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Eddy Vluggen wrote: The idea of "intelligent" life out there is rediculous and arrogant
It's not ridiculous but it also might not exist. However, I would find it very surprising if it didn't exist. If the laws of physics allow the emergence of creatures like us I would not expect that to be a one-time event. It's at odds with the symmetry of the universe.
But the fact of the matter is we cannot prove it either way. So, to my mind, it's ridiculous and arrogant to dismiss the idea of intelligent life as ridiculous and arrogant.
Kevin
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The freedom in building atomic and molecular structures is so great that I would be extremely surprised if those umptillions attemps at putting things together to see what would work, and survive, ended up with exactly the same "Yeah, that's it!" in galaxies a million light years apart.
Take a look at e.g. the mechanism of DNA, which is essenital to most of what we call life: Nature must have spent quite a few attempts to hit on that mechanism. Either you believe that DNA is the only possible solution (and you end up like that MP who completely rejected to support a new exploration to the Galapagos based on the previous one: The description of the animals was an obvious hoax, because such animals simply do not exist), or you must accept that DNA happened to the one successful on earth. On other planets, completely different biological mechanisms may have developed.
At a higher level: Take a look a sexual reproduction, nature's way of all the time trying out new combinations to see which are best fit for survival. You may think it is simple, but take a look at the mechanisms for how the DNA of the parents is mixed in the offspring (it is far more complex than anything I learned in school!). Then go on to plants, e.g. cherries where the one tree cannot fertilize another of its own class. If I remember right, there are at least five classes, with strict rules for who can mix with who. Apples are maybe even more complex, and as main rule: The offspring does not resemble its ancestors. Another funny one is the jellyfish: Again, completely different from our simplistic "boy meets girl" model 
These mechanisms are so complex that in their development, there are millions of other development paths that could have been chosen, and which might have been just as viable. The variation among land animals, plants and, say, jellyfish is so vast that there is no chance that we have explored all the possibilities on earth, but could have been what succeeded other places in the universe.
There may be "life" (according to some liberal definition) out there, even something that might be considered "intelligence". But maybe the life manifests not in solid form, but as gas or plasma structures. Maybe the intelligence operates as structures of various fields in gases. Or in immovable entities, similar to plants or rocks. Maybe the life survives only at a few million Kelvin. And so on.
Chances that self-replicating structures have formed somewhwere are reasonalby good. Chances that they have formed in exactly the same way as on earth - or even halfway close - are an epsilon so small that epsilon square is negative.
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The best proof that there is intelligent life in the Universe is that none of it has visited Earth.
Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.
-- 6079 Smith W.
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But what else could it be? (besides instrument failure, natural phenomenon, misinterpretation of data, or any/all of the above?)
TTFN - Kent
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We are a lonely species, it seems; it may be just a wish.
We may be the first life to exist. Math says that may be an option. With us, the first seed may die. There's no proof of alien ashtrays existing (tx NdgT). Has anyone here stolen an ashtray from an alien space-ship?
If aliens wish to contact us, then they will have advanced tech; there will not be a need to distinguish such a signal from natural phenomenon.
Last we heard about radio bursts was a sun that's suppossed to have a dyson sphere. It's a way of getting money, no f.ck would be interested in natural radio bursts. It's a scam and it should stop.
Bastard Programmer from Hell 
If you can't read my code, try converting it here[^]
"If you just follow the bacon Eddy, wherever it leads you, then you won't have to think about politics." -- Some Bell.
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Eddy Vluggen wrote: Has anyone here stolen an ashtray from an alien space-ship?
But if someone said yes, would you believe them?
You might demand evidence but, if so, what would you accept as adequate evidence that would actually persuade you?
I've got an ashtray with a picture of Broadstairs in Kent on the bottom. Were I to claim that I stole it from an alien space craft you could not disprove my claim. Indeed, even if could be proven that the ashtray had been manufactured on Earth, this would still not disprove my claim that I stole it from an alien space craft. They could have bought it in the same gift shop as the one I visited in 1982.
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markrlondon wrote: You might demand evidence but, if so, what would you accept as adequate evidence that would actually persuade you?
Exactly true. People often say they want evidence of something when in reality they already have their mind made up and no amount of evidence would change it.
Social Media - A platform that makes it easier for the crazies to find each other.
Everyone is born right handed. Only the strongest overcome it.
