Recent searches
Search options
@mekkaokereke@hachyderm.io@nuncio@mstdn.social @geobeck @BigMcLargeHuge@mstdn.social
As a kid, I was terrified of the idea of intelligent alien life finding us while we're at this stage of barbarity.
Because as violent and self-destructive as humans are, no intelligent species could ever let us off this planet. That would be irresponsible.
They'd observe us, and if we ever got close to developing interstellar tech? They'd... have to decide what to do about us.
One option would be for them to wait us out. We might be... self-cleaning.
@mekkaokereke @nuncio @BigMcLargeHuge
Years ago I read a short story by Isaac Asimov called "Silly Asses" in which the leader of a galactic organization decides that Earth isn't worth their time. The folly that got Earth stricken from their register was testing nukes on Earth. Who knows how Naron the Rigellian would react to our current situation.
@mekkaokereke @nuncio @geobeck @BigMcLargeHuge
It’s 2023. At this point if aliens exists they are the snobby half of ones family that never call for holidays or birthdays. The type that belong to Mensa and don’t want blue collared plebeian third cousins to ask for money or gadgets or help. They can stay lost!
@mekkaokereke @nuncio @geobeck @BigMcLargeHuge yeah. But their main motive for watching us could just be biological curiosity, like David Attenborough...
@mekkaokereke @nuncio @geobeck @BigMcLargeHuge
Like, life-that-can-figure-out-how-to-go-to-space might be something that happens on many planets in the galaxy, but what are the odds that more than one of them actually go to space within a few hundred years of each other? (Star Trek is kind of silly optimistic about this: species from hundreds of planets all figuring out long-distance travel practically *simultaneously*.)
@mekkaokereke @nuncio @geobeck @BigMcLargeHuge
It seems more likely that you'd be waiting a few million years on average before the next species sends its first rockets up. So whenever that happens, it's a relatively rare opportunity to watch something that you might never be able to see again.
@mekkaokereke @nuncio @geobeck @BigMcLargeHuge btw, does anyone know of any good scifi that explores this angle?
@mekkaokereke @nuncio @geobeck @BigMcLargeHuge
That's why I've always wondered if, out beyong the Ort Cloud, we're surrounded by the outer space version of orange warning cones, y'know? 
