OT:Why Aliens dont come here

[Captain Kwok]

My reply to the topic is that it is really, really, far.

Thermo, you forget to mention biomass, which is a good renewable alternative to consider to displace the use of fossil fuels.

[Atrocities]

I know why aliens will not visit us... They were given poor directions and ended up on the otherside of the galaxy. They are now out of gas and stranded.

[Raging Deadstar]

Atrocities said:
I know why aliens will not visit us... They were given poor directions and ended up on the otherside of the galaxy. They are now out of gas and stranded.

Aliens with Interstellar Travel but run out of gas for travelling in the Wrong Direction?

Oh God, i can see it now.

Three Eyed Aliens from the Alabama quadrent!
Disclaimer: No Offence Intended to those from Alabama, or Three eyed people

[Rasorow]

capnq said:
My theory is that we're sort of a wilderness preserve. Pre-starflight technological civilizations are so rare that they're set aside for their scientists to study.

I would die laughing if this turned out to be the case.

Rasorow

[dmm]

Arkcon said:
...if there was another rock oxygen planet here, how close would we be to establishing a colony? We don't have near the technology now, but if we had the incentive, would we be closer, or be there already?

Interesting question. Some thoughts:
1) You assume that it is possible to have two stable Earthlike planets around one star. May not be true.
2) Is there life on that other planet? The dominant opinion nowadays seems to be that liveable planets will automatically have life. This is by inference from Earth, where life exists in every ecological niche that is conceivably liveable (as well as in many niches that we thought were not liveable). However, the data from Earth may be unrepresentative.
3) Is it possible for a planet to be livable (for humans) without an already-existing biosphere? I would guess "no."
4) If there is a biosphere on that planet, would it be right for us to go there at all, much less colonize it? Would orgs like the Sierra Club put up a huge fight to prevent it? My guess is that, regardless of morality or scientific ideals, there is no way in the world that you could keep nations from setting up research colonies at least and that these would gradually become intrusive. Example is Antarctica.
5) If there is a biosphere on that planet, would it be compatible with us? It could be amazingly similar, yet the amino acids and sugars might all have the wrong chirality. (Hmmm...none of it would be digestible. Earth Lite?)
6) What about the problem of non-indigenous organisms being accidentally transferred? And you thought zebra mussels and kudzu were bad!
7) I think we have the technology now, and I think we'd colonize it. Absolutely.
8) Someone should invent a computer game where our solar system captures a liveable planet (or two). Like "Alpha Centauri," but the home planet is still very much part of the game. (Anyone know if AC can be modded to do that?) Actually, "Conquest of the New World" was somewhat like that, except that of course it was historical not sci-fi.

[geoschmo]

If there was a planet that could support human life in our system we could colonize it. If nothing there was edible, at least we'd be able to transplant our own flora there. If it would support human life I can't think of any reason it wouldn't support other earth species. So you might be talking about a period of terraforming, but it would probably only be a few years before a small colony there could be self-sufficent. Perhaps only a single growing season.

[Starhawk]

Heh are you freakin kidding if we had a rock oxygen world in this system aside from Earth Morality would go right out the window when people realize the raw materials you can get from a whole new untouched world.

Mining Companies would probobly send up teams immedietly

Some "religious nuts" might see it as a new Eden or something and go there to get away from the rest of humanity.

Scientists would surely go (probobly first)

The military would DEFINATELY GO as a whole new world may not be given up without a fight by some countries (I can think of a few that would probobly start a war over it but I won't list them)

And not to mention countries like China and India who's populations double every fifty years (You'd think they never heard of birth control) would probobly be the first to send up people in their thousands (or even millions) as they are desperate for any real estate they can get their hands on.

[Timstone]

Starhawk:
China actualy has a birthcontrol law act.
You are not allowed to have more than two children. If you are a single mother/father you are not allowed to have more than one child.

Warmonger countries; yeah you're probabely right about the war thingie. Some countries never learn to peacefully coexist.
To wander a little bit, I don't think global peace will never come. We might have a slight change at worldpeace when all religions would be banished. But that isn't a viable option.

[Alneyan]

China had a fertility rate of about 1.8 child per woman in 2000; not enough to double population every fifty years, especially as this number is decreasing. The United States actually have a slightly higher fertility rate (2 children per woman or so), in the upper average of developed countries.

India has been trying to reduce its population growth as well (a bit less than 3 children per woman Last time I heard), but setting up birth control is easier said than done (mainly in rural communities). If you want countries where population is increasing by twofold every thirty or forty years, you should see the figures for poor African countries instead, and definitively not China.

Edit: At Last, I found the compared growth rates for China and the United States. The US is expected to have a growth rate of about 0.9% this year, while China is expected to be around 0.5%/0.6% (it was at about 0.9% in 2001, and slightly above 1% the Last decade).

[Fyron]

dmm said:

8) Someone should invent a computer game where our solar system captures a liveable planet (or two). Like "Alpha Centauri," but the home planet is still very much part of the game. (Anyone know if AC can be modded to do that?) Actually, "Conquest of the New World" was somewhat like that, except that of course it was historical not sci-fi.

Civilization II Test of Time does that. It can have up to 4 maps in one game. There is an "extended original game" mode, where once you build a spaceship, you get to land on and colonize Alpha Centauri, all while maintaining your nation on Earth. There can even be an alien race living there, which would have grown without any competition (or interaction) with other civilizations until you get there.

There is a "science fiction" mode of play where two species sent colony ships that crash landed on a planet, humans and some aliens (I forget their name). You can eventually send units up to orbital platforms over this world that were constructed by a long extinct race. Later, you can send units to a Mars-like planet. Lastly, you can send units to a gas giant that has platforms of solid hydrogen, also constructed by that long extinct aliean race.

Finally, there is a "fantasy" mode of play, where the 4 maps represent the surface layer of the world, a subterranean layer of caves, the sea floor, and a cloud layer. You can play as elves, humans, hawkmen, merfolk, goblins, etc.

Incidentally, this is part of why Civilization III sucks so much...