UFO Hunters - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 06, 2013, 06:30:05 am
content: Today when I went out early to do some wild life photography, I saw all these vans, crammed full of electronics dishes on the roofs and all. I thought it was a TV outside broadcast unit, so I wandered across. Greeting me was this well-spoken group of people, I asked them what was going on, was this TV, no they said we, had reports that UFO's are in this area, near this RAF base, and we track down UFO's, the equipment must cost a fortune, they even have their own generator van, to power it all up, these a serious people. So I'm starting to wonder if there's something in all this stuff ,could it be possible so many questions and not enough answers. Anyway I've been invited to join them on one of their searches, when they get reports of UFO's in my area again, which apparently is quite often. I wonder if these UFO hunters are world wide, is it a secret underworld, there was men and women there all seemed quite normal people, maybe they were Aliens, oh bugger now I'm scaring myself.

author: Bored@Work
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 06, 2013, 06:35:48 am
content: Just because someone puts a lot of time and money into something does not make it worthwhile.

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 06, 2013, 06:41:39 am
content: If all it costs you is time, sure, go for it. But don't take them at face value, keep your mind turned on.I found this one conspiracy theory site once. It was written by a very well spoken and outwardly sane person. The only downside? They believe in something called "dead orgone", believe that the NWO (New World Order) is trying to take over the world by spreading dead orgone out of cell phone towers, and is running around the world putting things called "holy hand grenades" (crystals embedded in resin) to try to clear out the dead orgone and save the world.There are whole groups of people out there burying these "holy hand grenades" near cell phone towers.That does not make them sane, or right. It just makes them entertaining. I found myself wishing it *was* true because it sounded like a horribly fun way to pass the time, but ultimately I just went on with my life, after shaking my head. It takes all kinds.Look it up. Everything I've said is true, other than the existence of Orgone, the NWO, the cell towers, etc. They even made the news because someone actually caught them doing it and considered it an infrastructure threat (how where they to know it was harmless crystals in resin being dropped or buried next to a cell tower?)

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 06, 2013, 06:49:56 am
content: Quote from: Bored@Work on July 06, 2013, 06:35:48 amI'll expand on that by saying just because a lot of people believe in something, does not make it true.*insert subject here* (religion, aliens, ESP, ghosts, Elvis, homoeopathy etc)I have a friend who's one of the heads of the Australian UFO & Paranormal research group, who also do their own low budget TV show.As far as I'm concerned it's a harmless hobby. I doubt they'll ever find what they are looking for (aliens), but I think it's more plausible than the other stuff I listed. Actually, there are many who follow the science and take it quite seriously to try and explain the "UFO sighting", which can of course be many different physical and/or optical phenomena.Plus of course, aliens are cool

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 06, 2013, 06:52:07 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on July 06, 2013, 06:49:56 am... Elvis??I believe in very little because many other people believe in it. I believe it because I've thought it over and have decided that there is something to it. Maybe not what everyone else thinks, but enough for me to go with. Religion and ESP (though not quite in that form) fit that category for me.But seriously? You don't believe in Elvis? Or are you referring to him still being alive?*shakes head*

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 06, 2013, 06:54:57 am
content: Quote from: duskglow on July 06, 2013, 06:52:07 amElvis is still alive, I swear, he used to work at Altium

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 06, 2013, 06:59:11 am
content: Fair dinkum!

author: Bored@Work
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 06, 2013, 07:06:13 am
content: Elvis has not left the Altium building.

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 06, 2013, 07:06:44 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on July 06, 2013, 06:54:57 amHe also works at the local petrol station here, These UFO hunters seem harmless, I don't have any real views on UFO's, many things can be explained, plus they have many different types of aircraft coming in here, I may go along sometime I don't get much spare time and looking at the night sky isn't very high on my agenda, I just found this group of intelligent well heeled people fascinating, don't think I'll be signing up any time soon.

author: Alana
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 06, 2013, 07:26:06 am
content: On one hand - I've met those too, the NWO and chemtrails and conspiracies and...On the other hand - as i child i found a rock with something on it that looked more like someone was trying to write on a metal using arc welder as a pen so there may be something into it. I remember where it was so i may go there take some pictures but still - lots of things may change in 20-25 years.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 06, 2013, 07:28:35 am
content: Quote from: Bored@Work on July 06, 2013, 07:06:13 amDamn, I'll have to pay that!It is now a ghost building after all, been vacant for 2 years now...http://www.realcommercial.com.au/property-offices-nsw-belrose-5786979

