tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55856340150295773782024-03-13T09:07:19.302-06:00 Alien First ContactThe impact on human society of First Contact with an extraterrestrial civilization. A discussion of extraterrestrial first contact and alien first contact unidentifiable aerial phenomena UAP from a science-based perspective.Eric Melcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09241965998003676966noreply@blogger.comBlogger399125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585634015029577378.post-7348297434387975262023-11-17T08:59:00.001-06:002023-11-17T08:59:23.920-06:00Extraterrestrial Contact: My Latest Reading<p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> I haven’t posted in quite some time. That isn’t because I have changed my thinking or don’t think such issues are important to consider. They are. I believe I have moved into a more fundamental learning space. This is the latest reading that resonates with me.</span></p><p><a href="https://tricycle.org/trikedaily/real-conversations/"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">https://tricycle.org/trikedaily/real-conversations/</span></a></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p>Eric Melcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09241965998003676966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585634015029577378.post-44856420408772790332023-02-05T07:51:00.000-06:002023-02-05T07:51:05.636-06:00Extraterrestrial Contact: Planning for the Future<p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">There is one overriding theme for this blog, and it's not aliens. It's us. Humans do a poor job planning for the future. That leaves us quite vulnerable when responding to challenges. Here are some ideas for how we can do better: <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/02/opinions/patrick-noack-future-long-term-thinking-spc-intl/index.html">https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/02/opinions/patrick-noack-future-long-term-thinking-spc-intl/index.html</a></span></p><p><br /></p>Eric Melcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09241965998003676966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585634015029577378.post-41071794507876145952022-11-12T08:08:00.000-06:002022-11-12T08:08:45.701-06:00Extraterrestrial First Contact: Two DevelopmentsThere has been a flurry of activity regarding the search for extraterrestrial intelligence and that includes some important steps forward. The first comes from a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/28/us/politics/ufo-military-reports.html" target="_blank">U.S. Military investigation </a>of Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon (UAP). An upcoming report is expected to show aircraft instrumentation issues, airborne trash, and spy drones as causes for several of the more dramatic presentations. Hopefully, this will be the start of a new process where such sightings are investigated from the beginning and not placed into a desk drawer. <div><br /></div><div>The second development is the foundation of the <a href="https://seti.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk/ " target="_blank">SETI Post-Detection HUB </a>at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. Researchers there, emphasize the impact humans could have on microbial or other, more advanced life, found on other planets. An example: If simple organic life is found on Mars, we need to have a serious discussion about the impact of human exploration of the planet. We are already leaving quite a bit of mechanical debris on Mars. The same concern would also apply to exoplanets in future space exploration.
Dr. John Elliott and his colleagues also plan an inquiry into the issue of notification of evidence of extraterrestrial life and dissemination of such information. There has not been much planning into the notification process and a framework for response by nations. Having an academic group working on this is a huge development. </div><div><br /></div><div>There seems to be a shift in perspective for scientists, institutions, and governments when it comes to the consideration of extraterrestrial intelligence. The giggle factor is being replaced by limited, but serious, scientific effort. </div>Eric Melcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09241965998003676966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585634015029577378.post-20227559307849802842022-08-04T07:21:00.007-05:002022-08-04T07:21:59.412-05:00Extraterrestrial First Contact: Surviving in Society<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCENd5uTnEYqrDcqlbWzPPvPIFlpXDoZZ7Q931wSug-6cy63auljG21zDQMA7QGLBAft7t-FqLIwfFv4Ld2AC2-_MEYi5USkJ8e667tqLnpL65XTVMhCSE-uhedXfiDP-gRbe7wP-TQfgrdEgFKTqPidy3ahku-ego288_zRbhyQiBDAUtO528STBCPA/s4215/joeyy-lee-3I0jy73l8u8-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4215" data-original-width="2990" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCENd5uTnEYqrDcqlbWzPPvPIFlpXDoZZ7Q931wSug-6cy63auljG21zDQMA7QGLBAft7t-FqLIwfFv4Ld2AC2-_MEYi5USkJ8e667tqLnpL65XTVMhCSE-uhedXfiDP-gRbe7wP-TQfgrdEgFKTqPidy3ahku-ego288_zRbhyQiBDAUtO528STBCPA/s320/joeyy-lee-3I0jy73l8u8-unsplash.jpg" width="227" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The world is changing rapidly. Human challenges are growing- climate change, political division, workplace issues, mental health problems, and financial burdens. We all feel it in one way or another. So, what do we do? You could build a compound or live in a survivalist community if you have the resources. But such thinking is based on the premise of sudden and immediate threat. That doesn’t seem to be how things are going. Our human problems appear to be getting worse incrementally. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Perhaps that calls for an alternative response: surviving in society. You have a bake sale at your daughter’s school tomorrow. Your co-workers are counting on you to participate in a big project. Your family wants to go someplace fun this weekend. You’re not prepared to give that up. You want to face our many challenges and remain a part of society. Hell, maybe we could even make things better by working together? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I suggest being a Society Solutionist- a solver of problems or puzzles. It implies that rather than just complaining about how things are, we put our skills to use and find practical, grassroots ways to solve problems. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>Home: </b>Do what you can to reduce your carbon footprint. Cut waste in food and consumer products. Instill in your family the power of positivity when it comes to facing challenges. Vote for those leaders who will make the changes you want to see. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>Work:</b> Consider work as community and ask that your administrators consider it a community. Rebuild the trust between workers and the workplace. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>Neighborhood: </b>Share ideas, then lead and participate in local projects together. Get to know your neighbors and find commonalities, even if you have different political beliefs. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>Join neighborhoods together:</b> Each neighborhood is connected, build on that power to create widespread change. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b>Help others:</b> Do your part to help people who are challenged by precarity- the state of persistent economic and social insecurity, especially for the disadvantaged. Those numbers are increasing each day. More and more people are subject to economic stress and climate challenges. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">If extraterrestrial First Contact does occur someday, it’s unlikely that alien representatives are going to solve our problems. Humans need to work together. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Photo by Joeyy Lee on Unsplash</span></p>Eric Melcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09241965998003676966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585634015029577378.post-36918841638107805892022-07-09T09:09:00.000-05:002022-07-09T09:09:03.452-05:00Extraterrestrial First Contact: Hope, Agency, and Dignity<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpxOvfXZrdXxMAqLkQDmOSMl3kxpC7eN9l0d9L_XmWSndTOqetgRYQyh9whfrEdXarJ_aR1Du6v4IBtmHSbW9gRfFoqS3zY5le2MvTg0CzlcflcsxIftkmn9e1q4LoNV9mLHKCPAO3FZzCKrYyD8mFV0YevUuKfmSpWy6wnpLC6Dq-4ZUMZ34sRRO8pg/s6000/j-w-Ju-ITc1Cc0w-unsplash.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpxOvfXZrdXxMAqLkQDmOSMl3kxpC7eN9l0d9L_XmWSndTOqetgRYQyh9whfrEdXarJ_aR1Du6v4IBtmHSbW9gRfFoqS3zY5le2MvTg0CzlcflcsxIftkmn9e1q4LoNV9mLHKCPAO3FZzCKrYyD8mFV0YevUuKfmSpWy6wnpLC6Dq-4ZUMZ34sRRO8pg/w320-h213/j-w-Ju-ITc1Cc0w-unsplash.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">There was a wonderful opinion piece in the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/07/08/how-to-fix-news-media/" target="_blank">Washington Post</a> recently by journalist Amanda Ripley. Her basic question is: why are so many Americans (including journalists) avoiding reading or watching the news? In her examination, she highlights three things that humans want and need. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Hope </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Agency </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Dignity </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Hope is the knowledge that things can get better. Journalists need to provide solutions to problems that they examine. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Agency is the ability to change things in your life. That means reporters should include specific ideas on how individuals can enact change. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Dignity is the simple idea that I matter and you matter. Ripley suggests that listening is the best way to treat others with dignity. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">She quoted NPR host Krista Tippet in her story, which is how I found it. I have been reading <a href="https://onbeing.org/becoming-wise-the-book/ " target="_blank">Tippet’s book</a> “Becoming Wise: An Inquiry into the Mystery and Art of Living.” It’s a handbook for approaching difficult times. Or perhaps it’s a toolbox for coping with 21st century problems? Her premise is that those tools can help us listen to each other and that can be the foundation needed to create practical solutions. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">First Contact with an extraterrestrial civilization will be difficult, if it occurs someday. It will require listening and understanding. Humans will need to have patience and engage creativity. That’s what I have been exploring in recent years. It may seem far afield from the consideration of extraterrestrial intelligence and the wider universe. But such thinking will be necessary if humans are to cope with and prosper After First Contact. </span></p>Eric Melcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09241965998003676966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585634015029577378.post-24431681119218510952022-02-02T06:00:00.002-06:002022-02-02T06:00:00.166-06:00Extraterrestrial First Contact: The Story of First Contact<p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgPt-NaNMidlkMasfRib9lZ3LmEeyKa1g62cbywhDKm5EpBjVQStng-G1rNH0pVdQWFHwBfi1g0mOsUWzyW6XoC-3gUIjtbgLLn1-rjKkMghIXslARbx1ZzHghEmJFszHU5p3ezZr22qli38A_MuQ24r8p7vmWa35g_qlYyha3xlPdkSrxGIjkpqE0NdQ=s3648" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3648" data-original-width="3648" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgPt-NaNMidlkMasfRib9lZ3LmEeyKa1g62cbywhDKm5EpBjVQStng-G1rNH0pVdQWFHwBfi1g0mOsUWzyW6XoC-3gUIjtbgLLn1-rjKkMghIXslARbx1ZzHghEmJFszHU5p3ezZr22qli38A_MuQ24r8p7vmWa35g_qlYyha3xlPdkSrxGIjkpqE0NdQ=s320" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">It’s a common refrain among social scientists these days:
humans need a new story. What kind of story are we talking about? The grand
stories that give us a reason to get up in the morning. Storytelling helps us to create our <a href="https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/it-is-in-our-nature-to-need-stories/" target="_blank">personal identities</a>. They can be just for us, a story that reflects your family history
and your personal experience. They can also be shared stories, joining millions
in a common theme.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Religions tell such stories. Nations often tell compelling
stories. The American Dream is a common story that drove much of the country in
the 50’s and 60’s. In the last 20 years, there is talk of the Chinese Dream,
the story of China’s growth into a role of international leadership. One story
that we lost in the 1990s was the battle between communism and capitalism. It just
doesn’t seem relevant in a world where practical capitalism embraces many
elements of socialism and Chinese communism has incorporated a new capitalism.
The fall of the USSR is often cited as the dramatic end to that story.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Humans need multiple stories to find meaning in life. Change
creates the need for new stories and humans are experiencing a period of great tumult.
COVID, climate change, political battles, the loss of biological habitats and
species; all of these problems weigh on us. <a href="https://www.ncronline.org/blogs/road-peace/make-hope-active-your-life" target="_blank">Joanna Macy </a>calls it the Great
Unravelling. Anxiety creates the need for new stories. The stories can help us
to cope with our feelings and be proactive in our response to the challenges.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">First Contact with an extraterrestrial civilization would be
a new story for humanity, no matter how it would occur. Discovery of a far off
signal would be one type of story, profound, but perhaps not immediate. Direct
First Contact, if aliens were to visit our solar system, would be another type
of story, both profound and immediate. Direct First Contact also would bring
with it feelings of fear and concern.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The First Contact story doesn’t have to replace religious or
cultural stories that we have as humans. It would be a mistake to do so. I
think humans will keep many of their stories, based on religions and cultures,
After First Contact. However, First Contact would be a powerful new story and
it could help people find new meaning in life.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Now you’re worried. <i>The aliens will provide us new
meaning in life?</i> No, not the aliens themselves (or more likely their
Artificial Intelligence representatives) at least not from my perspective. The
discovery of an extraterrestrial civilization and the fact that we now have
evidence that we are not alone in the universe is the new meaning. We may or
may not like alien representatives that we meet and they may or may not like
us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Either way, humans will have to find
a new perspective and make changes to our civilization to respond to the needs
of First Contact. In the case of a far off signal being discovered, those
changes may be primarily existential. In the case of Direct First Contact in
our solar system, we would need to make substantive changes and do so very
quickly.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Yuval Harari <a href="https://www.ynharari.com/book/21-lessons-book/" target="_blank">explains the need</a> for humans to have stories in
his book “21 Lessons for the 21<sup>st</sup> Century.” He also examines the
elements of those stories, which he narrows down to two important parts. “To
give meaning to my life, a story needs to satisfy just two conditions. First,
it must give me some role to play…Second, it must extend beyond my horizons.”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I’m leaving out a lot in between, so please read his book.
