Paul Brownjohn @Paulos_the_fog@social.cleverlibre.org
Retired software engineer & woodworker.
Anglo-francophone.
Detest tories. Subscribe to green, leftish radical politics but not to any particular political party!.
Love the EU and all it stands for, moreover, I spent the last 10 years of my career working at an EU agency.
Enthusiastic photographer, especially wildlife and most especially butterflies.
Slightly knowledgeable gardener.
Atheist; loathe almost all religions and pity the people deluded enough to follow them. I make exceptions for Buddhism as it isn't really a religion in the strictest sense of the word as it doesn't postulate the existence of any god, and Jainism which is the epitome of peace.
For anyone who is interested, my header photo is of the most stupendous sunset I have ever seen. On the right is the waterfront of Vientiane, the capital of Laos, on the left is Thailand and in the middle, acting as the border between the two countries is the mighty Mekong river.
Joined Nov 2022
@boytits@kolektiva.social
That's practically the definition of a severe mental illness!
Absolutely!
There is also a question to be answered before we decide where life may or may not exist - that question is "what is life".
Most scientists seem to confine themselves to defining that as "something a lot like life on earth"; I find that short sighted, unnecessarily restrictive and terribly unimaginative!
Can life evolve beyond the physical stage that we find ourselves at, currently?
Does life have, obligatorily, to be biological in nature or, at the very least, does it have to evolve from biological life forms?
Could there be life forms that have adapted to environments that would be instantly fatal for us - for example, could gas giants support any, extremely weird, form of life?
Will we be able, someday, to liberate ourselves from the tyranny of inhabiting a body made of vulnerable flesh and blood.
By thinking the way we do about the possibilities of life, it seems to me that we as a species are wearing the largest, most opaque blinkers it's possible to image.
Sample size of one, surely - us!
A 'sample' that seems unlikely to pass through the filter of internecine combat or other self-destructive behaviour and reach the technologically advanced stage needed to facilitate interstellar travel before they render their planet uninhabitable.
Indeed, I have seldom seen the prophets of doom advance such an idea, which is why I did!
However, I would also speculate that any alien civilization that is sufficiently technologically advanced to be able to actually travel from the star system where it originated to distant planet earth, is also likely to have the technology to have already detected the existence slightly intelligent life on this planet.
I think it is fair to speculate that any alien race that has sufficiently advanced technology to cross the vast distances involved in interstellar travel, has technology massively more advanced then we mere earthlings possess.
I believe that it is also fair to speculate that any such aliens have passed successfully through the filter of internecine combat in order to develop such advanced technology whereas on our planet, such conflicts are, and seemingly always have been, commonplace and extremely destructive (see WWI, WWII and Ukraine for further details).
I suppose mankind should draw some comfort from the fact that some weapons of mass destruction; for example nerve gas and biological weapons, have been banned by international treaty even if some have been used fairly recently for example by Saddam Hussein and chemical Ali, in Iraq. I suppose it is also of some comfort that nuclear weapons have only been used in anger twice (Hiroshima and Nagasaki); their appalling destructive power having once been demonstrated, thankfully no country has found it acceptable to use them again; here I hope vehemently that I don't have to eat my words in the context of Ukraine.
In the light of the foregoing, I believe it is reasonable to speculate that an alien civilization that has developed the ability to travel interstellar distances, it is far more likely to be nurturing than extremely belligerent as the latter would most likely have destroyed their civilization before they reached the stage of developing interstellar travel.
https://www.cseinsider.com/2023/02/physicist-warns-that-contacting-aliens_20.html
I guess it's the ultimate irony that the same people who are most vocal in opposing measures to reduce the impact of man-made climate change are almost certainly the very same people who will be most vocal in opposing welcoming the refugees made homeless by climate change.
It used to be used as an inhaled anaesthetic and analgesic under the 'Trilene' brand name - that's a scary thought!
Bientôt, on va arrêter de nourrir les oiseaux sauvages car, quand ils ont les petits, il leur faut un régime composé d’insectes et de chenilles
@Neoresistant
On en a dans notre jardin assez souvent. Actuellement elles semblent être moins intéressées par l'écorce de l'arbre ; elles préfèrent les boules de graisse qu’on offre aux autres oiseaux.
A 'cri de cœur' to manufacturers of fridges and freezers please, PLEASE make the doors of these appliances self-closing.
and by the way just for the sake of clarity, I'm not a member of any LGBTQ+ minority, myself, I just hold this bizarre point of view that other people's sexuality is none of my fucking business and that they should be allowed to express their sexual desires in any way that doesn't damage children or non-consenting adults!
In my view, diplomatic relations with Uganda should be severed completely, all MPs who voted for this measure should be sanctioned and denied entry to the UK/EU. All trade with Uganda should be suspended and Uganda expelled from the Commonwealth (if it's a member)
@Catweazle
Everything in the USA hinges around the idea "how can we screw our users/customers for a load of money; if not now then at some time in the future?"
Retired software engineer & woodworker.
Anglo-francophone.
Detest tories. Subscribe to green, leftish radical politics but not to any particular political party!.
Love the EU and all it stands for, moreover, I spent the last 10 years of my career working at an EU agency.
Enthusiastic photographer, especially wildlife and most especially butterflies.
Slightly knowledgeable gardener.
Atheist; loathe almost all religions and pity the people deluded enough to follow them. I make exceptions for Buddhism as it isn't really a religion in the strictest sense of the word as it doesn't postulate the existence of any god, and Jainism which is the epitome of peace.
For anyone who is interested, my header photo is of the most stupendous sunset I have ever seen. On the right is the waterfront of Vientiane, the capital of Laos, on the left is Thailand and in the middle, acting as the border between the two countries is the mighty Mekong river.
Joined Nov 2022
