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Ask HN: Do you believe aliens are visiting Earth?

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Re: Ask HN: Do you believe aliens are visiting Earth?

#31

Post by ryandvm »

Regardless of whether or not life exists out there, I think sadly from an energy perspective interstellar travel doesn't really make sense - other than unmanned probes.

There's a really good chance that the speed of light is the universal speed limit. If that's the case, then interstellar travel isn't going to be worth it for resources because the time and energy it takes to do it will almost certainly eclipse what you're going to gain from the trip. Especially if that trip is going to take thousands/millions of years.

The reality is that if you have the energy and resources to move a significant population to another star system, you're going to have to solve permanent space habitation; and if you did that, why the hell do you need to go anywhere?

"Shits and giggles" just doesn't seem like much of a reason to load the next 300 generations of your family into an interstellar RV.

Re: Ask HN: Do you believe aliens are visiting Earth?

#32

Post by keepamovin »

Gys wrote: post #27

> Facts: there's abundance of testimony that would secure conviction in court regarding abductions, encounters (of variosu "kinds"), and "multi-sensor data". 'testimony' as in 'statements from people' should not nearly be enough to convince a court. Pretty sure there are also many testimonies that confirm the existence of trolls, elf's, the devil, reincarnation, angels, big foot, Loch Ness monster, etc.

Hmm, interesting point. Where we draw the line? Testimonies/memories/personal experience can certainly secure a conviction in a human court of law. This exists "in abundance" for sightings/abductions/encounters...so are we hypocrites? "Evidence is permitted If-and-only-if it conforms to our priors", or we accept the testimonial standard in play?

For me, it comes down to what you think personally. That's the discriminating factor in such an "contested" topic!

Re: Ask HN: Do you believe aliens are visiting Earth?

#33

Post by keepamovin »

ryandvm wrote: post #31

Regardless of whether or not life exists out there, I think sadly from an energy perspective interstellar travel doesn't really make sense - other than unmanned probes. There's a really good chance that the speed of light is the universal speed limit. If that's the case, then interstellar travel isn't going to be worth it for resources because the time and energy it takes to do it will almost certainly eclipse what y…

I agree, I think this is highly logical if we accept the constraints of current physics.

However, what if we try the idea that it's incomplete? That maybe the "warp bubble" is possible? Somehow, spacetime provides a way to use material science to stabilize it and not use enormous energy. Suddenly you are in your own inertial frame, and everything we see as anomalous follows.

Re: Ask HN: Do you believe aliens are visiting Earth?

#34

Post by keepamovin »

4ndrewl wrote: post #30
keepamovin wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But if they were targeting sentient life, then no?

I mean if their blink-of-an-eye existence corresponded with our blink-of-an-eye existence and they could pinpoint us at a distance of 20,000,000,000 _light years_ then sure, why not I guess?

I get you, but what if we are talking not individual life to individual life but civilization to civilization? Anyway I think you are considering the correct details to pin down the maths!

Re: Ask HN: Do you believe aliens are visiting Earth?

#35

Post by JohnFen »

keepamovin wrote: post #16
JohnFen wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> There's some kind of a "evidence problem" where we rely on a single-source for "evidence" (the government), while discounting "evidence" from testimony/imagery from rando people (even before AI). Real evidence isn't dependent on the source. It can be evaluated objectively. > if you don't have experience yourself, no matter what external "proof", you may not believe it. Which is fine, and valid I think. I disagree,…

Ok, then you disempower your own experience and outsource authority to a (collective) externality? If you are comfortable with that trade, I get it. I am just more in favor of individual autonomy/sovereignty. However, focusing on a sophist "objective materialism" vs "subjective epistemology" distracts from the core issue: what is happening? and what do you believe?

> then you disempower your own experience and outsource authority to a (collective) externality?

The opposite, actually.

> what is happening?

I'm not exactly sure how to answer this question because I'm not sure what you're referring to. But taking the question generally, I think what is happening is that people see things they can't identify and are speculating about what they saw. Maybe they saw aliens, maybe not, but it's essentially impossible to tell from the reports themselves.

> and what do you believe?

I believe that I don't know.

However, while aliens might be visiting the Earth, it seems to me that the odds of that being the case are so tiny that "aliens" shouldn't be the first thing we think of.

Re: Ask HN: Do you believe aliens are visiting Earth?

#36

Post by keepamovin »

JohnFen wrote: post #35
keepamovin wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ok, then you disempower your own experience and outsource authority to a (collective) externality? If you are comfortable with that trade, I get it. I am just more in favor of individual autonomy/sovereignty. However, focusing on a sophist "objective materialism" vs "subjective epistemology" distracts from the core issue: what is happening? and what do you believe?

> then you disempower your own experience and outsource authority to a (collective) externality? The opposite, actually. > what is happening? I'm not exactly sure how to answer this question because I'm not sure what you're referring to. But taking the question generally, I think what is happening is that people see things they can't identify and are speculating about what they saw. Maybe they saw aliens, maybe not,…

Okay

Re: Ask HN: Do you believe aliens are visiting Earth?

#37

Post by theearling »

keepamovin wrote: post #3
bigyabai wrote: post #2

I don't care enough about aliens to have an opinion. I haven't seen one, and the "abundance of testimony" convinces me of alien existence no more than religious gospel. > the "government authroity" of a "respect country" stating unequivocally that the reality of "alien" contact is true Stating the existence of aliens is not unequivocal or based in reality, even if a government does it. Don't forget that Russia claime…

That's a good viewpoint. You have to stay grounded in your own experience. This Russia cancer thing, what is that? Curious.

Russia Cancer? what's that?

Re: Ask HN: Do you believe aliens are visiting Earth?

#39

Post by theearling »

through the hundreds of hours of interviews of abductee's and the governments response since 2017, they are very real in some capacity.

This is hacker news, so big brains going to disagree within their little bubbles, but a great resource for archived media on the topic is the channel "Eyes on Cinema" on YouTube from various news cast and specials since the 40's

Re: Ask HN: Do you believe aliens are visiting Earth?

#40

Post by keepamovin »

theearling wrote: post #39

through the hundreds of hours of interviews of abductee's and the governments response since 2017, they are very real in some capacity. This is hacker news, so big brains going to disagree within their little bubbles, but a great resource for archived media on the topic is the channel "Eyes on Cinema" on YouTube from various news cast and specials since the 40's

Yes! That channel is an absolute gold mine. However, I think it's paramount to "bring the light" to HN. HN is basically the technological intelligentsia/illuminati of the Internet. These folks must be informed, even if "prodding required". The fate of the future requires the intelligence and genius of these people to consider these matters
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