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  • Originally posted by zraver View Post
    Unless worm holes are real, the chances are any biological members of the new arrivals will be in deep sleep. The cheapest solution will be to lob some dino killers at us. We can't stop them, its 100% effective and the overall biology and life bearing of the planet will recover in a short time compared to the time involved to actually get here.
    Here's another thing to think about. Our planet is a nice place for us to live because of our biosphere.

    Let's assume that the galaxy is full of planets with environments that can support carbon based life. How many could have evolved along parallel evolutionary paths that make the place entirely inhospitable to us? Here are a couple of scenarios:

    The just like us except with plastics scenario: a planet full of complex carbon based life based on biomolecular building blocks entirely incompatible with our own. Eg, some form of XNA instead of DNA, some form of bioplastic instead of proteins made from amino acids, something that hates an oxygen rich atmosphere. We can go to many planets, and find vibrant biospheres full of life, only life that is so different from our own biochemistry we will have no way of eating the plants, no way of coexisting symbiotically with the micro-organisms or eating any of the food or breathing the air.

    The single cellular goo scenario: instead of evolving into multicellular organisms, the planet's biosphere developed into single cellular amoebas that are so biochemically adept and potent, they prevent any more complicated life from forming. The biosphere is a horror pit of hyper sophisticated biochemical warfare. Anything that enters gets chomped down into little components that become amoeba food.

    The hyperintelligent philosopher dolphin scenario: Instead of evolving a technological society, a water world with abundant sea life creates a race of hyper intelligent dolphins who have no real technology but extraordinarily complex and nuanced philosophy. Any visitors to the planet soon gets drawn into endless debates about life, ethics, spirituality, female dolphin studies, and are driven to flee in horror.

    Ok, I'm kidding about the last part, but points 1 or 2 might be quite plausible. Any intelligent aliens would need to spend millions of years making such planets hospitable and comfortable, making them ask: why bother?

    I wouldn't be surprised if the first reaction from alien visitors upon finding a technological civilization on earth would be WTF??? Followed by pure amateur hour on both sides......

    Comment


    • Geebus but this thread has taken a bizarre turn!!!
      “Loyalty to country ALWAYS. Loyalty to government, when it deserves it.”
      Mark Twain

      Comment


      • Originally posted by citanon View Post
        Here's another thing to think about. Our planet is a nice place for us to live because of our biosphere.

        Let's assume that the galaxy is full of planets with environments that can support carbon based life. How many could have evolved along parallel evolutionary paths that make the place entirely inhospitable to us? Here are a couple of scenarios:

        The just like us except with plastics scenario: a planet full of complex carbon based life based on biomolecular building blocks entirely incompatible with our own. Eg, some form of XNA instead of DNA, some form of bioplastic instead of proteins made from amino acids, something that hates an oxygen rich atmosphere. We can go to many planets, and find vibrant biospheres full of life, only life that is so different from our own biochemistry we will have no way of eating the plants, no way of coexisting symbiotically with the micro-organisms or eating any of the food or breathing the air.

        The single cellular goo scenario: instead of evolving into multicellular organisms, the planet's biosphere developed into single cellular amoebas that are so biochemically adept and potent, they prevent any more complicated life from forming. The biosphere is a horror pit of hyper sophisticated biochemical warfare. Anything that enters gets chomped down into little components that become amoeba food.

        The hyperintelligent philosopher dolphin scenario: Instead of evolving a technological society, a water world with abundant sea life creates a race of hyper intelligent dolphins who have no real technology but extraordinarily complex and nuanced philosophy. Any visitors to the planet soon gets drawn into endless debates about life, ethics, spirituality, female dolphin studies, and are driven to flee in horror.

        Ok, I'm kidding about the last part, but points 1 or 2 might be quite plausible. Any intelligent aliens would need to spend millions of years making such planets hospitable and comfortable, making them ask: why bother?

        I wouldn't be surprised if the first reaction from alien visitors upon finding a technological civilization on earth would be WTF??? Followed by pure amateur hour on both sides......
        A few million years isn't that big of a deal on a cosmological time-scale.

        That'd be my fear of running Zraver's asteroid killing strategy. While present-humanity can't stop a dino-killer, the aliens don't know if they are running into Year 2000 Earth, Year 2500 Earth, or Year 40,000 Earth. And those 40kers are NOT big fans of aliens.
        "The great questions of the day will not be settled by means of speeches and majority decisions but by iron and blood"-Otto Von Bismarck

        Comment


        • Originally posted by Albany Rifles View Post
          Geebus but this thread has taken a bizarre turn!!!
          It has gone Attack Pattern Delta!
          "Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?" ~ Epicurus

          Comment


          • Originally posted by Albany Rifles View Post
            Geebus but this thread has taken a bizarre turn!!!
            I guess the election is over. Anybody remember who won...???