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 06, 2013, 07:35:30 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on July 06, 2013, 07:28:35 amI once went with my wife to one of those shows where some idiot stands there claiming he/she is talking to the dead, I fell a sleep shortly after it started, the second half I stayed in the bar, with all the other husbands that were dragged along

author: tinhead
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 06, 2013, 09:55:21 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on July 06, 2013, 06:49:56 amthey are^^Quote from: EEVblog on July 06, 2013, 06:49:56 am28y ago i was playing with some freinds football, there were some people watching us. We played outside, it was late hour so we used floodlight. Anyway, at some timepoint the light goes off, as well light in the whole city. So we stopped to play and were waiting what next. Then, from the north/east direction (russia was in that direction, not really far, i saw lot of russian fighters in my life^^) a dark "soemthing" was slowly moving on the sky, covering the stars. It was huge, much larger than the stadium were we played. As it was over the city then, some lights goes on, now a huge triangle (build with the lights) was visible, but it was still completly dark and strange looking (like a big piece of black marcury with lamps on edges). Honestly, nobody was thinks about ufo at that time, for us was this very clear - that was for sure russian whatsoever thing^^. It was'n even in local news paper or tv.I'm scifi fan (buy not a freak), but not because of aliens but because of what humans were able to do/archieve in all the scifi stories, which is somehow frakking sad to see what we actually doing with place we living onAnyway, years later i was watching tv and saw tv report about thesehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_triangle_(UFO)It was like dejavu, i immediately called one of my friends from that time and asked him about details he maybe still remember, which he did (he is not fan of anything) so all i remember was confirmed. From a time perspective point of view it is easy to "add" things to the real story, however i was not talking about what i saw or wasn't really thinking about. That was actually the second reason why i tried to reach poeple who saw that things together with me.What ever that things was, it was for sure not a US "spaceship" (not at that time at the place i was living), and not a russian one (unless both countries have exact the same test spacecrafts developed), it was not a huge xxx-kopter or Elvis or 2PAC in huge flying cars. It was there, lot of poeple saw it. Of course it could be a big trangle-art cloud of whatsoever covering the view on stars, the lights on edges could be electrostatic/plasma related. I didn't saw any laser guns, hehe, or structure which would be "typical" for (scifi) spaceship, so yes it can be natural phenome. But it was for sure fascinating and really huge object.Btw, no matter how much i scifi like, i wish all these unknown objects are really unknown physical and/or optical phenomen, i don't see a single reason why someone would spend resources to flight somewhere only to "watch primitive culture destroing itself slowly". On earth there is not a single creature doing something just for fun, a profit must be always there, so i doubt that other creatures would be different.Sure, it would be somehow cool to see big spaceships landing on erth with nice aliens (e.g. asgards), giving us all the technology and knowledge, allowing us to extend our life, improove our life quality ... but when i think about all these religion-damaged people, all these only profit-oriented people or all these "fuck you, we are the best" idiots, then i doubt that this would be a good day for human beings.Quote from: Telequipment on July 06, 2013, 06:30:05 amthere are lot of unknown phenomens, some people see here aliens other simply an UFO, really good example is "Hessdalen light"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hessdalen_lightEarth is for sure not the only planet with inteligent creatures, there are probably (or were) some with technology far beyond our understanding, but this didn't means anything as the universe is really huge. There is really no reason to think "alien" each time an unknown light or object apears on sky. Unidentified flying object/phenomens are UFOs by definition, it make sense to collect informations about them. UFO-hunters are not necessarily a sci-fi freaks with aluminium-foil over their head, watching sky and dreaming about aliens with big spaceships and virigins with 3 breast^^. Lot of them a serious scientists trying to collect information about "UFO" (remember UFO != Aliens).

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 06, 2013, 10:50:59 am
content: Quote from: tinhead on July 06, 2013, 09:55:21 amI disagree.If we found intelligent life anywhere else, it's yet another nail in the coffin of the silly religious fairy tales. That can only be good.I can't wait.Who wants a ride in one of The Chairs?

