UFO
I strongly suspect that these 'sightings' are a load of tosh too. I mean, it's a fecking massive universe out there and is perfectly plausible that we're not the only or most advanced form of life in it, but you must logically wonder. If superior advanced ET beings are zipping around the galaxies in their lighting-quick star cruisers, why the feck would they remain a mystery? With that ability/technology/power they surely wouldn't be threatened by a pack of over developed apes like us!

On one single occasion, I DID think that I had seen a UFO though. I even shouted of the missus to come see. It was just like a really large and bright star, but it was a cloudy night so there were absolutely no other stars visible, just this one massively bright (by comparison) unmoving light in the sky. I'm no astronomer, but I stand in the same spot about ten times every night, quite frequently watching the stars, sky or clouds and had never seen it before. There is a flight path in the area, but I'm familiar with the sight of various aircraft in differing light conditions. The 'UFO' however, wasn't moving at all.

I felt a bit stupid the following evenings when it was in a similar position around the same time of night. (Unless it was an extended reconnaisance mission by the lizard people of UPXNFUJEHCK-1486t02 plannig to pinch all the nookie broon from the toon???!!!!)
(Greencloud Wanted to go fishing on, Mon 7 Jul 2008, 16:41, 11 replies)

I've thought about this on a few occasions.
Assuming that the UFO abduction stories are true, which I don't, the usual depiction is of the little grey men with big eyes. They look about four feet tall, from pictures I've seen. Little spindly arms and legs.

In comparison, we average 5 foot ten, heavily built and we're a violent, paranoid species. I'd make bloody sure I didn't give Humanity anything to shoot at, too.

Quite why they'd want to visit a backwards little planet like ours and stick things up our bottoms and noses, though, I really couldn't tell you. i'd have thought they'd have better things to do, frankly.

As for your sighting, Venus? The Moon? :P
( Kroney, Mon 7 Jul 2008, 16:54, closed)

As you say,
I imagine any ET race would be as wary as we would be of 'space men'. The physiology of 'typical' aliens is quite interesting though. It seems to be univesally accepted but has no definitive source. The biology would be generally correct too. Comparing us with our ape ancestors, we look skinny with big round heads and bald. I suppose the 'aliens' could be time travelling observers from the future. We could quite possibly look like that ourselves after a few more million years of evolution. (Some ugly twunts are almost there already!)

My point about "them" being afraid of us is that if they have developed inter-galactic spacecraft, surely we pose no threat with our primitive ways and weapons. The anonymity thing falls short too. How come something that can avoid detection by satellites, radar, sonar and whatever the fuck else we're beaming around is most frequently spotted by fuckwits and inbred Herberts (with an unhealthy interest in sci-fi)??

My sighting;
It certainly wasn't the moon, and I don't think it was venus. Just one of the brighter visible stars. It was a bit freaky that there were no other visible stars due to cloud cover though.
(Greencloud Wanted to go fishing on, Mon 7 Jul 2008, 17:21, closed)

A few things
Time travel: not possible.
Intergalactic flight: Not possible.
Being visited by Aliens from other planets: Impossible.

I could go into the reasons why, but I'm tired.
(Ethong is enjoying Cardiff. Especially Bogiez., Mon 7 Jul 2008, 17:26, closed)

I would be interested
in hearing the reasons why it's flat out impossible, compared to "impossible with our current knowledge of science". Not taking the piss, I really would find it interesting.

At any rate, I certainly wouldn't want to visit a planet whose occupants are homicidal enough to drop nuclear weapons on each other.
( Kroney, Mon 7 Jul 2008, 17:32, closed)

Visitation not impossible...
Just bloody difficult and expensive. Sure, aliens will have economics of some kind, just like us, why shouldn't "expense" be a barrier too?

As the late great Douglas Adams said: "Space is big. Really big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mindboggling big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist's, but that's just peanuts to space..."

The grasping of this fact may be why, on average, science fiction fans seem to be rather less likely to believe in actual alien visitation than the general populace.
( Amish Information Systems hates misplaced, commas, Mon 7 Jul 2008, 18:11, closed)

@ Ethong.
I would fully back Kroneys dispute. The things you list are;
a & b) Absolutely possible, but not currently ACHIEVABLE.
c) IMPROBABLE, not impossible.

I currently believe that pretty much all of this stuff is hypothetical bullshit, much like religion (it IS religion to some!). However, I do try to maintain an open mind. You should consider the mindframe that nothing is impossible, although it may be highly improbable. Adversely, things may be most probable but never guaranteed.
(Greencloud Wanted to go fishing on, Mon 7 Jul 2008, 18:14, closed)

At this moment in time
those things are most likely not possible. The universe is still young, we're only on the second generation of stars, which means we have evolved from the remnants of the first stars around. This also means any alien life out there (and I do believe it is there) has been around for approximately the same, or less, amount of time as us. Faster than light travel is completely out of our reach, and, based on above, would be out of reach of any other life forms.

And as time travel requires faster than light travel, and throws up too many paradoxes, I do not believe this is possible.

I HAVE based all this on our current understanding of physics, I should have phrased my previous statement better.
(Ethong is enjoying Cardiff. Especially Bogiez., Mon 7 Jul 2008, 18:48, closed)

Ufo?
I think the thing you saw was probably a satellite orbiting the earth - they appear very bright & unmoving, unless you watch them over a couple of hours, in which case you can see they are moving slowly. So, hopefully not the lizard people from UPXN... come to pinch our stuff - more like the lizard people from ITV broadcasting more cr*p onto our TV sets... ;-)
(newname, Tue 8 Jul 2008, 3:54, closed)

to keep up the Douglas Adams references
If aliens really do exist, they are ignoring us as we are but a backward planet in an out of fashion corner of the galaxy and the ones that DO come and probe people are akin to lads on a nigth out and are simply "buzzing" the backward freaks (us).
(misskitty reeks of sex and turpentine; laudanum afternoons, Tue 8 Jul 2008, 6:20, closed)

click
just for UPXNFUJEHCK-1486t02
(Freddles, Tue 8 Jul 2008, 11:17, closed)

@ethong
Why do you assume alien civilisations will have developed at exactly the same rate or slower than ourselves? Surely there is a possibility they will have discovered things faster or differently and will be more technologically advanced than ourselves meaning they may have intergalactic travel.

I shouldn't have wrote intergalactic I now have the Beastie Boys in my head!
( TGB checking Off Topic is still shit at, Thu 10 Jul 2008, 11:41, closed)