It is an excellent examination of the challenges facing the human civilization,
both now and into the future.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Let’s discuss the first part of a story: it must give me
some role to play. I would argue that every human has a role to play After
First Contact. The impact of First Contact would change human civilization. How
that change happens- how we react and what we do in response- is not a matter
for scientists and world leaders to decide on their own. All humans should have
input. I know in the immediate sense that would not be possible, but the
premise is important, because it establishes the concept that the scientists
and politicians should listen to the wider human community. And in the case of
Direct First Contact, that need would increase as immediate decisions would
have to be made and a framework for further contact established.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I break down the role of humans in these two ways: every
human alive and aware of their surroundings at the time of First Contact would
be part of what I call The Bridge Generation. These would be the only humans to
know life Before First Contact and After First Contact. That unique perspective
will be critical for decision making. Scientists, world leaders, and people
watching at home would all be part of the Bridge Generation. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The First Generation is what I would call those who are born
into the world After First Contact. They will never know what it was like
Before First Contact. Their perspective will be critical because they will not
have the same baggage as the Bridge Generation. And yes, those different
generations would most likely come into conflict as the First Generation comes
to power. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The Bridge Generation and First Generation would set the foundation
for human development for hundreds of years. And that is the second of Harari’s
story elements: the story must extend beyond my horizons. The decisions we
make, especially in a Direct First Contact situation, would impact future
generations. Our stories will need to move us forward to a positive future. But
if we fail, our human stories could just as easily cause us to shrink from the
wider universe and dissolve into conflict and chaos.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<br />Eric Melcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09241965998003676966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585634015029577378.post-27043971316504846942022-01-05T11:38:00.001-06:002022-01-05T11:38:43.995-06:00Extraterrestrial First Contact: 2022<p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi3qOto9uwq8qn_iE5M_e8LBo46LXGMv4I23wWreHW5ySztv8W5ryF-QAYlVRscDXMybSGIBfbnK3h2hi8IcpVqnb5YrivJkdVzhZXx5RZ1nOkJ2kLeVQFKxD2UzqPu1PJRVwbkW4I1GUjA67ghJWbLnZ27YdUEEw5DNslnpH1up7cxSjun8mebpmE0Wg=s5412" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3594" data-original-width="5412" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi3qOto9uwq8qn_iE5M_e8LBo46LXGMv4I23wWreHW5ySztv8W5ryF-QAYlVRscDXMybSGIBfbnK3h2hi8IcpVqnb5YrivJkdVzhZXx5RZ1nOkJ2kLeVQFKxD2UzqPu1PJRVwbkW4I1GUjA67ghJWbLnZ27YdUEEw5DNslnpH1up7cxSjun8mebpmE0Wg=s320" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br />Welcome to the
New Year!</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Did I exude
enough positivity in that remark? It’s tough to do. Many humans are
experiencing burn-out. That doesn’t make it easy to discuss the coming year.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I’m not making
any predictions about the discovery of extraterrestrial life in 2022. I do
think the best possibilities will come from observations conducted by the James
Webb Space Telescope, currently enroute to L2, a million-mile Lagrange orbit
point. The JWST could aid in the discovery of extraterrestrial life by finding
a promising chemical composition in a far-off exoplanet. Even then, such a
discovery would require many more years of scientific study to determine if
life could be present. Another issue for life support on exoplanets is a
magnetosphere to protect life from energized particles coming from the parent
star. Scientists have been using Hubble Space Telescope data for an
investigation and <a href="https://www.universetoday.com/153804/an-exoplanet-found-protected-by-a-magnetosphere/?fbclid=IwAR3YqdSq0-NYLqanG4cava4qE0prA_JgoBZuZkclwB9SSO2S8-tT8vMg5DA#more-153804" target="_blank">have found</a> the first exoplanet with a
magnetosphere.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">2022 will be a
<a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/business/2021-was-a-huge-year-for-space-exploration-2022-could-be-even-bigger/" target="_blank">busy year </a>for space exploration, especially on the moon. I look forward to
watching the projects unfold.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We have many
issues to consider in space. Superpowers are acting like children and that threatens
the safety of astronauts. Russia blew up a satellite sending debris flying in
Earth orbit. That was a threat for both the International space station and the
new Chinese space station. The rules of space haven't been updated in 50 years and
as <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/03/world/space-law-united-nations-partner-scn/index.html" target="_blank">CNN reports</a>, the UN may be getting ready to do so.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Will 2022 be the
year we make First Contact with an extraterrestrial civilization? There are
many ongoing SETI science projects that will continue, including Breakthrough
Listen. In our Solar system, the Galileo Project will provide our first
<a href="https://www.space.com/galileo-project-search-for-extraterrestrial-artifacts-announcement" target="_blank">scientific effort</a> to determine if extraterrestrial intelligence has visited
Earth or our neighborhood, primarily through a search for technosignatures.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">In terms of
Direct Contact, who knows? There have not been any indications that such an
event might occur. If it does, we are not ready to handle such contact. One
could hope for better planning, but our human pants are on fire, as usual. The
big challenges of 2022 will be COVID, the cultural cold war in the United
States, the threat to American Democracy, and the imminent Russian invasion of
the Ukraine. And, of course, that is a ridiculously American perspective, as
Climate Change will be the biggest threat to humanity and continue to impact
every nation on Earth.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Perhaps that is
the human condition- upheaval and struggle. Unfortunately, that way of living
doesn’t provide much time for any sort of proactive planning. Hell, we probably
are not prepared to handle the next pandemic.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">If First Contact
does occur in 2022, we will have to do our do our best. I am like many humans-
trying to find hope in troubling times. One thing I know for sure: we can’t
solve our problems with conflict and selfishness. Cooperation is not only in
our collective best interest but necessary for our survival as a civilization.
Let’s get our shit together in 2022, humans.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: whitesmoke; color: #111111; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; white-space: nowrap;">Photo by </span><a href="https://unsplash.com/@gferla?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText" style="background-color: whitesmoke; box-sizing: border-box; color: #767676; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration-skip-ink: auto; transition: color 0.1s ease-in-out 0s, opacity 0.1s ease-in-out 0s; white-space: nowrap;">Guillermo Ferla</a><span style="background-color: whitesmoke; color: #111111; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; white-space: nowrap;"> on </span><a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/universe?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText" style="background-color: whitesmoke; box-sizing: border-box; color: #767676; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration-skip-ink: auto; transition: color 0.1s ease-in-out 0s, opacity 0.1s ease-in-out 0s; white-space: nowrap;">Unsplash</a></p>Eric Melcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09241965998003676966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585634015029577378.post-8217224244693174272021-10-20T12:48:00.000-05:002021-10-20T12:48:13.422-05:00Extraterrestrial First Contact: Staging an Intervention<p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEaYr0J0xtRmNtolegn9cRaQgTZQk5FmurEfS35_wZYfk4aKY9Afw2f2IYezZeesO5sPOe9epf9U1AiISqTozaJ7icp4nclhdMTsaUpMi5Zu4KPI-EcI9BFsvl6AnDSdTjforPH7udfpEe/s750/intervention-tv-series-0c7badb5-d142-4727-aba8-1231b0efdb0-resize-750.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="422" data-original-width="750" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEaYr0J0xtRmNtolegn9cRaQgTZQk5FmurEfS35_wZYfk4aKY9Afw2f2IYezZeesO5sPOe9epf9U1AiISqTozaJ7icp4nclhdMTsaUpMi5Zu4KPI-EcI9BFsvl6AnDSdTjforPH7udfpEe/s320/intervention-tv-series-0c7badb5-d142-4727-aba8-1231b0efdb0-resize-750.jpeg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br />I don’t think humanity is ready for First Contact with representatives
of an alien civilization. But if aliens (or their artificial intelligence creations)
care about the survival of human civilization, contact may have to happen soon,
whether we are ready or not. We need a serious intervention.</span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Think of it like the TV show of the same name: Intervention.
Humanity thinks it’s meeting one person to talk about something else entirely
and when they walk into the room…blam, space aliens are there to stage an
intervention. The head alien asks humanity to have a seat on the couch and the
aliens go around the room and each one says how much they love humanity and
lists the reasons they are worried about us: climate change, nuclear
proliferation, superpower conflicts. The alien group leader says: “You have
literally thousands of dedicated human scientists from prestigious institutions
telling you about the dangers of climate change and you are still not listening.
This will not end well.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Then, if it follows with the TV show, humanity gets mad and
threatens to leave the room. And then, eventually, humanity breaks down crying
and admits that it has a problem. What happens next? Well, there is a good
possibility our alien interveners would remind us that we have the technology
and ideas needed to solve climate change on our own. We just have to get shit
done- like, right now. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Okay, perhaps you are annoyed by my silly analogy. Sure,
alien representatives may not give two damns about our future. They may even hope
we go over the brink and leave them the planet. They may not even exist. I certainly
don’t have evidence that they do. My point is that intervention would be a
logical reason to say hello, even if aliens don’t think we are ready as a civilization
to handle such an event. In the end, First Contact could provide the most
valuable gift of all: a new perspective, one that is huge enough to get our
asses in gear to solve our own problems.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Yeah, this is how I think, and I’ve done a bunch of thinking
in this style. If you want to read more check out my book: <span class="d2edcug0">“The Extraterrestrial Big Hello: A Guide for What to do When the
Aliens Introduce Themselves.” It is available on Amazon worldwide. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08S1T83M9?pf_rd_r=ZX5CTTDE2HG5C7Y55Q0J&pf_rd_p=5ae2c7f8-e0c6-4f35-9071-dc3240e894a8&pd_rd_r=bc228bcb-a612-45cd-96e7-c7486cf45e33&pd_rd_w=zJzxj&pd_rd_wg=HMHWe&ref_=pd_gw_unk&fbclid=IwAR1O7_RAxyF-dR1w16vXAILlCNqwrj1Gzgc8IwecnWxFz28PvpCRCULgnUs" role="link" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08S1T83M9...</a></span></span><o:p></o:p></p>Eric Melcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09241965998003676966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585634015029577378.post-60096308999427501822021-09-08T05:30:00.001-05:002021-09-08T05:30:00.234-05:00NASA Doesn't Have a Plan and I'm Not Surprised<p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUibTm16Cew_ULLkqCHaQ2ZGuzy_vqgT6wARsTKY8FFRjygyw-rljsq9V2DJLAgDH28wNKVxQARJT-ucEl3cQqz9Qgr_CnB8BWnnflf-0LH65_M3hunL8Tfux7Amz04HHXGVUlrqU1QZv-/s2048/NASA_logo.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1713" data-original-width="2048" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUibTm16Cew_ULLkqCHaQ2ZGuzy_vqgT6wARsTKY8FFRjygyw-rljsq9V2DJLAgDH28wNKVxQARJT-ucEl3cQqz9Qgr_CnB8BWnnflf-0LH65_M3hunL8Tfux7Amz04HHXGVUlrqU1QZv-/s320/NASA_logo.svg.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br />NASA Chief Bill Nelson admits the agency doesn't have even a simple plan for what to do if we encounter alien representatives in Earth atmosphere or in our Solar System. He made the admission on PBS <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nasa-admin-we-have-no-plan-for-a-ufo-that-turns-out-to-be-aliens" target="_blank">Firing Line recently</a>.</span><p></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0d0d0d; margin: 24px auto 1.5rem; max-width: 728px; padding-left: 24px; padding-right: 24px; word-break: break-word;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">“Does NASA have a plan for what it would do if a UAP turned out to be a space alien?” host Margaret Hoover asked Nelson.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0d0d0d; margin: 24px auto 1.5rem; max-width: 728px; padding-left: 24px; padding-right: 24px; word-break: break-word;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">“No,” Nelson said, plainly.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">And that's not a surprise. Just the act of creating such a plan probably would have led to congressional investigations and admonishments a few years ago. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">And now? If you haven't noticed, our human pants are on fire. Between COVID and Climate Change we have more than we can handle. This is the basic premise of my book: <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 17.12px;">“</span><span lang="EN" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 17.12px;">The Extraterrestrial Big Hello: A Guide for What to do When the Aliens Introduce Themselves.” </span>I don't want to take scientists and world leaders away from the very important challenges presented by COVID and Climate Change. In fact, I would hope that we would pump 10 times the resources into dealing with both issues. Maybe 20 times. But, in the meantime, for those of us who are not actively fighting COVID and Climate Change, can we not find a few hours of time to pull together a basic contingency plan for alien First Contact? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">In the book, I propose spending just half the time and resources we waste on worrying about the British Royals. That's all it would take. Just half that amount of time and effort and we could create a basic plan for dealing with the very first elements of First Contact. And that plan needs to go way beyond..."why are you here?" and "are you going to eat us?" The plan would need to address: who leads such an effort? How is it organized? How do we prevent the most powerful nations from controlling such an event?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Anyway, the book is a collection of my thoughts on those matters, for anyone who might be interested. It's a really complicated and challenging subject when you spend the time to carefully consider it. I try to make my consideration something that anyone in the general public could read and understand. Academics seem a bit perturbed by my style in the book. My reply to that criticism is that First Contact would be an event for all humans. All humans need to know what they would be getting into. I am writing for all humans, not just academics. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 17.12px;">“</span><span lang="EN" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 17.12px;">The Extraterrestrial Big Hello: A Guide for What to do When the Aliens Introduce Themselves.” It is available on <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08S1T83M9?pf_rd_r=ZX5CTTDE2HG5C7Y55Q0J&pf_rd_p=5ae2c7f8-e0c6-4f35-9071-dc3240e894a8&pd_rd_r=bc228bcb-a612-45cd-96e7-c7486cf45e33&pd_rd_w=zJzxj&pd_rd_wg=HMHWe&ref_=pd_gw_unk" style="color: #3778cd; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Amazon</a> worldwide.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Lato, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; margin: 24px auto 1.5rem; max-width: 728px; padding-left: 24px; padding-right: 24px; word-break: break-word;"><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Eric Melcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09241965998003676966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585634015029577378.post-24754697930665162862021-08-18T06:30:00.001-05:002021-08-18T06:30:00.215-05:00Extraterrestrial First Contact: The Human To-do List<p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMA8KLnMaSuaBviGx3Khpejlm1PIwetbOB-QF2e_1dWjCWeJpBFO5PCR7qnQc5ByLz881IAwe-OIpP9HH2zWdsCz5HXAJMsLN6sNvNrolvH6AC8pOlCGum_OqLbRYZEhRNjMy4KXWPcGBc/s2048/kelly-sikkema--1_RZL8BGBM-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1356" data-original-width="2048" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMA8KLnMaSuaBviGx3Khpejlm1PIwetbOB-QF2e_1dWjCWeJpBFO5PCR7qnQc5ByLz881IAwe-OIpP9HH2zWdsCz5HXAJMsLN6sNvNrolvH6AC8pOlCGum_OqLbRYZEhRNjMy4KXWPcGBc/s320/kelly-sikkema--1_RZL8BGBM-unsplash.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Aliens may not want to say hello until we get our human act