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 06, 2013, 11:07:53 am
content: Aliens wouldn't really bother me,we have that many immigrants over here you wouldn't notice the difference , you'd have wonder why they'd want to visit here, unless Earth in their eyes was a comedy show ,or may be it's a place to come and learn not the way to do things, quite agree with your fairy stories idea Dave, look at all the death that's occurred around the world in the name of God/Religion

author: lewis
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 06, 2013, 11:33:13 am
content: As a massive Star Trek fan, I love the idea of the universe being full of alien life. Who knows what voyages of wonder and discovery await us if we were to ever visit, or be visited by, another inhabited world. But the probably life spontaneously spring into existence is apparently so vanishingly small, it's conceivable we're the only life anywhere in the entire universe. Such a shame we're making such a mess of something so precious.Damn I hope Curiosity finds at least the merest sniff of some ancient microbe buried under the Martian soil!

author: 4to20Milliamps
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 06, 2013, 01:47:11 pm
content: Unless they have an anti-matter powered graviton phase shift apparatus they will never be able to detectusI mean them.

author: madires
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 06, 2013, 01:52:24 pm
content: Aren't we alienating earth ourselves?

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 06, 2013, 02:05:33 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on July 06, 2013, 10:50:59 amIt wouldn't affect my faith in the slightest.

author: Stonent
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 06, 2013, 04:15:32 pm
content: During the early to mid 90s you could watch pretty much a UFO special each week on TV in the US. One of which had a supposed interview with an alien that said their technology and ships were powered by what would be known as element 106, which until created was referred to by scientists as unnilhexium but now a few atoms have been made in the lab and it has been renamed Seaborgium.So come on scientists! Where's my flying car!?

author: ignator
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 06, 2013, 07:30:41 pm
content: Or the "UFO" is a cover story for something else being done, and it's working to direct you in this direction."Never mind that man behind the curtain"!

author: Lightages
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 06, 2013, 07:57:20 pm
content: I am an astronomer. I know hundreds of other astronomers. They know tens of thousands of other astronomers collectively. In this population the incidence of seeing UFOs is the lowest in any normal non-astronomer group. Why? because we look at the sky all the time and we know what we are seeing. If we don't, we will the next day when we consult someone else.When a person looks up in the sky and sees something they don't know or recognize and they say to themselves, "Look at that, I don't know what that is!", that is where it should end. The next thought should not be, "therefore if I don't know what it is, it MUST be an alien from another star system visiting our planet!". If you don't know what it is, YOU DON'T NOW WHAT IT IS! The most likely and easy explanation is that it is some natural or man made phenomena and that can find the explanation somewhere. If not, the next assumption it is just a natural phenomena that hasn't been investigated sufficiently yet. That is what happens every time. Not once has the explanation been that it was an alien race from another planet. The repeating conclusions over many years points to the most likely explanation will always be a natural or earthly cause to a new as yet unexplained phenomena.Oh yes, millions of people believe in Santa Claus. Oh but they are only children? They are children that don't know enough yet? Think about that.Hmmm, that sounds vaguely like that other argument of beliefs we have here sometimes....

author: Sionyn
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 06, 2013, 08:23:44 pm
content: keeping in spirits with daves rants[updated changed for a better source with out the conspiracy crap]

author: vk3yedotcom
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 06, 2013, 08:45:14 pm
content: There is widespread interest and belief in aliens.I often make radio contacts from local piers and beaches, carrying either a metal frame or erecting a 9 metre fishing pole/collapsible mast antenna.One of the more common questions asked is 'Do you talk (or are you looking for) to aliens'.Normally asked in a fairly direct manner, and not as if the questioner is embarrassed.

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 06, 2013, 09:08:53 pm
content: One of these was seen over Peterborough UK, I personally think it was one of those American stealth planes.

author: Lightages
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 06, 2013, 09:14:20 pm
content: It is also interesting that these appearances of objects in the sky always take the form of something that is popular at the time. When there were only blimps, they appeared as big cigar shapes. When someone said they saw a saucer shaped object in the sky everyone "saw" flying saucers. Now that we have triangular shaped spy aircraft, everyone "sees" triangular shaped objects. When there were only chariots, people saw flaming chariots in the sky.

author: Bored@Work
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 06, 2013, 09:19:49 pm
content: Quote from: Lightages on July 06, 2013, 09:14:20 pmDragons, you forgot dragons.

author: Corporate666
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 06, 2013, 09:39:10 pm
content: Quote from: Lightages on July 06, 2013, 07:57:20 pmThe other day as I was getting ready for work, I looked out the window and saw my neighbor had some amazing looking dune-buggy type car in his yard. It looked to have giant wheels, a flat windscreen and diamond plate aluminum bodywork.As I walked to my car, I looked again and had to laugh... turns out it was just a few different things that lined up just right and gave a shape vaguely resembling a dune buggy. He had an old screen door leaning up against his shed, his chain-link fence looked like diamondplate with the sun shining from the right angle, and the big fat tires were actually a tree stump and a chair that I was seeing from the right angle such that they looked like black rectangles spaced appropriately.The next day when I was in the house, I looked again and it didn't really look like a dune buggy at all. But my brain instantly tried to recognize the shape and used the few clues it had, and filled in the rest.It's amazing to me that some people do the same, but are unable to realize they are doing the same.

