Random furry thoughts

[Contrast]

That's where the problem lies. You're basing what a different life form might look like but using our existing life as a base.

Unfortunately, we don't have anything else to base our speculations off of. And saying it's "not valid" is simply not true. Life on Earth is the only life we know of, so that's a logical first step when making our deductions. There are many scientists out there who share my view (Phil Plait is one I know of). Yes, there might be aliens out there that are so different from us they might force us to re-evaluate the very definition of "life", but based on the existing data (it's not much when you consider it's only from our own planet, but that's the only factual base we have), if life like us happened once, then chances are that somewhere out there, on a planet similar to our own, life has developed in a similar way.
It's only logical.

[Rakuen Growlithe]

We have to use life here as an example yes. But we have to do so very carefully because the forms we see now are the result of about 3 billion years of contingencies. Evolution doesn't follow the same paths so while it's not impossible for life like us to develop elsewhere it is very unlikely.
To illustrate that we can just look at many experiments done with bacteria. They take identical bacteria and grow them in identical conditions and they will start evolving in different directions and solving problems in different ways in just a few generations.
When we say life will be similar we need to be very careful about what we mean. It won't necessarily even use the same chemistry we do. If you take specific structures that work for specific tasks then those we could expect. For example a flying alien can be expected to have some sort of wing but we can't expect something like a dog or a monkey or whatever else.

I would be interested to see what exactly Plait said, whether it was something about aliens sharing anatomy or just specific features. Do you have a link?

[Ember]

Both of you have valid points, and technically there is no wrong or right 'alien', come on lets be *serious* here

Personally I like the idea of a shapeless creature, either composed mostly of vapours or a liquid that remains slightly connected, as unscientific as that sounds

[Fluke]

sigh

[Flaxney]

how did this go from missing socks to extraterrestrial biology 0_0

they may not even have a physical form for all you know, they may be pure energy, or exist within another spectrum of light and be invisible to the naked eye. or they could be sentient machines.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermi_paradox

food for thought

[Contrast]

I would be interested to see what exactly Plait said, whether it was something about aliens sharing anatomy or just specific features. Do you have a link?

Unfortunately, no. I only remember he talked about it once on an episode of "Bad Universe" on the Discovery Channel. There are scientists on both sides of the argument. Of course, I'm not disagreeing with anything you said, it's just that I believe that the basic body structures of the lifeforms on Earth are probably not that rare throughout the universe, especially when you consider that scientists are looking for extraterrestrial life by first looking for planets similar to our own. Wouldn't the life found on an Earth-like planet also be Earth-like?
No matter what the answer (without an actual alien we simply cannot know), the discovery of an alien intelligence (or their discovery of us) would be the greatest occurence in the history of humanity.
That's something we can all agree on.

[Faanvolla]

i quite enjoyed Casper de Vries' Extraterrestrial Show.
(it does say random at the top)

[Alion]

I like tha Casper de Vries show too,it was epic. I think I'll stick to the common short gray alien with big black eyes. Or they could be shapeshifting cubes of goo. I guess we will never know -glances around nervously- next topic?

[Faanvolla]

I have one,
how come Twinkle, Twinkle little star, The Alphabet song, Bah Bah blacksheep and Somebody that I used to know all have the same Notes/tune?

[Contrast]

Probably because the copyright laws back then were crappy. Either that or they were all written by the same lazy composer.

[Faanvolla]

but STIUTK came out this/last year.

[Contrast]

Then it's crappy copyright. Or maybe that tune is so old it doesn't belong to anybody anymore, like how certain books can be legally downloaded for free because the writer has been dead for longer than 80 years or something like that. I don't know the specifics.

[Faanvolla]

Here's another thought:
Why do all the Sexual pre-fur-ense 's start with a capitol letter, except bi-mostly straight?

[Ember]

I think you should go shout at the forummaster
(Or post something in the bugs / suggestions part).

[Alion]

Do you guys think teleportation will one day be a reality?