together. What could that to-do list for humanity entail? It’s all speculation
on my part, but here are a few things I would consider important under current conditions:</span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">-<span style="color: #333333;">COVID-19
under control worldwide</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">-Internal
governmental stability for all nations with nuclear weapons<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">-Stable
relations between primary nuclear weapons nations<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">-Stable
international relations overall<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">-No
disasters requiring global response<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Why
would aliens care about such things? These major international issues go
directly to the state of well-being of our civilization. COVID-19 response is
requiring a great deal of focus and resources worldwide. It could be
detrimental for humans to be distracted during such a crisis. Unstable
international relations could create human conflict in the wake of an alarming
announcement, such as First Contact.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">However,
we have seen brief periods in recent history where we have met those
objectives. Just go back to pre-COVID years, perhaps several years back to
achieve the internal governmental stability point in the United States, and yet
no contact. So, there could be other criteria for extraterrestrial
representatives to consider that have not been achieved yet. Those could
include the human ability to see out into the universe with greater clarity,
and perhaps, an organized approach to solving some mysteries here at home. Here
are a few ideas:</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">-James
Webb Space Telescope operational (Projected 2022)</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">-Intentional
use of high-tech equipment to investigate UAP (Galileo Project announced 2021 –
this is the <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/when-will-we-hear-from-extraterrestrials/" target="_blank">latest update </a>from Dr. Loeb, who is organizing the effort)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">-Joint
international initiative to investigate UAP (Not yet)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">That
is, of course, my entirely human perspective. Alien representatives could also
be waiting for yak mating season to begin in Mongolia. At least the next yak
mating season is inevitable (July and August). The top portion of that list is
questionable for human achievement. I do think that if extraterrestrials wish
us well- meaning, they want to see humans survive our challenges and progress
as a civilization- those extraterrestrial representatives would be concerned
about the impact of First Contact and would take such matters into
consideration. My list is probably off by a mile. But I would place a sizeable
bet that if an extraterrestrial civilization is considering saying hello – they
will have a list of some sort, perhaps much of it beyond our current
comprehension.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: whitesmoke; color: #111111; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; white-space: nowrap;">Photo by </span><a href="https://unsplash.com/@kellysikkema?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText" style="background-color: whitesmoke; box-sizing: border-box; color: #767676; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration-skip-ink: auto; transition: color 0.1s ease-in-out 0s, opacity 0.1s ease-in-out 0s; white-space: nowrap;">Kelly Sikkema</a><span style="background-color: whitesmoke; color: #111111; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; white-space: nowrap;"> on </span><a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/to-do-list?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText" style="background-color: whitesmoke; box-sizing: border-box; color: #767676; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration-skip-ink: auto; transition: color 0.1s ease-in-out 0s, opacity 0.1s ease-in-out 0s; white-space: nowrap;">Unsplash</a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>Eric Melcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09241965998003676966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585634015029577378.post-6228509392609451382021-07-29T06:00:00.002-05:002021-07-29T06:00:00.202-05:00Extraterrestrial First Contact: How Scientists Could Lead the Gatekeeping Effort<p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUhZ16ksyHfjpr0kw_YxVroSvQv7aCyLBD15sxXz9naWfyix8-Fh4tBOwHtewDh7y6G0qRgPd-2fwfWyV179AdNepQ5ozK5GeCMuNNx-mriqX-_WjVTXL1eJ3AU4Xs-ANpRAO67wxUKg9D/s2048/michael-dziedzic-qDG7XKJLKbs-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1609" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUhZ16ksyHfjpr0kw_YxVroSvQv7aCyLBD15sxXz9naWfyix8-Fh4tBOwHtewDh7y6G0qRgPd-2fwfWyV179AdNepQ5ozK5GeCMuNNx-mriqX-_WjVTXL1eJ3AU4Xs-ANpRAO67wxUKg9D/s320/michael-dziedzic-qDG7XKJLKbs-unsplash.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br />High information contact with an extraterrestrial
civilization would provide many challenges for humanity. As usual, I am not
suggesting that any such contact has occurred. I have seen no evidence that
intelligent extraterrestrials even exist. However, on this blog I examine the
issues that could be raised if the event does occur. I operate on the
assumption that this hypothetical extraterrestrial meeting occurs in our Solar
System, making high information contact possible, and that any extraterrestrial
representatives we meet can communicate in at least one of the human languages,
and have had time to research the basics of our society. I know those are a lot
of assumptions on my part. Narrowing the topic is the only way to have this
discussion.</span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">In such a situation, human governmental leaders would
need to take charge of diplomacy and communication. But there would be an
important role for scientists, aside from the front end of operating observation
and communications technology. High information means that extraterrestrial
representatives share what they know about science and technology, to whatever
degree. This would require a cautious approach by humanity. Not only could
alien information be tough for us to understand, but it could cause major
disruptions to human society. So, I have proposed in past blog posts that:</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> A. Humans
would need to go to school, starting with the alien basics, looking for commonalities
as a starting point.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">B. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Humans would need an information firewall with
a system of gatekeepers to decide what information can be shared with the
general Earth population.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I know this is a controversial proposal. Many people would
call for unfettered access to alien information. I have two responses to that
way of thinking. First, unless the aliens have already processed such
communication, so that we can understand their information, it would not do us
much good. We would have to develop ways of understanding what they are telling
us. A small group of academics would need to be chosen in specific fields, to
learn and synthesize. Second, alien information could undermine the foundations
of human science. It would need to be handled carefully.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I want to go into more depth about how this could be
done. I suggest that humans could utilize the non-profit organization, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Science International,</b> for building the
framework for information review and dissemination. Science International is an
initiative by three largest international science organizations:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">International
Science Council (ISC)<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Forty international scientific Unions and Associations
and over 140 national and regional scientific organizations including Academies
and Research Councils.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The
Inter Academy Partnership (IAP)<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">A global network consisting of over 140 national and
regionals academies of science, engineering, and medicine.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The
World Academy of Sciences (TWAS)<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 107%;">A
merit-based science academy established for developing countries, uniting 1,000
scientists in some 70 countries.</span><span style="background: white; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 107%;">These
groups have each experienced several changes in the last 10 years. There has
been a movement towards consolidation of international science organizations.
Science International is the effort to connect the three largest organizations
on joint projects. Initiatives thus far have included a program to help
displaced scientists and a push for open data to aid in research. The
development of a gatekeeping framework for alien information review would be a
huge leap in responsibility for Science International. The entire structure of
such a project would have to be created from scratch. Science International is
simply a starting place for such an effort.</span><span style="background: white; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I propose that an independent panel be formed by the
three organizations that make up Science International, with representatives
from the major areas of science. The group should be independent of the United
Nations, but in consultation with the UN and, in particular, the Secretary
General and the UN Security Council. Science International should develop the
framework with input from professional science organizations from across the
globe. The final vote on the framework should be conducted in the General
Assembly. Nations need to ultimately decide how things move forward. The goal
would be to make such an organization as efficient as possible, and to avoid
in-fighting and gridlock. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">There would be many dynamics at work in such a
situation. China, Russia, and the United States would probably try to control
things, perhaps through the UN Security Council. Meanwhile, UN professionals would
be trying to exert influence and grow their mission. Corporations and other
groups would try to exert influence. It will be a cacophony of demands and
requests. Science International would have to build a bubble of sorts to shut
out that din. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The humans who are learning about alien information
and making the decisions about how it should be shared would need to be carefully
insulated from the rest of the world. Each representative would need to
temporarily resign their professional positions and agree to decide matters
objectively. They would need to be paid for their work and not receive outside
money from any other group or organization. The potential for leaks and other
types of corruption would be incredibly high. A great deal of effort would be
required to keep the process free of influence from governments, corporations,
religions, and other human groups.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Is that too big a job for an organization as new as
Science International? Perhaps. It would be up to the three parent science
organizations to provide the expertise, funding, and other support to build the
new system from the ground-up. But Science International would be a great place
for the process to start. </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: whitesmoke; color: #111111; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Photo by </span><a href="https://unsplash.com/@lazycreekimages?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText"><span style="background: whitesmoke; color: #767676; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Michael Dziedzic</span></a><span style="background: whitesmoke; color: #111111; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> on </span><a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/physics?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText"><span style="background: whitesmoke; color: #767676; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Unsplash</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>Eric Melcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09241965998003676966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585634015029577378.post-88363280304226204722021-06-07T06:00:00.003-05:002021-06-07T15:54:27.872-05:00Extraterrestrial First Contact: Support Science<p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguIafBDhl5BRCdEC-hIxTGETD74XvUbSj13xff429hW3CIJMBUy7y2rozHC8FCLvTOdRf11efpJcjoamO_8IEP5jK57AbDX301eQmk21J6v2TqdUotiyo68R8Q4mU-d9GWDNHQ1qsdZByl/s2048/benjamin-davies-__U6tHlaapI-unsplash.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1366" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguIafBDhl5BRCdEC-hIxTGETD74XvUbSj13xff429hW3CIJMBUy7y2rozHC8FCLvTOdRf11efpJcjoamO_8IEP5jK57AbDX301eQmk21J6v2TqdUotiyo68R8Q4mU-d9GWDNHQ1qsdZByl/s320/benjamin-davies-__U6tHlaapI-unsplash.jpg" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The US
government has provided insiders an advance look at their “bombshell” report on
Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP). Here is my summation of their findings:</span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"></span></p><blockquote style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">There’s stuff
happening in the skies around military operations and it’s not us, but it could
be the Chinese or Russians. We don’t think it’s aliens, but honestly we have no
evidence one way or another. We just have a bunch of unexplained sightings,
some by very experienced military pilots, and confirmation with high tech
military instrumentation. We have no idea what it means.</span></blockquote><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Thanks.