author: Thor-Arne
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 06, 2013, 10:10:20 pm
content: Quote from: Bored@Work on July 06, 2013, 09:19:49 pmTrolls, Angles, Demos...... What impression the object looks like something that fits in the orlklore of the time-period it was seen.

author: Mechatrommer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 06, 2013, 11:15:11 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on July 06, 2013, 06:49:56 amat least they keep trying. extraordinary claim needs extraordinary prove. people are in "doubt" before the existence of tech such as hubble telescope and atlas detector.Quote from: EEVblog on July 06, 2013, 06:49:56 amagain extraordinary claim needs extraordinary prove. let me put it another way... "I doubt they wont"its only a matter of time and better funding for better detector.here hubble proved unicorn does exist, well some sort...

author: tinhead
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 06, 2013, 11:58:27 pm
content: Quote from: Lightages on July 06, 2013, 09:14:20 pmwell mr. astronomer there are two expalnation:- aliens don't like to use same kind of spaceships all the time, they changing their spaceships to make all the "believers" on earth dumb ^^. Really, not a single creature in the universe would believe in "aliens flying cigars or saucers"This is not my expalnation, i heard that from an ufo freak and i like it. It reminds me really on the electrolytes question in Idiocracy movie.- humans are like animals, without knowing how, we always trying to copy others to be at least exact that good as they. This is natural.Btw, since when astronomers are looking at the sky? i thought you guys looking on the space behing the "sky", for you something like e.g. plasma cloud should be unknown phenomenQuote from: Telequipment on July 06, 2013, 09:08:53 pmthe one i saw (i have to correct myself it was 1984, not 1985, we have mid of the year and i'm still in 2012...) was that kind of black/dark triangle. At that time "alien spaceship" was a cigar, this is probably one of the reasons why all involved people (or at least all who spoke with me about) didn't "recognized" it as something extraterrestrial, but as something human made (or better said as something made by russian military). Today we know there was no such stealth aircraft in russia at that time and the F117 was just there (the first unit) and it was for sure not 500m long^^ nor flying middle of easter europe.I really don't like simplyfied "explanation" (or what mr. astronomer said "we know what we are seeing", really?, i have immediately think about "uhh, no idea what's that, let's call it dark matter for now") nor stupid explanation (e.g. must be stealth airplane, microcopter, big vagina, evil or god made, etc.). 29yrs ago i and lot of other ppl in my city saw something, point. Sooner or later someone will explain these (black/dark traingles) or other phenomen, as natural or alien or god made, who knows ^^, but as long no explanation there it didn't make sense to see something what not there nor ignore it by making it "freaky". Especially a scientist should not handle like that.

author: lewis
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 07, 2013, 12:27:34 am
content: Quote from: Corporate666 on July 06, 2013, 09:39:10 pmI'll have what he's having...

author: Lightages
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 07, 2013, 05:33:24 am
content: Quote from: tinhead on July 06, 2013, 11:58:27 pmI just spent the last 4 hours looking at the sky, I don't know what you are on about.Quote from: tinhead on July 06, 2013, 11:58:27 pmIf you bother to take in my whole message you will see that I qualify my definite statement later. I should have said "When we observe something in the sky that appears to be something strange, we almost always know what it is, and if not we investigate and try to determine what we saw with consultation with others. If we cannot determine what the phenomenon was, then we investigate or look for more information. The least likely thing the phenomenon will be is an alien visiting from another planet because every time we have investigated and found the cause of a previously unknown phenomenon it has always ended up being a naturally occurring or man made one. It has never turned out to be "aliens"."When you start talking about cosmology you are changing the subject. It has nothing to do with weird things observed in the skies of the Earth.The least reliable evidence we have is human memory,eye witness reports and testimony. Our brains are so easily fooled by simple things as has been pointed out by Corporate666 in his own tale. Nobody, not even me, is invulnerable to false memories and wrong perception of an event.

