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ORIGINAL: DamoclesX

A common mistak about the speed of light is assuming because you cant reach it you cant go OVER it.

You can, you just cant reach THE speed of light, but you can jump over it, there are particals that cant go -below- the speed of light for the same reason(theory as far as I know), the key is finding a way to jump over the light barrier onto the other side.

I will see if I can find the artical I read about that, it gets into some pretty heavy calc.

Another point to make is if we are built to only be able to see light, if we also have only devices that can register particles but not particles going faster then light, we would be in essence blind to the faster then light particles, etc.

Before we were able to detect and use xrays, for all purposes, we were blind to them as a crude example, so if we cannot measure nor detect nor see things going faster then light, from our POV you can't go faster.

Maybe like in Startrek there is such a thing as warp speed [:D][:D]

In every generation there are those who say it cant be done, because they are scared of the results, or to stuipid to do it themselves, then there are those who do it.

The light barrier will be broken, one way or another, just as the earth was sailed and the sound barrier was broken, and one day they will look back at us in some history class and laught at those who thought we couldnt do it.

Humans are great for accepting the current and laughing at the future, its one of our worst flaws.

ORIGINAL: DamoclesX

A common mistak about the speed of light is assuming because you cant reach it you cant go OVER it.
.

This man disagrees

Yes,

however,

if we went about our quest for the truth that way we would have never tryed to circle the earth, or tryed to break the sound barrier.

I say the only true limit to what we can do is the limit we impose on ourselves.

ORIGINAL: DamoclesX

I say the only true limit to what we can do is the limit we impose on ourselves.

Can't argue with that [;)]

ORIGINAL: Bossy573
Or maybe I'm wrong and we're all aliens, planted here as an experiment by some really advanced race that likes to dabble in such things.

Yea, I thought of this also.

At times I think god is an alien and we are nothing more than an experiment and he pops in every now and again to take a peek at this self destrucive race he created.

Just go outside and take a look up at the sky.Man, its toooo BIIIG.Somplace way out there there has to be another planet with beings on it. we just cant make it that far out to see for ourselves.

I would worry more about a huge asteroid or meteor coming and putting us into another ice age.....that would be crappy.

Heh, if the polar ice caps melt before the asteroid get here, we'll have a "water age" before another ice age. I guess we'll revert back to our origional ancestors the fish that walked out of water, go back to where we began and start all over again, now, wouldn't that be the perfect system for survival? Our past becomes our future and the circle of human life continues on an on an on an on for eternity.

Or until the sun goes supernova and burns the Earth down to a lump of coal the size of a chihuahua's head...

We are just plain boring in a nutshell. "Son, you wanna stop at Earth? Daaad, there's nothing to do there!"

ORIGINAL: gunny

If we are not alone we might as well be almost alone:
http://www.ufoevidence.org/documents/doc1352.htm

It may be ET is a little more rare than we think. For a couple subjective reasons.

The Universal speed limit of C is keeping most from making the trip.
And, Frank Drakes equation for "how common intelligent life is in the galaxy" is flawed as he now admits as steady elliptical planetary oribits are difficult to form. Well without planets criss-crossing and smashing into each other.

One thing, our class G2 sun and its Jupiter flashes is like waving a life over here sign. I'm sure we've been noticed.

Edit: For the optimist the betty hill alien star map is intriguing:
http://www.alien-ufos.com/incidentshills.shtml

Have you got a link or source for Drake's assertion? His equation was always a starting point for this sort of debate, and if he has reconsidered, then, all bets are off.....

I personally thought the lightbulb explanation was the right one. Someone touched partially on it by suggesting life evolved to a point where it stopped being interested in physical things and evolved into energy.

The lightbulb explanation says that the Universe in 12 billions years old. We know we have reached this stage of development on a planet 4.5 billion years old. Other systems with life would have developed a lot earlier, others are still to develop.

Civilisation has a finite existence in which to make contact. This period of time is probably measured in thousands of years and as such is like turning on a lightbulb when compared to the length of time the universe has existed and will continue to exist.

Therefore, 100 000 civilisations flash like lightbulbs in the galaxy and only if two turn on at the same time is contact even remotely possible. Even then they have to be in the same corner of the Galaxy which is another trick altogether.

One way of looking at it is to imagine (as a couple of writers have) that the dinosaurs didn't die out and continued to evolve. At some point, they enter space, but this civilisation of earth would have probably been millions of years ago. Since civilisation is so random, chances are we are currently alone. I don't doubt we'll find life, probably in this solar system, but it won't be intelligent.

Regards,
IronDuke