Very helpful. We do appreciate the fact that you are owning up to your ignorance.
That’s a level of honesty we don’t usually get from the military.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">So, where
do we go from here? Clearly, the Pentagon will need billions of dollars to
study this issue. General Dynamics salespeople are probably reading every UFO
book they can get their hands on, to prepare the project bids. That work will also
be farmed out to the other usual suspects- Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and
Raytheon. The entire investigation will be kept top secret. It will take years
of work by thousands of consultants and we will end up having to beg for public
updates.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Meanwhile,
even outside of the military industrial complex folks are battling for
position. Understandably, the scientists who have devoted their careers to the
search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) are not thrilled by the
attention UAP have been receiving. SETI scientists have good reason to be
concerned. If we become obsessed with UAP investigations, perhaps we won’t care
anymore about SETI research? I agree that would be stupid. SETI research is
important and it should continue to grow. But to ignore the UAP situation seems
like a bad idea. The folks who say they believe UAP are natural or man-made
don’t provide any evidence. And quite frankly, that’s just as dumb as the folks
who claim UAP must be alien visitation, without any evidence.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I’ll be
honest- I didn’t give a crap about UAP or UFOs until the New York Times
articles on the subject came out in 2017. Luis Elizondo and his TV show, Unidentified,
also grabbed my attention. Those reports contained the first evidence of UFO
activity that seemed credible. Now I’m caught up in it like everyone else.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I have a
simple suggestion for how to proceed: support science. We’ve been developing
our scientific chops for hundreds of years now. Let’s keep on. We need a
scientific study of UAP carried out by civilian scientists. Hell, NASA is even
considering the subject. Bill Nelson recently spoke out about the subject and
NASA has <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/06/05/nasa-wants-learn-more-ufos-bill-nelson-says-interview/7560223002/" target="_blank">generously suggested</a> that scientists working on NASA projects could
consider UAP research. Not a very bold statement, but a nice first step. You
have to remember- NASA is scared to death that politicians will turn their
research into political fodder. Given their past experiences and our current
political nightmare, that’s a realistic concern.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">But we
can’t turn our attention away from the amazing scientific work that is being
conducted currently. Astrophysicists and astronomers are discovering new things
about our universe in almost daily revelations. The discovery and confirmation
of hundreds of exoplanets and an actual image of a black hole are just two of
the revelations. We live in extraordinary times and that is due to the work of
thousands and thousands of scientists, each working together, and arguing with
each other, in pursuit of knowledge. Particle physics research continues to
find new ways to baffle us. Scientists are trying to answer mysteries such as the
nature of dark matter and the inner workings of quantum mechanics.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We need to
support those scientists. We need to give them adequate funding and we need to
better educate ourselves so we can share in their excitement when the next
finding comes out. We also need to be educated enough to understand that
findings may contradict each other. Some research may have weaknesses, leading
to a debate. That debate is not a failure of science- it is science in action.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We need to
better support SETI research. It is a partner in our human space exploration.
You may say- why study far off star systems when the aliens may be here on
Earth? For the sake of argument, let’s say alien technology is here on Earth -
doesn’t that mean we need to know even more about where it came from and how aliens
are communicating? Even if the aliens sit down and hold a news conference at
the United Nations, we are going to want to have a better look at the universe
around us and collect our own data. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I know we
have many serious challenges here on Earth. Climate change, nuclear
proliferation, cybercrime, and biological hazards threaten to undo our human
civilization. We need to pour resources into those issues - serious monetary,
scientific, and industrial resources. But we also need to continue the
exploration of the universe. We need to know how the material world is
organized and what it encompasses.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">So, where
do we go from here? Support science. Support open inquiry. Continue to debunk
conspiracy theories and falsehoods. Have an honest and open conversation about
what we find. Don’t allow politicians and other leaders to turn these inquiries
into political weapons. They will do that anyway, but we can call them out when
they do, and punish them for such cheap maneuvers.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Support
science. Support the incredible NASA missions underway as we speak. Humans have
multiple vehicles driving around Mars, conducting research, as we speak. That’s
pretty damn cool. And just wait until the James Webb space telescope is operational.
<a href="https://apple.news/AS1cBOLwAQ3SgdsbBKCyAdQ" target="_blank">These</a> are just a few of things it will be investigating. Support scientists and
keep an open mind. There is so much we don’t know. Let’s just add UAP to the
list and keep on with the good work.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">If you
want to support SETI efforts consider a donation to the SETI Institute: <a href="https://www.seti.org/donate">https://www.seti.org/donate</a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">For more
about these issues check out my book- <span style="color: #333333;">“</span><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333;">The Extraterrestrial Big Hello: A Guide for What to do When the Aliens
Introduce Themselves.” It is available on <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08S1T83M9?pf_rd_r=ZX5CTTDE2HG5C7Y55Q0J&pf_rd_p=5ae2c7f8-e0c6-4f35-9071-dc3240e894a8&pd_rd_r=bc228bcb-a612-45cd-96e7-c7486cf45e33&pd_rd_w=zJzxj&pd_rd_wg=HMHWe&ref_=pd_gw_unk" target="_blank">Amazon </a>worldwide.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>Eric Melcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09241965998003676966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585634015029577378.post-38465104413763174152021-05-26T06:00:00.001-05:002021-05-27T11:34:08.832-05:00Extraterrestrial First Contact: After the Pentagon Report - Five Things to do Now<p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTn-0eRcOxQLi4PZrfwOH2bCgcNZuMrDpdRLdlxSKPxMBBj72hhhI4YMXsN5xc09GZsDJYToQV5CmHOciM2M8uJVbCx2zWDeZpXaowmS7zXEEUCWzkAR8WFW7_V0m6jFLrygi8tBdAsMmw/s800/800px-The_Pentagon_January_2008.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="457" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTn-0eRcOxQLi4PZrfwOH2bCgcNZuMrDpdRLdlxSKPxMBBj72hhhI4YMXsN5xc09GZsDJYToQV5CmHOciM2M8uJVbCx2zWDeZpXaowmS7zXEEUCWzkAR8WFW7_V0m6jFLrygi8tBdAsMmw/s320/800px-The_Pentagon_January_2008.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">It seems likely that the upcoming Department of
Defense report about Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP - more popularly known
as UFOs) will just be broad confirmation of what they have already confirmed in
parts- there are several military
sightings of UAP that cannot be explained. That doesn’t mean that UAP are the
work of aliens. But barring some strange technological aberration in US military
hardware or secret operations carried out by the Chinese or Russians, alien
activity is certainly a possibility.</span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">So, what the hell do we do next? I have five ideas.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> - </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 107%;">A
robust investigation of UAP with specifically designed instrumentation and cameras.
Rather than picking up these UAP by chance, let’s go looking for them with the
best gear we can put on planes and ships. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> - </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 107%;">A
military and civilian partnership to examine activities in near Earth orbit,
Earth atmosphere, and the oceans. This would mean the military working with
astrophysicists, oceanographers, and others with specialized scientific
training to examine UAP. Why astrophysicists? Some of the equipment and
techniques they use to search for signals in far off star systems could be
repurposed to search closer to home. Why oceanographers? Many reports of UAP
involve objects flying into the ocean. A sea search strategy seems prudent. <o:p></o:p></span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Many people are now calling for a science-based <a href="Many people are now calling for this approach." target="_blank">approach</a>.</span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> - </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 107%;">A
summit between the United States, China, and Russia to discuss the phenomena.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> - </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 107%;">Organization
of a UN response group to take up matters of what should happen if First
Contact with an extraterrestrial civilization occurs. They do not have a plan
currently. The initial response plan could be organized by the United Nations
Office for Outer Space Affairs.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> - </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 107%;">The
development of long-term international protocols for handling various types of
First Contact, with the emphasis on managing interaction between humans and ETI.
These protocols should ultimately be presented to the UN General Assembly for
approval. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">You will notice that this process does not stay
confined to the US Military. I think keeping such an investigation top-secret
would be a tremendous mistake. It would provoke China and Russia and leave
other nations without a say in the matter. It could create increased political
tensions for many years.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The search and planning efforts should be done with a
fair amount of transparency. While some investigations would have to begin in
secret, the process and results of these investigations should be shared with
the world public.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">First Contact with an extraterrestrial civilization
would be an event for all of humanity to share, not only in watching it occur,
but helping to determine the path forward. We need to take some basic steps now
to prepare. It could happen this year or fifty years from now. It may never
happen. But the impact of high information First Contact on the human
civilization would be huge. It makes sense to do some sort of basic planning
now.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">That’s the topic of my new book: - The </span><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 107%;">“</span><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; line-height: 107%;">The Extraterrestrial Big Hello: A Guide for
What to do When the Aliens Introduce Themselves.” It is available on <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08S1T83M9?pf_rd_r=ZX5CTTDE2HG5C7Y55Q0J&pf_rd_p=5ae2c7f8-e0c6-4f35-9071-dc3240e894a8&pd_rd_r=bc228bcb-a612-45cd-96e7-c7486cf45e33&pd_rd_w=zJzxj&pd_rd_wg=HMHWe&ref_=pd_gw_unk" target="_blank">Amazon</a> worldwide.</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>Eric Melcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09241965998003676966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585634015029577378.post-18145154117268672252021-05-14T06:00:00.000-05:002021-05-27T08:45:57.386-05:00CBS News Poll Shows a Change in Perspective<p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_H52vzeTfBHH3m8xLXyH5gcQ6n1QEmHdYalo03csq-9BB1QtgkQflKHAnpzrdBS2PZ5q4RTzy14nQfswTC6v0fh3mHVG6qWnhPD3DXYQ6zvfnunLjFEcveQe5cuFghy53K70-20O0trI4/s2048/greg-rakozy-0LU4vO5iFpM-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1060" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_H52vzeTfBHH3m8xLXyH5gcQ6n1QEmHdYalo03csq-9BB1QtgkQflKHAnpzrdBS2PZ5q4RTzy14nQfswTC6v0fh3mHVG6qWnhPD3DXYQ6zvfnunLjFEcveQe5cuFghy53K70-20O0trI4/s320/greg-rakozy-0LU4vO5iFpM-unsplash.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br />There is a major change occurring in how Americans perceive the possibility of intelligent extraterrestrials. A new CBS news poll <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/alien-intelligent-life-other-planets/" target="_blank">this week </a>shows that dramatically. In a 2010 poll, 47 percent of American surveyed thought there were intelligent extraterrestrials on other planets. In 2017, that number was 56 percent. The latest poll, taken in late March 2021, shows 66 percent. That's a big increase in the last 11 years. It reflects what we have been seeing in mainstream media coverage of the issue and the related question of UAP activity, better known as UFOs. The CBS survey also had interesting results when it comes to UFO questions. This may be primarily an American change in perception. But my gut tells me that other international surveys could show the same change in perception. Perhaps humans are ready for a Big Hello? And perhaps we need to talk about what happens next, after First Contact? That's the topic of my new book <span style="color: #333333; line-height: 107%;">“</span><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; line-height: 107%;">The Extraterrestrial Big Hello: A Guide for
What to do When the Aliens Introduce Themselves.” It is available on<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08S1T83M9?pf_rd_r=ZX5CTTDE2HG5C7Y55Q0J&pf_rd_p=5ae2c7f8-e0c6-4f35-9071-dc3240e894a8&pd_rd_r=bc228bcb-a612-45cd-96e7-c7486cf45e33&pd_rd_w=zJzxj&pd_rd_wg=HMHWe&ref_=pd_gw_unk" target="_blank"> Amazon</a>
worldwide.</span></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: whitesmoke; color: #111111; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; white-space: nowrap;">Photo by </span><a href="https://unsplash.com/@grakozy?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText" style="background-color: whitesmoke; box-sizing: border-box; color: #767676; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration-skip-ink: auto; transition: color 0.1s ease-in-out 0s, opacity 0.1s ease-in-out 0s; white-space: nowrap;">Greg Rakozy</a><span style="background-color: whitesmoke; color: #111111; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; white-space: nowrap;"> on </span><a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/universe?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText" style="background-color: whitesmoke; box-sizing: border-box; color: #767676; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration-skip-ink: auto; transition: color 0.1s ease-in-out 0s, opacity 0.1s ease-in-out 0s; white-space: nowrap;">Unsplash</a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Eric Melcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09241965998003676966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585634015029577378.post-46725785979312097262021-05-13T06:00:00.000-05:002021-05-27T08:46:12.577-05:00Extraterrestrial First Contact: Why the Aliens Should be Polite and Say Hello<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8_QrQ_-Pz5on4Nj9p3nlTeQ03_we1vzTK2FlrLhSTS6MolUI2RY0WjxPao8tvIitBQocvYj5im698RUXRV3s8MbL3hGiVaVMqbo6HgRSVEOIGKV1nV-m_pErrAhyphenhyphenbrGG4EuvtbZ2RgRY-/s2048/albert-antony-HWQXIYbs8PM-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8_QrQ_-Pz5on4Nj9p3nlTeQ03_we1vzTK2FlrLhSTS6MolUI2RY0WjxPao8tvIitBQocvYj5im698RUXRV3s8MbL3hGiVaVMqbo6HgRSVEOIGKV1nV-m_pErrAhyphenhyphenbrGG4EuvtbZ2RgRY-/s320/albert-antony-HWQXIYbs8PM-unsplash.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">If aliens are in our solar system they should really