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 07, 2013, 07:26:06 am
content: Well I took my usual walk today no grey aliens in the forest, and no vans with ufo hunters, perhaps Sundays are ET's day off, to watch the comedy show that is earth.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 07, 2013, 08:08:35 am
content: Quote from: AcHmed99 on July 07, 2013, 12:04:54 amIt's not arrogant, it's actually a reasonable scientific based assumption. There are many many things that can be safely ruled out as not possible.And life must still "evolve" somehow, so it's not a big stretch to say what it's likely to be at a basic level with the knowledge we have today.QuoteNot nearly as many as from 1000 years ago!

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 07, 2013, 08:11:36 am
content: Quote from: Bored@Work on July 06, 2013, 09:19:49 pmI have a dragon living in my garage.

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 07, 2013, 09:30:02 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on July 07, 2013, 08:11:36 amIs it one of those large lizard things

author: G7PSK
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 07, 2013, 09:31:01 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on July 07, 2013, 08:11:36 amDon't you let your mother in law into the house.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 07, 2013, 10:59:50 am
content: Quote from: AcHmed99 on July 07, 2013, 10:21:03 amIt's a pretty safe bet that physics is the same throughout the universe. That means the elements are the same and chemistry is the same everywhere.Sure, we only know about forms of life we have encountered, and what they are based on (carbon), but as I said, there are definitely many many variations that can be simply ruled out. It is not infinite.There are actually reasonable scientific arguments that intelligent lifemustinvolve at least X, Y, and Z conditions.QuoteScience does not involve certainties.QuoteThe field of physicsinvolvethe study of quarks. Every new thing we learn adds to the field of fundamental physics.Random speculation about different types of physics in different parts of the universe is completely silly, there is no point to it if we can't study it.In fact, most physicists think the laws hold up everywhere in the universe (except extreme areas we know little about and have no laws for, like black holes). This is the entire basis of the "no boundary hypothesis" which is the current champion theory.There is much evidence to support this in the MCBR and many other areas.Complex life comes from complex elements, so life simply could not have existed anywhere in the universe for eons until the first stars exploded. Unless you think life can form from just hydrogen helium and lithium?QuoteNo, just stating a fact.1000 years ago we knew jack all, we just guessed shit and had no technology to study, understand or test or probe anything, let alone the tool of science to do it with.Now we know many many orders of magnitude more in comparison, almost infinitely more.QuoteOf course, and anyone who studies physics or other branches of science thinks likewise.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 07, 2013, 11:04:18 am
content: Quote from: Telequipment on July 07, 2013, 09:30:02 amNo, it's an invisible dragon.*bonus points awarded for anyone who knows the reference.

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 07, 2013, 12:56:56 pm
content: YOU WHAT, I'll take my chance with the Aliens, You lot wanted to blow up the moonnutters.

author: lewis
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 07, 2013, 01:04:50 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on July 07, 2013, 10:59:50 amIn order to 'rule out' any particular form of life, it's necessary to have a meaningful definition of what 'life' actually is. Perhaps the broadest scientific definition might be that life is a process that enables something to consume food, derive energy from it, grow, adapt itself to its surroundings, reproduce, and finally ceases to do all these things. Anything that we know to be alive does seem to exhibit these characteristics.But what about fire? Fire is a chemical reaction that exhibits all of these things yet we don't generally consider fire to be 'alive'. You could use the same argument for the growth of crystals. Or even radioactive decay.And all this before we've even put the qualifier 'intelligent' before the 'life', where even more vague definitions and qualifications begin to pop in. Like 'self-awareness' and 'consciousness'.What about a form of life based on silicon, aluminium, copper, boron and phosphorous? When computers start reproducing themselves and adapting/improving themselves (hang on a minute: pick and place machine?) based on their environment, have we created a form of 'life'?Who knows, it might be that somewhere deep in some galaxy it is much easier for an Intel core I7 processor to evolve out of nothing than it would be for something resembling the human brain. (In fact, which is more plausible? The Core I7 is certainly orders of magnitude simpler). Or maybe some distant environment could permit some inconceivable form of intelligentfireto exist that fits our criteria for 'life' yet may exist on a planet well outside the Goldilocks zone. Why not?

author: Thor-Arne
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 07, 2013, 01:53:01 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on July 07, 2013, 11:04:18 amThis?