[Contrast]

They're already teleporting information by entangling atoms, so it might be a reality one day, but I have a few issues with full-body teleporting.
Here's the thing. When somebody teleports, he disappears at Point A and reappears at Point B, right? But how would you know if it was really him? Maybe that's just a copy of the person who teleported, with all the same memories, and the original is now dead?
Even if you successfully teleported yourself, you wouldn't be able to prove that you are, in fact, you, and not some copy of a dead guy. Maybe you kill yourself every time you teleport and get replaced by a new copy with the same memories every time. It would SEEM like you're still you, but you won't be able to know for sure. Nobody will. And that's with SUCCESSFULL teleportation. What if it goes wrong? Do you have any idea how many possibilities there are for the atoms in your body to appear at Point B? You might turn into a puddle.

That's why I'd rather use portals (if they become a reality). If you remove the distance between Point A and Point B, all the safety issues are removed as well, since your body doesn't reappear and disappear at all. Well, you might still get cut in half if Eskom screws up and turns off the power while you're stepping through.

[Ember]

I do! I think it will be more of a reality than flying cars will be.

@Contrast; You're thinking along the lines of The Prestige (2006) are you not? Personally I love that whole twist, and I'm not sure I would mind as long as it were an exact duplication.

I'm not sure if it's entirely scientifically sound (I haven't done much research on it) but wasn't it proven possible to make something travel faster than the speed of light which caused it momentarily to disappear and re-appear? I may be hideously wrong

[Contrast]

You wouldn't be able to mind because you'd be dead. You'd cease to exist. You're consciousness wouldn't miraculously transport into the clone. In "The Prestige" the original still existed, but in true teleportation, that wouldn't be the case. There'd be only one. And if you die when you teleport, that'd be it. From your point of view, existence would end. A copy might continue living your life, but it wouldn't be you. So I'd never teleport for fear of suddenly ending my own life.

And I don't think they managed to make any particle go faster than light. That was just an error, if we're thinking of the same recent occurence.

[Faanvolla]

how do you pronounce Tomato?
Is it Tomato, or is it Tomato?

[Ember]

I'm sure it's pronounced Tomato, Tomato just kinda sounds wrong.

[Faanvolla]

I thought it was Tomato too. Thanks.

[Aeowyn]

I recommend everyone watch "the fly" if you want to see how wrong teleportation can go. I do believe someone has actually teleported a rock or something, not really sure but that's what I read. as for dying and being a clone: that wouldn't be true teleportation. to create a clone at point b you'd need to have a vat of the right chemicals and stuff at point b. and also how would it get your memories? so I believe if a person arrives at point b, it's all your same atoms and therefore CANNOT technically be a clone. as for being ALIVE, well... we'll have to wait and see about that. I do think that object teleportation is much more likely. imagine ordering something online, and seeing [downloading] then there's a ZAP noise and there it is, 2 minutes after you ordered it... AWESOME!
I am the part of the bird that's not in the sky, I can swim in the ocean and always be dry. what am I?

[Alion]

I think my profiles gathering dust hehe. What gadget or technology would you like to exist in the future? I'm going for memory loss pills. If you finish a game just drink one and it will be as if you've never played it before :3

[Dualsa]

I would like to see (and plan to invent) an anti-drunkenness pill. Get drunk at a club, pop a pill and you're safe to drive home And no, it's not really possible. What is possible though is to formulate capsulated alcohol. So instead of drinking all night you can pop a pill for sudden drunkenness Though I'm not really sure what the point of that is.

[modifiedmeow]

This talk of sciency things makes me happy. Id like to invent an easy way to get a half decent job haha, ok well thats silly but maybe a pill you can take that actually works on pain

[Dualsa]

They do have pills that actually work on pain but you need a prescription for all of them. And while I know pain is subjective and a lot of people don't have the same response to medications, I highly doubt anyone would still feel much pain after a dose of one of the schedule 6 painkillers. Things like morphine, hydromorphone, oxycodone, etc :3

[Aeowyn]

I had terrible toothache at one point that had me literally wrthing in agomy. Myprodol made it a hell of a lot better. AND NO-ONE'S ANSWERED MY RIDDLE!

[Raven Song]

I think the answer to your riddle is....... a duck (i'm just messing with you the answer is the birds shadow.... we got that one at school once)

[Aeowyn]

well done, you get a lollipop! *pops it in your mouth before you can blink*

[Grayhound]

Ooh, a riddle contest, I enjoy riddles....hmm....I am the beginning of the end, and the end of time and space. I am essential to creation, and I surround every place. What am I?