say hello. Why? The paranoia caused by mysterious visits to Earth could cause
serious problems for humans. What paranoia you say? The Department of Defense
is expected to release a report about what they call Unidentified Aerial
Phenomena. UAP is the new term for what has in the past been called UFOs. Some
of what that report will contain has already <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/05/10/how-the-pentagon-started-taking-ufos-seriously" target="_blank">been leaked</a>. The Pentagon has
confirmed that there are several instances of military sightings of UAP that
cannot be explained. It seems unlikely the DOD report will say much beyond that,
but that alone would be major news.</span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">You can already see the change in media coverage of
UAP in terms of tone and number of stories on the subject. The New York Times
and Washington Post have been reporting on the military sightings for a couple
of years now. In recent days, the New Yorker, NBC, NPR, and other established
media outlets have joined in.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">There are concerns that China or Russia could be
responsible for these UAP, which is alarming from a military perspective. Many
of the reports include descriptions of aerial maneuvers that no known human
aircraft could accomplish. If humans have that technology the US Department of
Defense is concerned, because they don’t. And if the activity is not human, but
rather controlled by extraterrestrial intelligence, that raises huge questions:
Who are they? What are they doing here? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do
they threaten our security?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">All of that creates paranoia and not just for the
United States. If China and Russia are not responsible for those UAP, it seems
likely they would be quite concerned, as well. And what happens when humans are
concerned about their security? Often knee jerk reactions. Ezra Klein has an
<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/13/opinion/ufos-aliens-space.html" target="_blank">interesting piece</a> in the New York Times today that talks about those issues.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Nations concerned about their safety could take
measures to increase their military technology and resources. They could aim
nuclear weapons into space. They could be so busy watching for aliens that they
end up having conflicts with each other. You would like to believe that an extraterrestrial
mystery would bring us together as humans and that nations would put more resources
into scientific research to help answer these questions. But the military buildup
seems inevitable in such a situation.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Malevolent aliens would be morons to reveal themselves
in such ways before an attack. And if they have the technology to visit out
planet, they are probably not dumb. Benevolent aliens might take such UAP actions
in order to prepare us slowly for their existence. However, that is only
helpful for so long. Now we are headed into a level of concern that could make humans
even more dangerous than we already are. So, if aliens have been visiting, it’s
time to say hello. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">As I point out in my new book- The </span><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 107%;">“</span><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; line-height: 107%;">The Extraterrestrial Big Hello: A Guide for
What to do When the Aliens Introduce Themselves” aliens would want to say hello
to all humans at the same time. Making First Contact with one nation could make
the event political and quickly turn it into an international relations
problem. What should benevolent or at least neutral aliens do? I suggest a
welcome to all humans at the same time using the news media and communications
netw</span><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; line-height: 107%;">orks here on Earth. I explore a few ways to do that in the book.</span><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 107%;">
</span><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; line-height: 107%;">It is available on <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08S1T83M9?pf_rd_r=ZX5CTTDE2HG5C7Y55Q0J&pf_rd_p=5ae2c7f8-e0c6-4f35-9071-dc3240e894a8&pd_rd_r=bc228bcb-a612-45cd-96e7-c7486cf45e33&pd_rd_w=zJzxj&pd_rd_wg=HMHWe&ref_=pd_gw_unk" target="_blank">Amazon</a> worldwide.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>Eric Melcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09241965998003676966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585634015029577378.post-79164792800257362852021-05-12T06:00:00.000-05:002021-05-27T08:46:25.647-05:00Extraterrestrial First Contact: What Are They?<p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjikVrK2_FCrJObrXB83mMX_pJlnddqlY2vY7sdCZ82O6P6aJNA3PZwH4w72fmzFTKZYZeowMUtNoylrfYmLh_NCmISWM_p5bPnSRJ-ncmH_IBPw82oHcIbyoRwooKYnhM8QPDTNDd_0KN0/s2048/nick-owuor-astro-nic-visuals-wDifg5xc9Z4-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1639" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjikVrK2_FCrJObrXB83mMX_pJlnddqlY2vY7sdCZ82O6P6aJNA3PZwH4w72fmzFTKZYZeowMUtNoylrfYmLh_NCmISWM_p5bPnSRJ-ncmH_IBPw82oHcIbyoRwooKYnhM8QPDTNDd_0KN0/w256-h320/nick-owuor-astro-nic-visuals-wDifg5xc9Z4-unsplash.jpg" width="256" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The media is buzzing with expectation over the US
Department of Defense report on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP). It’s due
in June, however <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2021/03/25/ufo-sightings-report-478104" target="_blank">several sources</a> have said it could be delayed.</span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">UAP are the military rebrand for UFOs. And the need
for a new name is completely understandable. Humans have twisted the UFO
concept in so many directions in the last few decades that it’s hard to take
seriously. I have said before and will state again- I don’t believe that UAP
are necessarily activity organized by an extraterrestrial intelligence. My
reasoning is simple- no one has provided evidence of such. When there is
evidence, I will revise my thinking. The recent UAP military leaks have been
quite interesting, perhaps the most intriguing UFO reports yet. But UAP could
also be Russian drones or advanced Chinese aircraft. And quite frankly- that’s
what the military is most concerned about.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">But what if the speculation about alien visitors turns
out to be correct? What would we have to consider? I’ve been exploring those
issues on the blog this month. Today, I want to look at the biggest question of
all – if there is alien activity here on Earth- who are they? It’s pure
speculation and there has been plenty of that put forth. So, I want to ask a
more specific question: what are they?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Interstellar travel is not easy. There are vast
distances between stars and galaxies. With our current understanding of
physics, it would take an alien intelligence thousands of years to travel to
Earth, even if they were from a relatively close star system and could travel
at speeds much faster than our current science can support. It’s also a pain in
the ass for biological beings to travel through space. Humans are planning for
a manned mission to Mars- in our celestial backyard compared to interstellar
travel. And yet considerations of cosmic radiation, space debris, oxygen, food,
and water will make the manned Mars effort quite challenging. So, imagine what
it would take for biological beings to travel light years?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">So,
this is my first proposal: If extraterrestrial intelligence has visited Earth
or our solar system, it is likely to be in the form of an advanced probe, not controlled
by on-board biological beings.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I agree with the astrophysicists <a href="https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20160922-what-if-the-aliens-we-are-looking-for-are-ai" target="_blank">who propose</a> that any
extraterrestrial intelligence we meet someday is likely to be controlled by
some level of artificial intelligence and without any biological beings on
board.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Why? It’s much easier. We already have human
spacecraft traveling outside of our solar system. We’re using rovers to explore
Mars, as we speak. It seems likely that if we decide to visit a nearby star in
some future exploratory effort, we will send probes first. And who knows- maybe
that is all we do? Maybe it’s all an alien civilization has done- send unpiloted
probes out into the universe to explore?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Unpiloted alien drones would certainly help to explain
the wild aeronautical maneuvers some pilots <a href="https://www.space.com/unidentified-aerial-phenomena-scientific-scrutiny" target="_blank">have reported</a> with UAP. It’s tough
to move biological beings around in advanced maneuvers due to the impact of
G-forces to our bodies.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Such actions would not be an issue for a mechanical
drone. The other question is why alien drone would be lit up and dancing around
for fighter pilots to witness? The only reason to light up your aerial vehicle
is to attract attention. Humans do it to prevent aircraft from running into
each other. Perhaps an alien drone is lit up to prevent human aircraft from
running into it? Or ETI could be trying to attract attention for some other
reason- perhaps to prepare humans for revelation of their presence?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">My second proposal: Such probes would have some level of operational intelligence.</span></b><span style="line-height: 107%;">
That could be powered by advanced programming. It is what we are doing on Mars
with the <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/radiation-resistance-is-baked-into-the-perseverance-mars-rover-heres-why-thats-important/ar-BB1gqlHg?ocid=BingNewsSearch" target="_blank">Perseverance Rover</a>. It is controlled from Earth, but only at times.
There are times when it can act autonomously, such as picking out a target to
study. It also needs to do complex activities while having no communication
with Earth. That happened during landing and initial start-up sequences. That’s
our best technology for a space probe in 2021. What will we be able to do in
2027? Or 2050?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Let’s then take the next leap- what would an advanced
extraterrestrial civilization be capable of? The consideration of an advanced
alien probe here on Earth becomes a little less crazy when you think of it that
way. It could be a programmed probe. However, given the massive distances that
commands would need to travel from another star system that also seems
unlikely. With our current science, such messages would make many years. It
seems more likely such a probe would have some degree of artificial intelligence.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">My third proposal: An alien probe here on Earth, controlled by artificial intelligence, could be described in one of two
ways- Smart or Sentient.</span></b><span style="line-height: 107%;"> Smart AI could have the capabilities
to carry out all sorts of research activity on its own. Sentient AI would go a
step further- it would have agency in decision making. What that means is a
hotly contested subject here on Earth. I take it to mean the AI would be able
to respond to advanced challenges, make changes to its mission based on local
needs, and make original decisions, beyond programming, all with some type of
self-awareness.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">That’s about as far as I want to go with this
speculation. There could be many reasons for why such probes would be on Earth,
some better for human society than others. The amount of contact they have had
with humans and how long they have been operating on Earth are other obvious
questions.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I don’t think the upcoming DOD UAP report will discuss
any of this. It is most likely going to raise more questions than provide
answers. It could, however, be the catalyst for the military to investigate UAP
with a proactive search using advanced technology.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">And let me say one final thing on the issue of UAP. If
some of the UFO reports turn out to truly be the activity of extraterrestrial
intelligence it doesn’t mean that all UFO reports and allegations are true. Humans
have tied such considerations into exaggeration, myth, and storytelling for
decades. UFO encounters are also a common sign of psychological problems. And
on the flip side- abduction reports could be true. It would be an important
question if First Contact does occur here in our solar system someday. If we do
find evidence of alien visitation, let’s react calmly and sort out the situation
strategically. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">My primary focus for this blog is what could happen if
humans do make First Contact in the future. I examine those issues in my new
book </span><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 107%;">“</span><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; line-height: 107%;">The Extraterrestrial Big Hello: A Guide for
What to do When the Aliens Introduce Themselves.” It is available on <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08S1T83M9?pf_rd_r=ZX5CTTDE2HG5C7Y55Q0J&pf_rd_p=5ae2c7f8-e0c6-4f35-9071-dc3240e894a8&pd_rd_r=bc228bcb-a612-45cd-96e7-c7486cf45e33&pd_rd_w=zJzxj&pd_rd_wg=HMHWe&ref_=pd_gw_unk" target="_blank">Amazon</a>
worldwide.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>Eric Melcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09241965998003676966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585634015029577378.post-47540405305932952152021-05-10T06:00:00.000-05:002021-05-27T08:46:40.715-05:00Extraterrestrial First Contact: What to do about UAP?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDbmNNQEVNRK-MM-FvUduKwKKNpVEfJhd86hNUwQ-6j_mE9dqI-xHuWv5JQOLeGIA6KJtnuiicjwU_jTBXWMi2YBy0_-txCGz0BCVU01V7ck0a9qpzXvrNIBXWXfQUk96kGD-LldJHEmYp/s645/ufo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="363" data-original-width="645" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDbmNNQEVNRK-MM-FvUduKwKKNpVEfJhd86hNUwQ-6j_mE9dqI-xHuWv5JQOLeGIA6KJtnuiicjwU_jTBXWMi2YBy0_-txCGz0BCVU01V7ck0a9qpzXvrNIBXWXfQUk96kGD-LldJHEmYp/w400-h225/ufo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The US Department of Defense is supposed to release a
report this summer about Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP) near US military operations.