author: Lightages
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 07, 2013, 04:50:42 pm
content: All life as we know it, as we observe and define life, is carbon and water based. Of course there is a possibility that we don't recognize another life chemistry and it might even exist under our noses here on earth. We can only speculate and look. Until we discover any other type of life chemistry we cannot waste our time dreaming of the thousands of possibilities. The next best guess for life chemistry is with silicon. Unfortunately we haven't found any silicon based life despite the vast tons of almost pure silicon lying around on beaches. Carbon based life is our best bet based on the known physics and experience we have.Science is about making an observation, constructing a theory, making predictions with that theory, and testing the theory with further observations and seeing if the predictions come true. If they don't, then the theory is adjusted or a new theory is constructed and tested again. When events match the predictions of a theory very closely then that theory becomes the basis of our understanding until such time another observation invalidates the theory, and we start adjusting again.Do we know everything? Of course not yet. Maybe we will never have a complete theory of everything. Does this mean that all other dreamable forms of life and physics are possible and to be considered worthy of serious consideration in the absence of knowing everything? No, not without an observation that cannot be explained with the current spectrum of theories. Until we see a lump of silicon compound doing something we can't explain we have no reason to believe that silicon life is possible. We can't even find life on another world yet so we can't even state that life is possible anywhere else. Our sample of one limits us to saying that carbon based life in water can exist on the Earth. We can't say anything more, not yet.Are we looking for evidence of anything new? Of course we are! The ALMA project is an example. I live 25kms from it and I see it from my house everyday and night.http://www.almaobservatory.orgThis radio telescope array can do many things we have not been able to do before. One of the things relevant to this discussion is that it can study the chemistry of things in our universe. It has found sugar in a gas and dust cloud in our galaxy. It can look at the atmospheres of other planets perhaps and maybe will discover atmospheres that we could only explain if life was there to produce those gases, such as free oxygen. Scientists never say we know everything nor do we avoid looking. We are looking and trying to understand, not burying our heads in faith and belief.

author: Stonent
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 07, 2013, 05:23:44 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on July 06, 2013, 10:50:59 amUnless there's some religious text somewhere that says "You are the only ones I created" I don't really see how that could discredit religion.

author: Stonent
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 07, 2013, 05:27:36 pm
content: Quote from: Telequipment on July 06, 2013, 09:08:53 pmIn the 1970s my mom and dad saw something V shaped flying slowly in Michigan, they followed it for several miles and then they said suddenly the V inverted from < to > and shot off like a bullet.

author: Lightages
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 07, 2013, 07:30:07 pm
content: Quote from: Stonent on July 07, 2013, 05:23:44 pmEither religious texts are complete and contain all that is known and can be known, as they are claimed to be, or they are not. It has already been proven that the religious texts do not describe everything nor are they accurate, they are even completely wrong on many things. If the texts which are claimed to be the only truth are proven wrong in any way then they need to be rejected. You can't just pick and choose what to believe in these texts because then you are following your own mind and that is generally against the teachings of the texts.We now know that the earth goes around the sun, that there are more than five planets, that the earth is much older than 6000-10000 years old, that humans evolved from other creatures, that the sun is a nuclear fusion reaction and not a fire, etc... None of these texts say anything of this, never mind that there are billions of galaxies outside of ours and that each of these have billions of stars and that a high percentage of these stars have planets that might support life. This is a nail in the coffin for these stories made up my bronze age people trying to scrape out a living from the land,to help them try to make sense of what they saw. I hope that most people can see that we have learned more since then and these old texts should be seen as they are, a historical record of what we believed at the time. They should certainly not be held up as the pinnacle of human endeavor. If you think so, then how do you use the internet? It was not described in these texts.We also know now from many studies that the human brain is so easily fooled by simple illusions. Eye witness testimony and memory are the worst kinds of evidence there are.

author: c4757p
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 07, 2013, 07:38:26 pm
content: The coffin is positivelyperforatedwith nails. You overestimate the ability of the casually religious to care, and the ability of the super-religious to see one more nail, and you underestimate the depth of denial both groups are in about all the nails.

author: Mechatrommer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 08, 2013, 04:04:28 am
content: Quote from: Lightages on July 07, 2013, 07:30:07 pmi believe you people are refering to the "not islam" religion. from what i understand, religion only teach what is in our realm or relevant to us "only". there may be other life form out there, Adam may not be the first man, if we look carefully in the book (there is not much point at elaborating something beyond our realm/scope)Al-Baqarah 30"Indeed, I will make upon the earth a successive authority (Adam)." They said, "Will You place upon it one who causes corruption therein and sheds blood"from this "fairy tale" verse, angel questioned adam creation (human) that will cause destruction to earth (just as before?)Al-Isra' 85"And they ask you about the soul. Say, "The soul is of the affair of my Lord. And mankind have not been given of knowledge except a little."from this verse we know (and will know) only very little. otoh mandelbrot proved we arent going anywhere except where we already arebut... there is nothing wrong at trying.Al-Ma'arij 3owner of the ways of ascentmy favorite chapter... containing some clue on "stairways to ascend" to the deep 7 layers of heaven. if you are into time or space travel you may read the storyi believe what is not told, is not relevant to us or beyound our reach. there's nothing wrong at trying, we may try but.... "we may try"Al-Rahman 33O company of jinn and mankind, if you are able to pass beyond the regions of the heavens and the earth, then pass. You will not pass except by authority (strength)i believe who have found the "eagle nebula" is religious since they name it after the "pillar", but i doubt it is the pillar mentioned in the book, it is just a bunch of gases...Ar-R'ad 2"heavens without pillars that you  see"

