Putting things into perspective....

[McLovin]

Originally Posted by 1968Cayman

How did we go from threads like this to talking about boobs and strippers every day? Am I responsible for the degradation? I mean, the intelligent thought ends around December 2007, so I'd like to think I had something to do with it.

I, alone, am responsible for lowering the collective IQ of Pelican OT. Not sure if that's something to brag about or hide from the neighbors.

Excellent observation. That's just a glimpse of how things used to be in PPOT, and some of the very missed contributors like kstar. There used to be a lot of intelligence and thoughtful posts here, it used to be the rule, rather than the exception. Many of those intelligent/interesting/thoughful posters are now gone, and of the ones that aren't, the vast majority post only in very limited amounts.

Hard to say when the change occurred, but it seems like it was a year or so before the PPOT/PARF split. The split was not the cause of the change, but was an effect of it. (I was initially highly against the split, but after seeing the worthless cesspool that PARF has turned into, with almost no signs of intelligent life, just the predictable boorish, crass, predictable and boring posts over and over again, I changed my mind and believe it was a good idea).

This place is still entertaining, just in a different way. It was at one time a relatively small, unique community, now it's just another huge chat board with some entertainment value. Still fun, and some gems now and then, though. Just have to approach it differently.

[RPKESQ]

Originally Posted by Superman

Yes, but how many galaxies have we listened to, and how many solar systems would those galaxies collectively represent. I understand we're not taking a cosmic census, but we've been listening for a radio "carrier signal" for a LONG time, and heard nothing.

And again, what I am gleaning from astronomists and biologists is that the combination of cosmic and terrestrial events necessary for life to occur, then develop into intelligent life, may be much more unlikely than we already knew. We do not know how a DNA strand could have spontaneously occurred, which of course would be necessary in order for life to be created. That event is so unlikely (DNA is not a chemically "simple" thing) that we cannot even theorize how it might have happened. But now, some folks are beginning to wonder how likely, given a spontaneously-emerged DNA strand, it will evolve into a mouse, let alone a planet of sentient humans.

I don't know. And it doesn't matter to me. I'm just saying that whereas twenty years ago the folks promoting the idea of life on other planets could sneer down their noses at doubters......today, science is wondering that question anew.

We have not listened to any galaxies. We have not been able to push our own radio signals beyond a few million miles. We have no idea what to listen for or just how far our own signals can be detected. And we only started listening in 1959. 52 short years of using less than 1% of radio telescope facilities or resources around the world. You have vastly overestimated our search capabilities and the speed of radio waves; and equally vastly underestimated the size of the known universe and the degregation of radio waves.

BTW, science is not reconsidering the chances of life in a negative (higher) direction. Science is realizing that "life" is possible under far more extreme conditions than thought possible in the past. Nothing points to life being unique or rare. Sentient beings are difficult to exactly describe or define when you only have one example for comparison purposes. But science is learning that many attributes of what was considered as only human traits are shared with many other lifeforms on earth. No peer-reviewed biologist is saying that the development of life is highly improbable. In fact the consensus is the exact opposite.

And the sneering seems to flow both ways. But the misunderstanding of science only seems to flow one way.

[Zeke]

The relative sizes of the bodies is surprising. The distances between the various bodies as shown with basket balls, tennis balls, golf balls, marbles, etc. will also tickle your brain.

If the sun is an 8" ball and Pluto is a pinhead, the Earth would be a peppercorn. Set the sun down and walk half a mile(!) then put the pin head down. The Earth would be only 78 feet from the Sun. That's the relative distance.

More: The distance to the nearest star, Proxima Centauri, is 4200 MILES using the same model. I don't know what size ball it would be.

[Rick Lee]

Never gets old.

Earth's Nearest or Closest Stars

[LSA]

Originally Posted by TerryH

What's amazing about that picture is that is was taken of an "empty" spot of the night sky where there were no visible stars and the 3d image composed using red/blue shift of that picture is just as spectacular.