            Comment


            • The Clowns.
              Chimo

              Comment


              • Originally posted by WABs_OOE View Post
                The Clowns.
                I actually liked how talking about anything other than politics makes us civil towards each other again
                "Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?" ~ Epicurus

                Comment


                • Originally posted by zraver View Post
                  Unless worm holes are real, the chances are any biological members of the new arrivals will be in deep sleep. The cheapest solution will be to lob some dino killers at us. We can't stop them, its 100% effective and the overall biology and life bearing of the planet will recover in a short time compared to the time involved to actually get here.
                  "compared to the time involved to actually get here."

                  zraver, you and I have disagreed on just about everything under the sun. But, once the topic got beyond the solar system, that changed.
                  That simple turn of phrase is one of the most powerful I've seen on the subject.

                  Well done, sir.
                  Well done.
                  Trust me?
                  I'm an economist!

                  Comment


                  • Originally posted by Albany Rifles View Post
                    Geebus but this thread has taken a bizarre turn!!!
                    What one's wife thinks: He's so cold, he never talks to me, he's such an asshole, I want to talk about my/his feelings...

                    What he's thinking about: Aliens....
                    "Every man has his weakness. Mine was always just cigarettes."

                    Comment




                    • The Theme Song

                      Originally posted by WABs_OOE View Post
                      The Clowns.
                      “Loyalty to country ALWAYS. Loyalty to government, when it deserves it.”
                      Mark Twain

                      Comment


                      • Originally posted by Albany Rifles View Post
                        [/video]

                        The Theme Song
                        Alternatively...

                        "Draft beer, not people."

                        Comment


                        • Originally posted by WABs_OOE View Post
                          Only if I still had my scotch collection.
                          Millennials drink cinnamon-sugar Fireballs, Jag bombs, and fruit/marshmallow flavored vodka with some more sugary/fruity stuff mixed in. Scotch isn't sugary and does not taste like candy.

                          You're going to have to hope some real OG aliens show up if that scotch is going to do you any good.
                          "Every man has his weakness. Mine was always just cigarettes."

                          Comment


                          • Originally posted by GVChamp View Post
                            A few million years isn't that big of a deal on a cosmological time-scale.

                            That'd be my fear of running Zraver's asteroid killing strategy. While present-humanity can't stop a dino-killer, the aliens don't know if they are running into Year 2000 Earth, Year 2500 Earth, or Year 40,000 Earth. And those 40kers are NOT big fans of aliens.
                            "Every man has his weakness. Mine was always just cigarettes."

                            Comment


                            • Originally posted by Ironduke View Post
                              Millennials drink cinnamon-sugar Fireballs, Jag bombs, and fruit/marshmallow flavored vodka with some more sugary/fruity stuff mixed in. Scotch isn't sugary and does not taste like candy.

                              You're going to have to hope some real OG aliens show up if that scotch is going to do you any good.
                              I wasn't going to share. Just to get myself nicely sauced up before the dino killer hits.
                              Chimo

                              Comment


                              • Originally posted by WABs_OOE View Post
                                I wasn't going to share. Just to get myself nicely sauced up before the dino killer hits.
                                Oh, I gotcha. I'd do the same thing. There will be a 100% off sale at the local liquor store, I'll grab the most expensive bottle I can find and just sit back and enjoy the show.

                                Originally posted by antimony View Post
                                I actually liked how talking about anything other than politics makes us civil towards each other again
                                I don't know about everybody else, but I'm experiencing Trump-fatigue/Mueller-fatigue. When it was fresh, new, and interesting, I had some passionate opinions about it. As the months went by, I progressively became increasingly bored with the subject. I just don't care anymore. I'll keep an eye out if anything interesting develops, but it'll be more rubbernecking at whatever scandalous secrets are discovered than anything else.

                                I'm currently interested in Bachelor Cuisine and Relativistic Kill Vehicles at the moment. And Dyson Spheres, if anyone wants to take that up in the Science & Technology section, as well as any ideas/hypotheses concerning aliens. Or semi-sci-fi alternate WWIIs. :-)
                                Last edited by Ironduke; 24 Apr 18,, 08:58.
                                "Every man has his weakness. Mine was always just cigarettes."

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