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 08, 2013, 04:27:57 am
content: Quote from: Lightages on July 07, 2013, 07:30:07 pmI actually agree with you on this. Therefore, I do not trust the Bible (or any other text) to be anything different than a very interesting set of allegories that were designed to express what people understood at the time about their world and their deity. What they understood about their world only has historical significance and is mostly useless. What they understood about their deity has lasting value even today - except for where it interfaced with what they understood about their world.It would not affect my faith at all to find out that there were extraterrestrial beings because my God is "big" enough for that. I liked what the Dalai Lama (I think) said: If science determines something to be false that my beliefs state are true, then my beliefs will have to change. I don't see that happening at any point, because my beliefs are perfectly fine with pretty much anything in the physical world doing whatever. I don't put limits on my God.It's my opinion that sometimes atheists like to demolish a strawman - the same strawman that the religious people spend a lot of time and energy building. I do not believe in that strawman. Your arguments against the "God of the gaps"? I'm right there with you. And yet, I still believe.

author: c4757p
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 08, 2013, 04:32:17 am
content: Quote from: duskglow on July 08, 2013, 04:27:57 amI like that a lot.QuoteMany of us get caught up in trying to disprove the usual arguments and forget whether or not somebody has actually made them...I don't need to argue it. I'll state my (lack of) beliefs quite freely and unabashedly, just as most religious people will, but I don't need to convince anyone else (nor do I think I'm capable of doing that), and I don't lose any respect for people just because they believe in a god.

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 08, 2013, 04:36:34 am
content: Exactly. I respect atheists a lot. They asked the questions that needed to be asked (and that I wish religious people would ask), didn't get the answers they liked, had the guts to follow them to their conclusion, and there they are. I think they're wrong, but I don't fault them for that, and as long as I'm treated with respect I'll break bread with them and treat them just like anyone else. I have no desire to convince people of anything but "let me believe what I choose without trying to argue me out of it". I think that's fair, and I'll return the same respect.There are some good spiritual people like me around. I share peoples' disgust with the attitudes of most of the religious people out there, sincerely. It's too bad we're so rare - I've even had a hard time finding people who think like I do. You don't even have to respect my beliefs - just respect my right to believe and treat me personally with respect and we'll get along swimmingly.

author: smashedProton
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 08, 2013, 04:39:43 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on July 07, 2013, 08:11:36 amI hope it is an AVR dragon!

author: smashedProton
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 08, 2013, 04:42:53 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on July 07, 2013, 11:04:18 amhttp://rationalwiki.org/wiki/The_Dragon_in_My_GarageGoogle deserves the bonus points!

author: c4757p
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 08, 2013, 04:43:54 am
content: I think a lot of the "ideal" spirit of an atheist is the same as that of general science, and scientists generally aren't combative - I don't think I'm right, and I'm not somehow against the idea of a god. It's just, in my opinion, the simplest and best conclusion I could come to with the information I have. I'dloveto discover a god in the same way that I'd love to discover a new law of physics. (Hell, I think a new god wouldbea new law of physics.) And just like I don't think I'm necessarily right, I don't think you're wrong, especially since I don't know what you believe or why.Unfortunately the vocal ones are so unlike the ideal, in the same way that many vocal religious folk are so unlike you. So, uh... I apologize for the rest of us.Quote from: smashedProton on July 08, 2013, 04:39:43 amYou know, I think a dragon could probably be slain by a pick...

author: c4757p
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 08, 2013, 04:45:28 am
content: Quote from: smashedProton on July 08, 2013, 04:42:53 amDammit! I've read that book, and I know what a fan of Sagan Dave is...I hereby turn in my Not an Idiot card, feel free to discard it.

author: smashedProton
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 08, 2013, 04:46:04 am
content: Quote from: Lightages on July 07, 2013, 04:50:42 pmSomehow I determined that this video is relevant to what you said. Enjoy