It is expected to outline a series of incidents in which experts could not determine
the nature of the phenomena in question. That’s a fancy way of saying UFOs are
back in the headlines, folks. I haven’t written much on this blog about UFOs.
There are plenty of people who do work in that area and there is an abundance
of books and articles about the subject.</span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I personally don’t believe that UFOs are operated by
extraterrestrial intelligence for one primary reason – no one has ever provided
clear evidence. When clear evidence is presented, I will consider it. However,
there have been some strange interactions that are well-documented by both humans
with aerial expertise (primarily military pilots) and high-tech instrumentation.
Some of those encounters are said to be without explanation. That is what is
expected to be addressed in the military UAP report this summer. Harvard astronomer
Avi Loeb suggests that merely shuffling through old reports is not much of an
investigation. In <a href="https://thehill.com/opinion/technology/552505-evidence-of-extraterrestrials-funding-research-is-better-than-eyewitness" target="_blank">this opinion piece </a>for The Hill, he calls for a scientific
investigation using the latest astronomical technology- and not just searching hundreds
of light years away for evidence of ETI- but also in our own backyard. It’s a
logical next step.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">So, let’s take a moment to consider the issue in a way
that fits in with my area of focus- how humans would realistically respond to
alien First Contact. Let’s say that the UFOs spotted by the military are indeed
controlled by ETI. It seems likely that the only way we will know for sure is
if they decide to reveal themselves and say hello. What should humans do in
that scenario? I have a few ideas:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">-Ask for a full accounting of all ETI technology in
our solar system, specifying:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>-Exact
locations<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>-The
level of interaction with human cyber networks: public, non-public, and secret.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">-Ask for a complete withdrawal of all ETI systems from
Earth.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">-Ask for a full accounting of all interaction with
humans and other life on Earth.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">-State our intention, as humans collectively, to
remain independent and have full agency over First Contact going forward.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">-Demand alien non-interference in our governments and
other institutions.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">-Demand a pledge of alien neutrality in national
conflicts and competition. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">-Pull together space, military, and security agencies
from many nations to work together to monitor ETI, including:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>-Physical
presence in our solar system and on Earth<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>-Cyber
presence within human networks <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">-Set up an international response framework for
immediate diplomatic needs.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">-Work towards a more robust International framework to
move forward with diplomacy.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">-Listen to human public reaction and human public
concerns.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">-Consider human reaction on an international level and
as a mechanism to instruct leaders on how to move forward.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">-Be prepared for fringe groups and power brokers to
use the situation to their advantage.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">-Call out such actions as they occur so the public
understands motivations behind fear appeals.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">-Acknowledge legitimate concerns and provide a plan to
address those concerns.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">I explore these issues in my new book <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 107%;">“</span></span><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The Extraterrestrial Big Hello: A Guide for What to do When the Aliens
Introduce Themselves.” It is available on <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08S1T83M9?pf_rd_r=ZX5CTTDE2HG5C7Y55Q0J&pf_rd_p=5ae2c7f8-e0c6-4f35-9071-dc3240e894a8&pd_rd_r=bc228bcb-a612-45cd-96e7-c7486cf45e33&pd_rd_w=zJzxj&pd_rd_wg=HMHWe&ref_=pd_gw_unk" target="_blank">Amazon</a> worldwide.</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>Eric Melcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09241965998003676966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585634015029577378.post-18887912514630416482021-05-05T06:00:00.000-05:002021-05-27T08:46:55.863-05:00Extraterrestrial First Contact: Culture Wars<p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEgUxDyOC9HIr37RWwJHQLY__CWoAUq4tuiTT0IiciZvDjL_UHn5-SDS0w1Mvfa8GKNUn4MWclf-37qM1ahSX2gD7bfzhpESmp_iHfinalibdLPZ9a1BKcbnLQxcPcwARcbt2r2MmAOnXe/s640/640px-DC_Capitol_Storming_IMG_7951.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEgUxDyOC9HIr37RWwJHQLY__CWoAUq4tuiTT0IiciZvDjL_UHn5-SDS0w1Mvfa8GKNUn4MWclf-37qM1ahSX2gD7bfzhpESmp_iHfinalibdLPZ9a1BKcbnLQxcPcwARcbt2r2MmAOnXe/s320/640px-DC_Capitol_Storming_IMG_7951.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Here’s a frightening thought: could a high information
extraterrestrial First Contact event lead to extensive civil disturbance in
America and other countries? That may sound crazy, but let’s review the current
situation in the United States. Political divisions are not just pronounced,
they’re volatile. The January 6 riot at the US Capitol is the most obvious
example. </span></span><div><span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">There are many differences in the United States between the two major
parties- Democrats and Republicans. But when you boil it down, the biggest conflict between the two parties is over change. In general, Republicans want the
organization of American society to stay as it has been and perhaps even revert to past power structures.
Generally, Democrats want things to change. Those "things" range from LGBTQ
rights to political power for minorities. Economic transitions are also a big factor. The changing landscape for the American worker is of great concern for many Republicans. <span style="line-height: 19.26px;">A 2020 PRRI survey, as reported in <a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/elections/articles/2020-10-19/survey-many-republicans-long-for-the-1950s-democrats-crave-change">USNews.com</a>, “showed that </span><span lang="EN" style="color: #111111; line-height: 19.26px;">46% <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>of Republicans think American culture and the nation's way of life have changed for the better since the 1950s, compared to 62% of Democrats.”</span> That may not seem like a big difference, until you consider what some of those folks on the right are willing to do to get their way. Denying the results of a Presidential election and storming the US Capitol are extreme measures.</span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">High information extraterrestrial contact has the
potential to be the most radical change in human history. While polls show that
people are generally accepting of the concept of extraterrestrial intelligence,
I have not seen any surveys that ask about high information first contact and
the prospect of cultural change. What would people fear? Losing the same things
they are worried about losing now: culture, power, and position. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Those fears could be exacerbated by extraterrestrial
contact. And some of the concerns would be quite reasonable. Humans would have
to be careful in such a situation to make sure that a technologically advanced
alien culture did not supplant our human cultures. That could happen even if
the extraterrestrial visitors are benevolent. And it’s not just a cultural
risk. A tsunami of new scientific information could destroy the foundation of
our sciences.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I am using the United States as the primary example
here, just because it is the situation I am most familiar with. However, I
would imagine conflict could occur in countries across the planet. There may be
different underlying fears nation to nation, some based in religion, but the
result could be the same- a chaotic debate, perhaps turning violent. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">So, what could we do to prevent extreme reactions? I
think the most important remedy would be listening. It would be ridiculous to
assume that there is a “right way” and a “wrong way” to view extraterrestrial
contact. We should have a public dialogue to discuss concerns and
opportunities. It must start as an open forum and then world leaders need to
take that input and develop a plan for moving forward. Such a worldwide
discussion has never been undertaken in human society. It would have to be led
by the media in each country and then progress to an international level. The
discussion shouldn’t just involve politicians and civic leaders. One would hope
that the media would undertake surveys to find out what the public is thinking
in each nation. Perhaps those surveys could be combined to establish a snapshot
of the international perspective. The leaders of powerful nations would not
only need to listen to their own people, but ultimately concerns from other
nations. Fringe groups would likely try to steer the debate in the direction of
their choosing through radical, and perhaps violent, actions. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">In the end, decisions on how to move forward would
probably have to be carried out in the United Nations. Does that mean that the
United Nations should control First Contact diplomacy? No. The United Nations
General Assembly can be a process body to carry out the decisions of the
nations. It is simply the only body set up to handle such international
decision-making. UN involvement would likely be another flashpoint for some
groups. It’s important to realize that the only way for an individual nation to
be represented in First Contact decision-making is through a common body and
the UN is the only common body on planet Earth that represents the great
majority of nations. A nation, deciding that it didn’t want to participate,
would be relinquishing power to other nations. That would be a big mistake.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Am I being too negative about these challenges in the
wake of First Contact? I might have had a more reserved prediction for conflict
a few years ago. Not now. Not after what has occurred in the United States and
other nations in recent years. We are primed for a huge disaster if we don’t
listen to each other and make sensible decisions in the wake of
extraterrestrial First Contact. We didn’t do a very good job handling the
international effort required to combat COVID-19. Let’s hope we learned a few
lessons from the experience.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">I explore these ideas in my recent book: </span><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 107%;">“</span></span><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The Extraterrestrial Big Hello: A Guide for
What to do When the Aliens Introduce Themselves.” It’s available on <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08S1T83M9?pf_rd_r=ZX5CTTDE2HG5C7Y55Q0J&pf_rd_p=5ae2c7f8-e0c6-4f35-9071-dc3240e894a8&pd_rd_r=bc228bcb-a612-45cd-96e7-c7486cf45e33&pd_rd_w=zJzxj&pd_rd_wg=HMHWe&ref_=pd_gw_unk" target="_blank">Amazon worldwide</a>.</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p></div>Eric Melcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09241965998003676966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585634015029577378.post-46423079257454752512021-04-28T06:00:00.000-05:002021-05-27T08:47:08.382-05:00Extraterrestrial First Contact: Thresholds<p><span style="color: #333333;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibwGpSw9xA65F1eQBesyJubecE0IkMwUVXKtcsuFrI3zi4tq73Dg3UOLWYFcMXRrpjaiZX14jb2AmBzfpMi4Dfgtd5UDcgYj5COikBV-fcW88K1ibEUxUkIt1TijDZF6hHI1uptCTnEEoO/s1580/Milky-Way-Galaxy-Earth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1052" data-original-width="1580" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibwGpSw9xA65F1eQBesyJubecE0IkMwUVXKtcsuFrI3zi4tq73Dg3UOLWYFcMXRrpjaiZX14jb2AmBzfpMi4Dfgtd5UDcgYj5COikBV-fcW88K1ibEUxUkIt1TijDZF6hHI1uptCTnEEoO/s320/Milky-Way-Galaxy-Earth.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Are
humans ready for high information contact with an extraterrestrial
civilization? The question can be asked and answered from one of two different perspectives-
our perspective and their perspective. There is the question of whether we
humans think we are ready for contact with intelligent aliens. Then there is
the question of whether intelligent aliens think we are ready for such contact.</span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I have
no evidence that aliens exist anywhere in the universe, let alone in a location
near enough to Earth to allow for high information contact. The point of this
exercise is to consider humanity from an alien perspective. Since we have no
idea how such aliens might think, we have to consider humans- in particular the
organization of human society and the state of our science and technology.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Let’s think
like an alien researcher that has been examining our solar system and human
society. We need to assume that they wish our civilization well. That means they
don’t want to harm our human society or our planet. Hostile aliens are, of
course, a very reasonable possibility. That scenario provides different
questions to be asked, outside of my area of focus.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Let’s
start with some basic ground rules to help define our discussion. We will
assume that:</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">-A
group of alien researchers has spent time studying humans.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">-They
understand that contact with humans could lead to problems for us.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">-They
have been waiting for certain criteria to be met. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">-They
won’t make contact until those criteria are met.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">This
isn’t an original idea on my part. Gene Roddenberry thought of it when he wrote
the Star Trek series in the 1960s. The Prime Directive, also known as General
Order 1, prevented Star Fleet personnel from interfering in the development of
alien civilizations on their home planets. The purpose was to prevent
disturbance to the alien culture.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">So,
what if Roddenberry was correct in his overall concept- just not in predicting
that humans were the society being protected from outside influence? If there
is a threshold of criteria to be met before contact occurs, what might that
criteria be?</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Human Criteria:</span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Most Likely to Have Been
Met</span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Reach
of instantaneous global communication networks <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Public
understanding of basic concepts of extraterrestrial intelligence<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Governments
accepting of possibility of ETI<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Close to Meeting</span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Understanding
critical concepts in advanced physics<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Development
of SETI research<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Tools
to find extraterrestrial life <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Tools
to find extraterrestrial intelligence <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Space
exploration<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Ability
to send spacecraft outside of the solar system<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Ability
of humans to track incoming spacecraft and surveil solar system<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Mechanism
for international cooperation between governments<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Acceptance
of ETI by largest institutional religious sects<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Most Questionable in
Meeting</span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Acceptance
of ETI by groups with high level of cultural conflict<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Acceptance
of ETI by groups with high political conflict<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Acceptance
of ETI by fringe religious groups <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Global
cooperation between nations<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Stable
governments for those with nuclear weapons <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Intelligent
extraterrestrials could also have criteria for themselves to meet:</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Criteria for Aliens to
Meet</span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Preparation
of humanity for acceptance of ETI introduction<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Need
for intervention in human society<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">That
final question is the big one: why would aliens feel the need to introduce
themselves? Perhaps they think we are on the brink of discovering them through
our scientific research? Or they could decide that we need help in sorting out
our many challenges? Or perhaps they have completed their preparation for the
introduction, by flying objects through Earth skies for many years?</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #333333;">I could
go into many related discussions, such as the Zoo Hypothesis and Fermi Paradox.
