Stephen Hawking's recent comments on the possibility of life beyond our planet seem to have offended a few people out there, especially these few lines.
"We don't appear to have been visited by aliens," Hawking said, adding that he discounts reports of UFOs. "Why would they only appear to cranks and weirdos?"
It's a fair comment I guess, maybe he's not into reading up on eye witness reports, though just because he said it doesn't make it fact, so why get upset, it's just his opinion, not some mathematically proven theory.
I feel his words in the article are pretty realistic if you take into account our limitations with communicating with the universe, we've traveled bugger all into it, though we can see millions of years into the past, we're really not up to date with what is really going on out there at all. Primitive life near us? maybe, intelligent life near us? maybe not, intelligent life further out there, I'd like to think hell yea.
Hawking also pointed out that "humanity must pursue a long-term effort of space exploration that would span hundreds of years in order to ensure the survival of the species"
Hundreds of years at our current capabilities is going to take us no where fast but I'll stick with the common argument of "look how far we've come in a hundred years, imagine how far we'll be in another hundred."
Maybe we will have broken all our barriers in long distance communication and travel, maybe we will be millions of light years away from earth, so why discount that another civilization out there could have been there and done that, maybe all the good stuff happened millions of years ago.
I don't know, the imagination is a powerful thing, it'll take us far beyond what we already know, I just wish proving it didn't take so dang long.
Just another rant by Rand.
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