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 08, 2013, 04:48:25 am
content: Quote from: c4757p on July 08, 2013, 04:43:54 amApology accepted. And while I don't claim the beliefs of many religious people, I apologize for them as well on behalf of myself and God. I can say with some certainty that while he loves them all, they are not representing him how he would like to be represented. In fact, I'm pretty sure he's really angry with them. So I just stay waaaaaay over there in a corner and wait for the fireworks.

author: c4757p
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 08, 2013, 04:50:55 am
content: People pronounce 'silicon' like that?I think I'm going to start saying "car-bahn" instead of "carbon"...

author: Stonent
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 08, 2013, 05:17:59 am
content: Quote from: c4757p on July 08, 2013, 04:50:55 am

author: Stonent
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 08, 2013, 05:27:00 am
content: And to everyone:

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 08, 2013, 05:46:13 am
content: Quote from: duskglow on July 08, 2013, 04:27:57 amCongratulations, you are an atheist.The only difference between you and what you think are atheists, are that you get some warm fuzzy by fence sitting and dreaming about how your god could be this or that, or whatever any future evidence might brings. The ones you call atheists have the same opinion, they just get on with life instead instead of thinking abut it.

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 08, 2013, 05:47:25 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on July 08, 2013, 05:46:13 amPerhaps, if God didn't interact with me in a real way. He does, so I guess I'm not. Frankly, it'd probably be easier if I was, but that's not in the cards, so meh. He's real to me, just as real as your wife and kid is to you. That's why I believe, everything else is secondary.

author: Stonent
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 08, 2013, 06:07:18 am
content: Quote from: duskglow on July 08, 2013, 05:47:25 amAnd that's the thing, you can't prove God exists anecdotally to other people, I've given up trying.And on the other hand if matter can neither be created nor destroyed, where did it come from?What is the difference between life and death? Why is there a point where death cannot be undone?

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 08, 2013, 06:17:14 am
content: I'm actually not interested in proving God exists to other people. The only thing I demand is respect for the fact that I believe he does. Believe he exists, believe he doesn't, I don't really care, honestly. I'm not going to change my point of view though, it's just not going to happen. I already was an atheist a few years ago, and he basically said "here I am" in a really spectacular way. So what was I to do? I believed.I went through a period where I tried out different religions, and all of them seemed stupid, so I didn't bother. I think I'm finally figuring out where my home is (a form of progressive Christianity), but even so, I still don't care whether someone believes or not.I won't allow my beliefs to be denigrated, though. That's where I draw the line. No one gets to tell me how to believe or insult me for not believing as they do.

author: smashedProton
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 08, 2013, 06:23:57 am
content: Quote from: Stonent on July 08, 2013, 06:07:18 amLet me just say something that will blow your mind. The overall energy level of the universe is zero, matter included. Everything we see, use, feel are just deviations from zero energy.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero-energy_universe

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 08, 2013, 08:14:45 am
content: Quote from: duskglow on July 08, 2013, 05:47:25 amI suggest you seek professional medical help if you have such hallucinations. Seriously, it's a medical condition and is perfectly explainable by science.Thankfully they have drugs that may be of assistance.

author: casper.bang
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 08, 2013, 08:20:21 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on July 08, 2013, 08:14:45 amHear hear. Minor problem with that logic though; the most drug-infested country in the modern world is also the most religious.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 08, 2013, 08:21:41 am
content: Quote from: duskglow on July 08, 2013, 06:17:14 amRespect?(if there is one thing that really get my goat, it's this!)You haveabsolutely no rightto demand that of anyone.In a free society you have my (and should have everyones) respect for yourrightto believe whatever you want. I will march in the street to defend that right.But you should never demand to have respect for your whatever silly belief you have. You have my pity instead.If I replaced the word god with "Unicorns" or "Elvis is still alive". You would not have respect for my belief, you'd think I'd lost my mind.You get no special treatment because you use the word god.

author: G7PSK
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 08, 2013, 08:22:46 am
content: God is an AMOEBA. Heres the "logical" proof We all evolved from apes who in turn evolved from Amoeba, now the bible says that god created man in his own image it also states that god never changes, ergo god is an AMOEBA.This is the standard of logic I see applied by all people who believe in god or god's.

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 08, 2013, 08:53:29 am
content: I only mentioned that I saw a group of people , with lots of equipment and purpose built vans looking for UFO's, I didn't want all this God stuff, please take this thread off, it's getting way out of hand, it's ramping up than my sweep generator.