For more on those concepts, take a look at previous blog entries and check out
my new book: “</span><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333;">The Extraterrestrial Big Hello: A Guide for
What to do When the Aliens Introduce Themselves.” It’s available on<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08S1T83M9?pf_rd_r=ZX5CTTDE2HG5C7Y55Q0J&pf_rd_p=5ae2c7f8-e0c6-4f35-9071-dc3240e894a8&pd_rd_r=bc228bcb-a612-45cd-96e7-c7486cf45e33&pd_rd_w=zJzxj&pd_rd_wg=HMHWe&ref_=pd_gw_unk" target="_blank"> Amazon worldwide</a>.</span></span></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ZDPE1rv2pAWkfAXzuJ4_7Z4gKT_tvFrxk-wCAK9yiNNQQoGF46H7heHbwrKC1_LhaVW5ts84xmYeVSiqf4qt3QsHh4q8WqGQ8zO2-nuMWHOI291uktMGzNEaNRswMiKLH1U2Xchm-Rki/s2048/BigHello_updatedkindlecover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ZDPE1rv2pAWkfAXzuJ4_7Z4gKT_tvFrxk-wCAK9yiNNQQoGF46H7heHbwrKC1_LhaVW5ts84xmYeVSiqf4qt3QsHh4q8WqGQ8zO2-nuMWHOI291uktMGzNEaNRswMiKLH1U2Xchm-Rki/s320/BigHello_updatedkindlecover.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>Eric Melcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09241965998003676966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585634015029577378.post-63017723714419686332021-04-19T06:00:00.000-05:002021-05-27T08:47:21.466-05:00Special Promotion for Readers: A Free Amazon Kindle Edition of My New Book<p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5CZb1K_rjDtNkUkj11rV0bUtsLFG8cT85DAgALBGFpVBQFSHOHNa5tHEwEvAU3MZzKyqL5bN5hE9iIs9p9WNFqK9eks6jzrbyQCMfD2fR1C_5gEzeuff0hgpwEj_AkbVj5SUy0lgvdKOs/s2048/BigHello_updatedkindlecover.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5CZb1K_rjDtNkUkj11rV0bUtsLFG8cT85DAgALBGFpVBQFSHOHNa5tHEwEvAU3MZzKyqL5bN5hE9iIs9p9WNFqK9eks6jzrbyQCMfD2fR1C_5gEzeuff0hgpwEj_AkbVj5SUy0lgvdKOs/s320/BigHello_updatedkindlecover.jpg" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Special
promotion for readers of this blog: get a free Amazon Kindle edition of my new
book from Monday, April 19, 2021-Thursday, April 23. If you like it, consider leaving
a review and sharing it with your friends and colleagues. It’s available on
Amazon worldwide.</span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><u1:p> </u1:p><b><span style="color: #0f1111;">The Extraterrestrial
Big Hello: A Guide for What to do When the Aliens Introduce Themselves </span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 27pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">If humans do make contact
with intelligent extraterrestrials, what do we do next? We have no freaking
idea. You have lived with the Hollywood fantasy for so long that you have
probably never considered how extraterrestrial contact might really happen. I’m
not saying it has occurred or even that it will occur. My point is that we
humans have not spent much time considering the idea beyond the bright lights
and enormous alien eyes. Ah, but you say- clearly the US government has a plan?
Nope. But the United Nations, they have considered such things, right? Not
really. And besides, considering how our human governments handled COVID-19, do
you really want them deciding extraterrestrial diplomacy behind closed doors?
I’m going to make a radical suggestion: all humans have a right to know about
First Contact and hear from alien representatives. That’s right- an
Extraterrestrial Big Hello for the entire planet. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08S1T83M9?pf_rd_r=ZX5CTTDE2HG5C7Y55Q0J&pf_rd_p=5ae2c7f8-e0c6-4f35-9071-dc3240e894a8&pd_rd_r=bc228bcb-a612-45cd-96e7-c7486cf45e33&pd_rd_w=zJzxj&pd_rd_wg=HMHWe&ref_=pd_gw_unk" target="_blank">Amazon</a>.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
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<u1:p></u1:p>Eric Melcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09241965998003676966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585634015029577378.post-35909108204900566002021-04-01T05:00:00.000-06:002021-05-27T08:47:33.833-05:00The Upcoming US Government Report on UFOs<p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL_-e1YC8fVUoobtVHIQ1dOcX6WM7BEdAfD4iZ6SeRSoloIxB29w2LaR2gfSQNWhaYNQp1RQLxV6V9fpgbFmxWIJHs_y8Z9Fl1PgEH5Bp-kMs98_e7vYzpRi2E2oCvY136RGJ6R1v974Yx/s2048/BigHello_updatedkindlecover.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL_-e1YC8fVUoobtVHIQ1dOcX6WM7BEdAfD4iZ6SeRSoloIxB29w2LaR2gfSQNWhaYNQp1RQLxV6V9fpgbFmxWIJHs_y8Z9Fl1PgEH5Bp-kMs98_e7vYzpRi2E2oCvY136RGJ6R1v974Yx/s320/BigHello_updatedkindlecover.jpg" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Many people are anxiously waiting for the latest US government report on UFO sightings. It's due in June, but lawmakers say there is a good possibility it will be delayed. I don't think anyone expects major revelations...beyond the fact that the US government has no idea what is causing interactions between pilots and unknown, perhaps autonomous, objects. And that is what UFO sightings are...interactions with humans on the simplest level. I don't know what it all means beyond that. But I do know that if aliens say hello, we humans are not ready for it. Perhaps it's time to consider such a scenario....and do it in a way that is thoughtful and grounded in reality? Critical thinking is going to be essential going forward.</span><p></p><div data-contents="true"><div data-block="true" data-editor="9dc3h" data-offset-key="1fqpr-0-0"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="1fqpr-0-0"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I've tried to touch on some of these challenges in my new book. I don't expect to become a bestselling author. I'm fine with exploring these ideas with just a few of you. Anyway, it's <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08S1T83M9?pf_rd_r=5GHVN7DY4VF71WP5GBXW&pf_rd_p=5ae2c7f8-e0c6-4f35-9071-dc3240e894a8&pd_rd_r=d61f7162-acfa-4bd0-aa4b-36a367acbe50&pd_rd_w=uSBrQ&pd_rd_wg=1PoV1&ref_=pd_gw_unk&fbclid=IwAR0P7w5pKh_8fGgGXXCTbqtTiGDOxmU6ZruoTNdQ3a2WRQ9EhhFBz-qOVmA" target="_blank">available on</a> Amazon, worldwide, if you would like to join me. It's called "The Extraterrestrial Big Hello: What to do if the Aliens Introduce Themselves."</span></div></div><div data-block="true" data-editor="9dc3h" data-offset-key="7gv8j-0-0"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="7gv8j-0-0"><span data-offset-key="7gv8j-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div></div><div data-block="true" data-editor="9dc3h" data-offset-key="5v7kt-0-0"><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="5v7kt-0-0"><br /></div></div></div>Eric Melcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09241965998003676966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585634015029577378.post-43367393044578402722021-01-13T06:00:00.000-06:002021-05-27T08:47:48.996-05:00New Book Out Now: The Extraterrestrial Big Hello<p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: arial; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7OEVUF3HC0jqtga_WC4uBccs1ZCSkfTmCI1HdgYKjoVGk4QAGcRuX5ttnl2SDogxBeNedFhRP_LxAEmWbpymPthpruAdpT4sIzcAuK06c3ZInpP4ruoUZsIQvrH7dZumsVr-ohQpT5I4z/s2048/BigHello_updatedkindlecover.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7OEVUF3HC0jqtga_WC4uBccs1ZCSkfTmCI1HdgYKjoVGk4QAGcRuX5ttnl2SDogxBeNedFhRP_LxAEmWbpymPthpruAdpT4sIzcAuK06c3ZInpP4ruoUZsIQvrH7dZumsVr-ohQpT5I4z/s320/BigHello_updatedkindlecover.jpg" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I've been writing this blog for 11 years now. I have taken some of the ideas formulated here and added to them for a new book on the subject of extraterrestrial First Contact. It's called "The Extraterrestrial Big Hello: A Guide for What to do When the Aliens Introduce Themselves." It's available on Amazon worldwide in Kindle and Paperback formats. It is entirely in English.</span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Here's the pitch:</span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">You
have lived with the Hollywood fantasy for so long that you have probably never
considered how extraterrestrial contact might really happen. I’m not saying it
has occurred or even that it will occur. My point is that we humans have not
spent much time considering the idea beyond the bright lights and enormous
alien eyes. Ah, but you say- clearly the US government has a plan? Nope. But
the United Nations, they have considered such things, right? Not really. And
besides, considering how our human governments handled COVID-19, do you really
want them deciding extraterrestrial diplomacy behind closed doors? I’m going to
make a radical suggestion: all humans have a right to know about First Contact
and hear from alien representatives. That’s right- an Extraterrestrial Big Hello for the entire
planet.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: medium;">If you read it, consider providing a review on Amazon and recommending the book to your friends. It's self-published. </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span>I don't have much of a chance, competing with</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> the big book companies. If you think this subject is important- help me get the word out. And thanks for reading the blog.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Here's the link to the book on <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Extraterrestrial-Big-Hello-Introduce-Themselves-ebook/dp/B08S1T83M9/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=2Vkfd&pf_rd_p=6c7a51c8-1ba8-4aad-8414-c2a22fa8b313&pf_rd_r=BZMKTNG2PPMT13RZA3PP&pd_rd_r=d3436fc1-ff95-4961-9bf2-1ef32914c3f3&pd_rd_wg=HDBrU&ref_=pd_gw_ci_mcx_mr_hp_d" target="_blank">Amazon USA</a>. If you live in another country, simply put "The Extraterrestrial Big Hello" into the search bar for Amazon in your country.</span></p><br /><p></p>Eric Melcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09241965998003676966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585634015029577378.post-83003049165486435222020-12-02T06:00:00.001-06:002021-05-05T14:00:12.841-05:00Extraterrestrial First Contact: Superintelligence<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFZrUQSpiF_RmkVylJeAGFQUZwfRTK1QfWAJutuBK2xAnL40K-mS9HJNnezM431obZsEyv3huXG9ud-cZpcM-fcOl06-QzB5Ge2brbxLIDfYCZc3zuQxwcIm4UfS9PuFPER2LzOx2YlkKh/s1600/franck-v-517860-unsplash+%25281%2529.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFZrUQSpiF_RmkVylJeAGFQUZwfRTK1QfWAJutuBK2xAnL40K-mS9HJNnezM431obZsEyv3huXG9ud-cZpcM-fcOl06-QzB5Ge2brbxLIDfYCZc3zuQxwcIm4UfS9PuFPER2LzOx2YlkKh/s400/franck-v-517860-unsplash+%25281%2529.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium; line-height: 107%;"><span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">I’ve
discussed the idea that any aliens we meet someday may be machine-based
artificial intelligence (AI). Paul Davies was one of the first astrophysicists
to suggest </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Eerie-Silence-Are-Alone-Universe-ebook/dp/B003AYZBLG" target="_blank"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">the concept</span></a></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">, although science fiction has been mining the idea for
many decades. The reasoning is simple: machine-based intelligence is a lot more
durable than a biological being, and easier to repair and reproduce. Humans are
currently moving towards machine assisted living. Heart pumps and cochlear
implants are just two basic examples. Computer interfaces with the brain are
being tested. Davies points out that the development of machine assisted human
biology is likely to continue. Eventually, we will reach a point where the human
body is more machine than biological. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium; line-height: 107%;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">Philosophy
professor Susan Schneider takes that idea a </span><a href="http://www.datascienceassn.org/sites/default/files/Alien%20Minds%20-%20Susan%20Schneider.pdf" target="_blank"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">step further</span></a><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">. In a presentation to
a NASA conference, she suggested that aliens would likely be a highly developed
form of artificial intelligence: a superintelligence. This is how Nick Bostrom
with the University of Oxford </span><a href="https://nickbostrom.com/superintelligence.html" target="_blank"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">defines it</span></a><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">: “By a "superintelligence"
we mean an intellect that is much smarter than the best human brains in
practically every field, including scientific creativity, general wisdom and
social skills. This definition leaves open how the superintelligence is
implemented: it could be a digital computer, an ensemble of networked
computers, cultured cortical tissue or what have you. It also leaves open
whether the superintelligence is conscious and has subjective experiences.”</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">It may sound
like an esoteric point to discuss superintelligence when any alien artificial
intelligence would likely be much more intelligent than humans, just by existing.
