In 1974, Frank Drake started the ball rolling on the SETI project by broadcasting his message to aliens at the dedication of the Arecibo radio telescope in Puerto Rico. (See link.)
I would like to see a line of knit sweaters made with Drake's message as part of the design. Sell them here on earth to generate income for SETI.
As well, launch a pod full of them into space. The extraterrestrials who discover them will not only learn about Earth and humanity and DNA and everything else in the message, they will also see that we are a planet full of sharp-dressed humanoids. And they will be able to keep warm, 'cos you know, it's cold in space.-- waugsqueke, Mar 12 2003 Drake's Arecibo Message http://antwrp.gsfc..../apod/ap000123.htmlOrientation doesn't matter. [waugsqueke, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 21 2004] HA! Yes.-- brenna, Mar 12 2003 "Ground control to Major Tom ...... go back three rows, knit ten, purl six, cast off........"-- 8th of 7, Mar 12 2003 Personally, I want to see sweaters with Sir Francis Drake's message to the New World woven into the yarn. I'm wondering if it would be repeatable in polite company.-- jurist, Mar 12 2003 There'll be two more, just wait a few minutes. Someone's late.-- waugsqueke, Mar 12 2003 Perhaps the fishbone indicates a malignant alien intelligence.-- brenna, Mar 12 2003 "Alien", perhaps. "Intelligence", definitely not .....-- 8th of 7, Mar 12 2003 [jurist]: I suspect that the New World's message to Sir Francis Drake would be rather less repeatable, especially if they had known then what they know now.Apparently, when the Spaniards landed on the shores of the New World, one of them asked a local what the place was called, and was told "Yucatan", which means "What do you want?"-- angel, Mar 12 2003 .-- st3f, Mar 12 2003 [angel]That's preferrable, I guess, to "Jan Kee, go home!." At least the Mayans were being civil and responsive.-- jurist, Mar 12 2003 Wow, have 50,000 years gone by already?-- RayfordSteele, Mar 12 2003 // At least the Mayans were being civil and responsive //
.... right up to the point where they hacked their guest's still-beating hearts out with an obsidian knife and poured the blood over the altar. Or was that the Aztecs ?-- 8th of 7, Mar 12 2003 Let’s send ‘em pants too...er...I mean...Does ya really wanna know? (+)-- Shz, Mar 12 2003 [1/8/7]More evidence that, as with most visits, it doesn't pay to outstay your welcome. Newcomers have to watch for the signs and be sensitive to the mood of their environment.-- jurist, Mar 12 2003 Well, I would have thought that the streaks of blood down the sides of all the pyramids would have been a fairly strong hint .....-- 8th of 7, Mar 12 2003 We should get some of those here.-- angel, Mar 12 2003 <points> Just round the side there .... see ?-- 8th of 7, Mar 12 2003 [Rods], I think television broadcasts have already partially baked AntiSETI. We just need to extend the range a bit.-- brenna, Mar 12 2003 random, halfbakery