Fight for left-handed rights and hand equality.
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The one who believes need no proof,
the one who doesn't believe discards all proof.
 
M.D.V. 
If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about?
Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you
Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.
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Well that seems like it will get you nowhere. 
Social Media - A platform that makes it easier for the crazies to find each other.
Everyone is born right handed. Only the strongest overcome it.
Fight for left-handed rights and hand equality.
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Same place as many online conversations...
M.D.V.
If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about?
Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you
Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.
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Social Media - A platform that makes it easier for the crazies to find each other.
Everyone is born right handed. Only the strongest overcome it.
Fight for left-handed rights and hand equality.
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Eddy Vluggen wrote: then they will have advanced tech;
Not necessarily. There's a whole lot of space and time out there. There's nothing to say they have to be like us in any way shape or form or tech.
Social Media - A platform that makes it easier for the crazies to find each other.
Everyone is born right handed. Only the strongest overcome it.
Fight for left-handed rights and hand equality.
modified 4-May-20 14:18pm.
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ZurdoDev wrote: There's nothing to say they have to be like us in any way share or form or tech.
That's what I think too...
The probability of intelligent life or other kind of life as we know it might be reduced, but we haven't got all the knowledge of the universe.
Why must be life only based on carbon? or need oxigen to breath? or need gravity in aproximate values to earth? or solar light?
avoiding the term "intelligent"...
We already have examples of life in places in earth where 20 to 50 years ago would have been "impossible".
Why has to be impossible everything else?
M.D.V.
If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about?
Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you
Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.
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Nelek wrote: Why must be life only based on carbon?
Exactly. Whenever they mention they are looking for life on Mars, for example, that's really what they mean. Something carbon based.
The problem is we are so smart we just don't realize how dumb we are. But some people insist that their limited knowledge is enough to claim something about the universe for which they cannot possibly know.
Social Media - A platform that makes it easier for the crazies to find each other.
Everyone is born right handed. Only the strongest overcome it.
Fight for left-handed rights and hand equality.
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Eddy Vluggen wrote: We are a lonely species, it seems; it may be just a wish.
I don't know if we are alone in the universe or not... but the implications of either possibility are scaring.
M.D.V.
If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about?
Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you
Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.
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That doesn't get them funding, so it has to be aliens.
Bastard Programmer from Hell
If you can't read my code, try converting it here[^]
"If you just follow the bacon Eddy, wherever it leads you, then you won't have to think about politics." -- Some Bell.
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Consumer Reports has analyzed the privacy policies of Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and WebEx and discovered that they may be collecting more data than many people realize. Everyone surprised must be new here
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Quote: . According to the report, all three companies reserve the right to collect information from your calls, including how long a call lasts, who’s participating in the call, and the IP addresses of everyone taking part.
I must not have a good imagination because I can't come up with any reason why I would care that they do this. Can anyone else?
Phone companies have been tracking data forever but most people did not know, but tracking data is not a new thing.
Heck, they used to handout a huge book that had everyone's name, phone number, and address in it FOR FREE to everyone. As far as I know, nobody really cared then. Not sure why we care now.
Social Media - A platform that makes it easier for the crazies to find each other.
Everyone is born right handed. Only the strongest overcome it.
Fight for left-handed rights and hand equality.
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Firefox Private Relay add-on to help users safeguard their email addresses from spammers. Does it come with one of those "Lone Ranger" masks to disguise yourself?
Or maybe a nice pair of glasses like Clark Kent?
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Kent Sharkey wrote: Or maybe a nice pair of glasses like Clark Kent?
Or a beard, like Chuck Norris?
"Five fruits and vegetables a day? What a joke!
Personally, after the third watermelon, I'm full."
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If Chuck Norris get a scam email, he just answers with "hello" and the scammers pay him what the email said.
M.D.V.
If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about?
Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you
Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.
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Previously it has been rumoured that Windows 10 2004/May 2020 Update would be rolling out on the 12th May to consumers, but now Mary Jo Foley from ZDNet reports that the release may be delayed till the 28th May. "And there was much rejoicing"
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An icon designer must have got the virus.
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Let me share a little marketing secret with you. Any press is good press[^]. As more people talk, post and write articles and continue to mention icons in the news... the marketing guys will push to keep mentioning icons in the press releases.
Best Wishes,
-David Delaune
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