However, Schneider examines the difference between human thought and the
workings of a superintelligence to tackle some important issues in the
consideration of extraterrestrial First Contact.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">One primary
point in her paper is the issue of consciousness. Could a superintelligence be
conscious? Consider the ramifications- the further an alien intelligence is
from our biological state, the wider the gulf between us in terms of
understanding, if we meet someday. Consciousness defines the human experience
in many respects. We are a product of our interaction with our reality, in both
physical and mental dimensions. Superintelligence could be so different from
human intelligence that finding common ground between the two would be
difficult. Schneider brings up an interesting possibility, once again relying
on Nick Bostrom for the foundational idea- what if artificial intelligence is
engineered to be like the intelligence of the biological originator? Humans are
doing this currently as we design our own artificial intelligence. Many
researchers are using the human brain and human attributes as a model for AI.
Thus, the finished product would operate in a manner consistent with human
intelligence. If we’re doing it, it seems quite possible biological aliens
would have followed the same process. Why? Dr. Schneider brings up the concept
of self-preservation. Many humans are uncomfortable designing AI that would
eventually replace us. By designing AI with human thought patterns, we would be
preserving part of who we are, even if the biological parts are eventually left
behind. If aliens did the same, we could eventually meet a
biologically-inspired superintelligent alien (BISA). That sounds daunting, so
we probably need to consider the commonalities we still may have. Schneider
examines the Bostrom Instrumental Convergence Thesis: “Several instrumental
values can be identified which are convergent in the sense that their
attainment would increase the chances of the agent’s goal being realized for a wide
range of final goals and a wide range of situations, implying that these instrumental
values are likely to be pursued by a broad spectrum of situated intelligent
agents.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Bostrom
identifies these areas of commonality: “Resource acquisition, technological
perfection, cognitive enhancement, self-preservation and goal content integrity
(i.e., that a superintelligent being’s future self will pursue and attain those
same goals).”</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">This states
that alien AI, whether it be entirely artificial or BSIA in nature, will have a
set of behaviors that we could recognize. That could provide a basis for
understanding.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">You can see
why I’ve included Nick Bostrom and his Future of Humanity Institute as one of
the important experts to consult with in the wake of First Contact. He has been
discussing such issues for more than 20 years. I will add Susan Schneider to
that list.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Applying these
superintelligence concepts directly to extraterrestrials could be an important
facet of First Contact.</span></span></div>
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<span face=""helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background: whitesmoke; color: #111111; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Photo by </span><span face=""helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background: whitesmoke; color: #999999; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/YKW0JjP7rlU?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText"><span style="color: #999999;">Franck V.</span></a></span><span face=""helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background: whitesmoke; color: #111111; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;"> on </span><a href="https://unsplash.com/search/photos/artificial-intelligence?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText"><span face=""helvetica" , sans-serif" style="background: whitesmoke; color: #999999; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Unsplash</span></a></div>
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Eric Melcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09241965998003676966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585634015029577378.post-70044993407017735822020-11-02T05:30:00.003-06:002021-05-05T13:59:18.983-05:00Extraterrestrial First Contact: Myopic Humans<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV9JWtZWZjvgMrLDPtkQdziXB8cBQ2UTfdei6fH_7m50G9kWT9sYp3Qk6Hxm8TYW8SCvuia40XvSBnA_SD9nP7TqCWsg8Xq4sJ6m7wfAYca3Qj0PF3SqPsp-Y2Y5lccXRxXLUvquN-sW6m/s2048/k8-r87zX1RWECQ-unsplash.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV9JWtZWZjvgMrLDPtkQdziXB8cBQ2UTfdei6fH_7m50G9kWT9sYp3Qk6Hxm8TYW8SCvuia40XvSBnA_SD9nP7TqCWsg8Xq4sJ6m7wfAYca3Qj0PF3SqPsp-Y2Y5lccXRxXLUvquN-sW6m/s320/k8-r87zX1RWECQ-unsplash.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Humanity needs a good set of prescription eyeglasses. Perhaps then we could see things that are far-off and outside of our norms. Climate change is a sad example. COVID-19, and pandemic planning in general, also qualify. Why is it that we have such a hard time seeing things that could happen in the future? Myopia is the medical condition of nearsightedness, or having trouble seeing things far away. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The other definition is used in regards to human perspective. Myopia means that we humans don’t do a very good job of looking into the future and preparing ourselves. Some of that is due to the nature of our society- there always seems to be some new fire to put out. When you are busy putting out current fires you are not thinking about future blazes.
COVID-19 is a fascinating example. Institutions across the United States did pandemic planning exercises many years ago, in the wake of SARS and MERS epidemics. Clearly, though, it was not enough. Where did we go wrong? The Obama administration put together pandemic teams in the United States and even other nations. They were largely dismantled in a political shift. Even then, would we have been ready? People will be analyzing pandemic planning failures for many years to come. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">
Let’s apply myopia to the subject of this blog: extraterrestrial contact. The lack of planning by humans in this area is quite extraordinary. Don’t get me wrong- I don’t think that planning for an event that may never happen should be a top priority. But it should at least be in the top 100, if for no other reason than the massive impact such a discovery would have on our civilization. Instead, the subject produces nervous laughter and averted eyes. Some of that is thanks to Hollywood movies and popular fiction. Another element is that alien contact can be a symptom of mental illness. Now, before you jump on me, I want to say that I am not passing judgment on people who say they have been abducted by aliens. I have never explored such claims and don’t have any evidence one way or another. However, alien contact is quite often reported in patients with schizophrenia or other debilitating mental illness. It’s right up there with being Jesus or thinking that the President of the United States is out to get you, specifically. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">
My point is this: the apprehension to even discuss the topic is problematic, especially when it concerns the scientific community. I agree that jumping to the conclusion that every odd signal from outer space comes from aliens would be ridiculous. Scientific studies of such events have thus far always found natural phenomena and really cool natural phenomena, at that. I don’t suggest that scientists look for alien contact in every strange occurrence in space. But I do suggest that the apprehension in even considering the possibility may cause us to miss things. We need objective study of strange phenomena that does not automatically rule out alien activity. Even more so, we need study that does not force scientists to put on blinders and ignore such possibilities, just because considering such things would damage their reputation and, God forbid, jeopardize research funding.
A few brave scientists have put on the eyeglasses needed to see what could happen in the future. This post is a thank-you to those who do so in the fields of astrophysics and astronomy. I can imagine it is not easy to risk your career to consider the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence.
In the meantime, perhaps it is time for us laypeople to also start wearing eyeglasses and asking more questions. Our governments are not serving us in climate change response and mitigation. They are not serving us in pandemic response. They are not serving us in the mitigation of nuclear proliferation. And until the great majority of people demand action from our politicians, it is likely that governments won’t respond anytime soon to these important matters, let alone engage in alien First Contact planning. That, my friends, is on us laypeople. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">
The journal Foreign Affairs has a<a href="https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/2020-10-13/heads-sand" target="_blank"> terrific article</a> by Princeton University professor Elke Weber in the current issue that addresses human myopia and provides some possible ways to counteract the problem, for both citizens and public leaders. “Heads in the Sand: Why We Fail to Foresee and Contain Catastrophe” is a good read and if alien First Contact does occur some day, I would suggest the article as first response study for those involved in human leadership.
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Photo by K8 on Unsplash
</span></p>Eric Melcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09241965998003676966noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5585634015029577378.post-15497220853494596942020-10-01T06:00:00.000-05:002020-10-01T06:00:05.207-05:00Extraterrestrial First Contact: What World Leaders Should Consider
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Fc_hyphenhyphen4ovJQiQtMTbvHXw_M9FCLaEu7NxPDDRGDHW5slG5fE9ZBrtEkksI4sp7oNXFw4R8GD8bOQ0u6lWoRjHSilZ4DlQoDZrAfg9XrVNGRy0BhEV9WI2IY6mv7BEvW3BbDWuSmM-Zhqc/s1600/032709-modelUN-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="232" data-original-width="350" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Fc_hyphenhyphen4ovJQiQtMTbvHXw_M9FCLaEu7NxPDDRGDHW5slG5fE9ZBrtEkksI4sp7oNXFw4R8GD8bOQ0u6lWoRjHSilZ4DlQoDZrAfg9XrVNGRy0BhEV9WI2IY6mv7BEvW3BbDWuSmM-Zhqc/s400/032709-modelUN-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">A Direct First Contact event would be one of the most
significant historical markers in human history. The world leaders involved in
that event would most likely be remembered for how they acted and how they led
in the wake of Direct First Contact. It would be a high-stakes moment. Let’s
consider some of their challenges.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Safety</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">A Direct First Contact event assumes that aliens have
arrived in our solar system to make contact with humans. That relatively close
proximity, whether it be from millions of miles away in the asteroid belt or in
Earth orbit, would be a security issue for humans. The leaders of nations are
charged with keeping their population safe and secure. For this reason, safety
is likely to be a top priority for world leaders in the first days of a Direct
First Contact event. An important point to recognize is the danger of
over-reaction. A military alert would have to be handled quite carefully.
Sudden actions or mistakes on the part of responding forces could be disastrous.
World leaders would need to navigate such challenges very carefully. This is
especially true of the world powers with the largest militaries and a presence
in space. For this reason it may be best to have the UN Security Council take
the lead on safety response, as the nations with the largest space programs are
represented. A coordinated effort would also make the most sense for combining
military and space-based resources.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Control</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">There will be a natural instinct on the part of world leaders
to seek advantage for their nation in the wake of Direct First Contact. It’s
understandable, as leaders are charged with promoting the best interests of
their nation. However, in this case such an approach could prove problematic.
Every nation will want to be a beneficiary of the positive aspects of First
Contact. A nation that tries to circumvent international relations, and seek
their own direct relationship with extraterrestrials, would risk retribution by
other nations. If many of the world powers acted in such a way, and at the same
time, there could be chaos. World leaders will have to understand that if the
aliens want to treat all nations equally, trying to change that would be a
mistake. A level playing field would benefit all humans and all nations in the
long run.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Keeping People Calm</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">As I have mentioned before in this blog, surveys show that
most humans would be fine with a First Contact event. A Direct First Contact event
would be more stressful, as safety would be an issue. However, it seems likely
that the larger human population will watch what happens and reserve judgment.
There will be fringe groups that will react immediately and some of those
actions could be dramatic. There could be legitimate concern involved in those
reactions, but it could also be a case of fringe group leaders firing up their
base to gain power. World leaders will need to manage such activity in their
country and yet still maintain an environment where people are able to voice
their concerns. That, of course, assumes that the nation allows open
discussion. Some countries are quite restrictive about the public discussion of
sensitive topics. Due to the enormity of a Direct First Contact event, trying
to keep discussion suppressed could be a huge mistake, leading to even more
unrest. It would be too huge a moment for people not to discuss it openly.
Humans will need to talk through the issues that would come with Direct First
Contact. Fringe groups will need to raise their concerns. And yet everyone will
need to be respectful of each other and keep calm. I still believe that if
aliens with good intentions approach humans to say hello, the biggest threat to
humans would be the human reaction. It would be up to world leaders to maintain
calm.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Legacy</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Historians often speak of legacy when it comes to world
leaders. It is commonly considered the actions and accomplishments of a leader
that will be remembered by future generations and how those actions and
accomplishments will be remembered. Legacy can be positive or negative,
depending on the historian. Leaders may consider their legacy in
decision-making. So, what of legacy and First Contact? World leaders will need
to recognize that they are making decisions that will impact humanity for
generations to come. Knee-jerk reactions could hurt humanity; in the process,
making that leader’s legacy quite negative.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Leaders need to make immediate decisions and that means
keeping their heads in the here and now. However, they would need to step back
at some point and look at the bigger picture. They would be leading humans at
one of the most important junctures in human history. It will not be just
another day at the office.</span></div>
Eric Melcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09241965998003676966noreply@blogger.com0