It would be "truly staggering" to duplicate humans, in the same time frame and have them "in a sense" past us in a
technological area (here's where they would "past" us and wouldn't be in the same time frame as us. i.e be able to
travel threw space "more at easy" than us.) I most humbly take the other view point, a far more advanced culture would
have to exist to create this "space travel", and since our solar system is only about 4.5 million years and the Universe is
about 13-14 billion, I can't remove that possiblity. I view the oppsite of Geoff, how can there "not" be something out there
besides us, but as far as "earthlings" right now are concerned, the "proof" leans towards Geoff side. The "travel" part, I
totally agree upon - I have to leave this up to Science and the SciFi crowd.

Quoted from Geoff

I think biology, probability, and physics are all against UFO's existing. There are obviously all sorts of fascinating things out in space, including whole realms of matters we can't even guess at yet, but humanish creatures in mechanical contraptions aren't going to be among the things to turn up.

Here here. Thew whole idea is prepostorous. Funny how the whole UFO mania thing happened immediately after World War Two and the advent of jet propulsion, and all look remarkably like the original fiction flying saucer in that movie I can't remember.
We have not identified any planets likely to substain life (of the pitifully few we have discovered.) The chances of them evolving life that can build spaceships and listen to radio signals is just silly.
Maybe for life to exist it needs a bizarre set of circumstances - the right sized planet of the right age next top the right sun. Perhaps the odds of that are a billion to one. We could just be very lucky.

Quoted from Kevin

Here here. Thew whole idea is prepostorous. Funny how the whole UFO mania thing happened immediately after World War Two and the advent of jet propulsion, and all look remarkably like the original fiction flying saucer in that movie I can't remember.
We have not identified any planets likely to substain life (of the pitifully few we have discovered.) The chances of them evolving life that can build spaceships and listen to radio signals is just silly.
Maybe for life to exist it needs a bizarre set of circumstances - the right sized planet of the right age next top the right sun. Perhaps the odds of that are a billion to one. We could just be very lucky.

I'm afraid this is where I'm going to have to disagree with you Kev. The possibilities of intelligent life existing on other planets are immense. If life could eveolve on this little planet, then why not somewhere else? I don't expect 'aliens' to look like humans, in fact if we ever met any we may not even recognise them as living life forms.

I don't think we've ever been visited by beings from outer space, but I don't discount the possibility of it happening sometime in the future. Though if you had the ability to travel through interstellar space, why would you want to land here?

The problem is, we're a 'Type 0 Civilisation', and most of us think like people who are from a 'Type 0 Civilisation'. Because we can't do it, or it breaks the laws of 'our' physics, then it can't be possible.

I don't think we're going to discover life on another planet until we become a 'Type 1 Civilisation', and that won't happen for at least a hundred years. We just don't have the technology for it. I don't think they'll be coming to us.

I think you have to separate the whole UFO thing from the broader question of what might exist out in the universe. UFO's can be discounted on the grounds of improbability, lack of evidence, and the sheer foolishness of the vast majority of their proponents. What may or may not exist in the universe, including life as we understand it, intelligent or otherwise, is another matter altogether. Here I think the possibilities are open to an extent that's actually mind boggling and quite possibly even beyond our conceptual capabilities entirely. We're creatures of one very small and particular place trying to grasp something that's almost infinitely larger and more varied, and my basic objection to the whole UFO thing, apart from what I've said above, is the spectacular lack of imagination that's implied.

Quoted from Geoff

my basic objection to the whole UFO thing, apart from what I've said above, is the spectacular lack of imagination that's implied.

Oh yeah baby. I love the arguement when people say "well life on other planets is probably not something we'd recognise" yet expect us to believe that they are similar enough to develope metalurgy, physics, engineering and build remarkably human like spaceships.
Like BM says there is a possibility of some life on other planets, but as for it building ships etc....

Quoted from Kevin

Oh yeah baby. I love the arguement when people say "well life on other planets is probably not something we'd recognise" yet expect us to believe that they are similar enough to develope metalurgy, physics, engineering and build remarkably human like spaceships.
Like BM says there is a possibility of some life on other planets, but as for it building ships etc....

People can't imagine anything other than themselves, except maybe themselves with funny ears or light sabers flying mechanical contraptions. That sort of thing is the least likely possibility, I think.

Quoted from Geoff

Personally I'm all for the Roddenberry sort of thing myself, and not just because of all the women in scantily clad bikinis......

Silver bikinis, Geoff!    

^^ That's right, let's stick to the known facts.

Quoted from Geoff

People can't imagine anything other than themselves, except maybe themselves with funny ears or light sabers flying mechanical contraptions. That sort of thing is the least likely possibility, I think.

Exactly. For practical purposes, the reasons most aliens look like humans is because the show producers are casting humans for the roles. The reasons so many of those aliens have doofy foreheads is because the prosthetic for the forehead does not greatly limit the actor's ability to express emotion, which happens mainly on the lower part of the face. But those are the aliens that people see on TV and in movies, so those are the aliens people keep expecting to see.

I was being only slightly facetious when I was talking about giant amoebas in space. I think it's far more practical to warp space and pop out where you want to be than to put yourself in a tin can and travel for generations in it to find someplace nice to settle. Although that all makes great fiction-- especially when the new ships are faster than the old ships so the later arrivals get there first. Cool to think about. We do what we can do, and our imagination is limited by our culture and technological development.

Quoted from BlueMeanie

I don't expect 'aliens' to look like humans, in fact if we ever met any we may not even recognise them as living life forms.

I have my suspicions about this specific can of Chef Boyardee I've just warmed up, it doesn't seem like all the other cans. It seems somehow ... aware ...

I know it's silly, but maybe I should just put it back and eat another one instead. I would not want to be the first one to commit extraterrestrial murder, much less then be accused of eating the victim. Oh no, I've got all kinds of Chef Boyardee in my fridge, if they were all sentient, it would make me look like some kind of  intergalactic Jeffrey Dahmer

That is awfully farfetched though, and I am pretty busy now. Still ... No, I think I'll just stop being silly and eat this one.

Well, here goes ...

Quoted from harihead

^^ That's right, let's stick to the known facts.

Precisely.

LOL! That's exactly the episode I was thinking of. I had this friend who, whenever he came over, put on "The Gamesters of Triskelion". He had a huge crush on Shahna.

Alexis, go ahead and eat. Just remember the salad scene in Alien. That's all I'm saying...

Salt. Need salt.

Salt. Need salt.

i believe there is life on other planets,maybe not in our immeadate universe but out there....there maybe even be something occuping the same space as me at a different vibratory rate.....there are somethings about clearly not of this earth....

Geoff - (If the electro's in my brain just would fire 100% of the time -- haha)

What would you think, for example, if one of these "ufo's" were like a "dron" aircraft, sent by an alien, but it was
"unmanned" and just sent to see what was on Earth - sending results back to the place of origin? Granted, the
travel alone is still in your favor. Not much different from the Phoenix, but ....... (P.S. I haven't seen all of "The
Blackadder" or 'Mr. Bean" but I'm "catching up" as quick as I can!!)