]

Originally posted by Vesayen
I think the universe is so enormously vast that sentient life which has empires spanning multiple solar systems almost certainly exists, in our galaxy, right now.

I also think that time is so vast its unlikley we'll ever contact each other while we both still exist.

plus, our tv sucks, why should aliens visit us

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by Kidicious
What do you think the thing I saw was MrFun?

No idea. We don't even have a photo to work with

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by Seeker
Science? Surely they would explore like we do, by observing with sensitive equipment at a distance.

My biggest issues with all those abduction stories are:

1. The "aliens" are all too human. It seems improbable that intelligent lifeforms that evolved on another planet would look anything like humans.

2. While they are advanced enough to grab people through walls and such, their biological and medical instruments are so backwards. Probably even more primitive than ours - afterall, we have things such as MRI. Com'on, we don't do anal probing on cattle.

[DaShi]

Originally posted by Seeker
Ok some serious things...

Why would a really advanced civilization be 'into' the whole colonize and explore other planets thing? What would they gain? Surely a civilization capable of interstellar journeys has solved any population problem and is tapping the energy of their star for whatever needs they have.

Transporting resources that a super-advanced civ just can't make in it's own system?? I doubt it...

Just for kicks? Too much time invested..

Military reasons? Why would they be interested in planetary surfaces when stations or asteroids are more convenient industrially?

In fact, there are many compelling reasons to want to be left alone, if only to avoid the inevitable power politics and competition.

Science? Surely they would explore like we do, by observing with sensitive equipment at a distance.

IMO, a really really advanced civ probably just stays in their own system and develops it to some unimaginable degree, like dyson spheres or matrix like simulated universes, and only moves in case their sun becomes unuseable. The certainly aren't interested in the rectal contents of a distant primitive species that hasn't even mastered the engineering of their own bodies.

Why did Europeans visit the New World? If there are alien species visiting Earth, one can only speculate as to their reasons and motivations. Such things could be completely alien to us.

[DaShi]

Originally posted by Urban Ranger


My biggest issues with all those abduction stories are:

1. The "aliens" are all too human. It seems improbable that intelligent lifeforms that evolved on another planet would look anything like humans.

It's possible that the human form has an evolutionary advantage for manipulating tools.

2. While they are advanced enough to grab people through walls and such, their biological and medical instruments are so backwards. Probably even more primitive than ours - afterall, we have things such as MRI. Com'on, we don't do anal probing on cattle.

The anal probing is a joke. What else is backwards about their technology? Do they place burn dried leaves on their skin while placing cups over them to give themselves giant hickies?

[Seeker]

UR is talking about the fact that the abduction stories tests are ridiculous...why are aliens who can supposedly manipulate time, space, matter and energy at will putting people on examination tables? Giving implants? Performing surgeries? etc etc....the 'anal probing' (originally from the UFO cult book "Communion" description of an abduction experience) is ridiculous...but for super-advanced aliens ALL THE REST IS EQUALLY ridiculous. If they have the super-powers claimed in these stories, why do they even have to enter earths atmosphere to learn what they want?

[DaShi]

Maybe they're looking for a new source of fuel. Now, I don't believe in these stories myself. But I'm sure an alien species would be interested in other life found in the universe. We're sure obsessed with it. A little green spot on mars would send scientists here into a spin.

[Sandman]

Just for kicks? Too much time invested..

If they're super-advanced, they'll have plenty of time.

[Seeker]

"But I'm sure an alien species would be interested in other life found in the universe. We're sure obsessed with it. A little green spot on mars would send scientists here into a spin."

think about that carefully though and how it would work in the real world...I guess that scenario could be true if FTL travel were theoretically possible but most physicists say no and never will be. Otherwise it's just too monstrously time consuming for something so frivolous.