November 14, 2001

2:33 AM

Have aliens answered our message?In 1974, as part of the SETI project, an encoded message was sent from the Arecibo radio telescope in Puerto Rico. On the 20th August, near the Chilbolton radio telescope in Hampshire, England, an amazing crop circle was discovered that appeared to answer the message....
posted by salmacis (25 comments total)

No.

It didn't "answer" the message, it simply repeated it with slight variations/errors. The very existence of that web page shows that nothing in those crop circles implies an intelligence necessarily any more alien than the hoaxster next door, looking for a change of pace from concentric circles and fractal images.

And if "aliens" have reached the planetary surface (to create the crop circles as opposed to, oh, broadcasting a return message) wouldn't crop circle imitation of a 27 year old binary pattern be a pretty bizarre and sly "First Contact"?

SETI addresses these crop circles, and I'll give slight props to the skeptical page creator for at least linking their response.
posted by hincandenza at 3:48 AM on November 14, 2001

As if beings smart enough to be zooming around in space ships (them) would send messages to other beings smart enough to be zooming around in space ships (us) by trampling patterns in some damned farmer's plants.

Crop circles are a prank; crop circlers are pranksters; and anyone who, after looking at the evidence and thinking about it, still believes that crop circles are something from space is goofy.
posted by pracowity at 4:22 AM on November 14, 2001

Sorry, have I missed something? Of course the "crop circle" binary code could be written by any informed hoaxer (especially one or some geek working in a nearby dish?) - though I have no way of knowing whether the analysis, the diagram or the photos are are even vaguely true. But wasn't the whole crop circle thing debunked some years ago, the technique revealed etc? Fun article though!
posted by dodialog at 4:24 AM on November 14, 2001

How do you even "digitize"/pixelize the crop circles with this degree of precision. But an ingenious (pseudo?-)analysis, in any case.
posted by ParisParamus at 4:41 AM on November 14, 2001

Oh come on! Of course it wasn't really aliens. I didn't think anybody would really believe I was implying otherwise. This crop circle shows an unusual level of sophistication, and a fair bit of humour as well, such as including silicon in the list of elements that constitute the atmosphere.
posted by salmacis at 5:18 AM on November 14, 2001

Disney is releasing a movie about crop circles and their marketing department has been 'making' cropcircles across Europe as a marketing stunt. Their marketing people are real weasels and this is probably from them.
posted by KevinH at 5:29 AM on November 14, 2001

But wasn't the whole crop circle thing debunked some years ago, the technique revealed etc?

Make your own crop circles*.

* Wheat field sold separately.

The story of the Doug Bower and Dave Chorley is quite amusing.
posted by iceberg273 at 5:44 AM on November 14, 2001

As a side note:

I was visiting Walla Walla, Washington in July of 1999 when this circle was reported in the Union Bulletin. The circles were reported on the 29th although they had been created earlier in the month. And the farmer had harvested the field by the time the newspaper reported the circles. Only one picture of the circle was ever taken.
posted by iceberg273 at 6:01 AM on November 14, 2001

it was me! I made the crop circles at chilbowhatsit!

ps. I am from space.
posted by mcsweetie at 6:07 AM on November 14, 2001

Whatta stupid link.
posted by fleener at 6:18 AM on November 14, 2001

Whatta stupid link.

Hardly. The link highlighted the (unique) ability of humans to attribute causality. Of course, this ability is a bit of a two-edged sword, and the crop circle phenomenon is a good example of why (especially in the case of Bower and Chorley).
posted by iceberg273 at 6:26 AM on November 14, 2001

But the link poster probably did not intend to attribute the link to causality issues. You're reading a lot into the post, like it was a work of art. It's really just a stupid link. Don't make it high art. It isn't.
posted by fleener at 7:12 AM on November 14, 2001

of course, the surest sign of alien intelligence is the fact that they haven't contacted us.

(apologies to Bill Watterson)
posted by mattpfeff at 7:22 AM on November 14, 2001

pracowity, you don't leave the option open that such intelligent beings are capable of puliing pranks. Why can't aliens have a sense of humor?
posted by mmarcos at 7:31 AM on November 14, 2001

What struck me about it was the bit where the aliens imply OJ was innocent. Maybe they know something we don't.

They seem to use similar communication techniques as the virgin mary... appearing in everyday items.

Tie in the Japenese beetle invasion, the fact this link appeared two months and two days after Sept 11th (!) and Micheal Jackson broadcasting an embarrassing concert, it proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that aliens are among us.
posted by zenhues at 7:33 AM on November 14, 2001

Whatta stupid link.

No, I actually found it kind of refreshing. The SETI response was a fun read too. Of couse it's not aliens, but I'd never read about the 1974 Arecibo message and the thinking that went into it was quite inspiring. Except that they overlooked the completely human visual tendency to make shapes and things out of disconnected dots (you're soaking in it).

Anyway, we now return you to wars, loss of basic civil rights and our generally unpleasant reality.
posted by joemaller at 7:42 AM on November 14, 2001

Hey, it's a hoax, so what. At least it's an intelligent, well thought out, carefully constructed and researched, kickass hoax.
posted by billder at 8:36 AM on November 14, 2001

Hey, it's a hoax, so what. At least it's an intelligent, well thought out, carefully constructed and researched, kickass hoax.

Call it culture jamming, and all the hip kids will dig it.
posted by iceberg273 at 8:57 AM on November 14, 2001

I used to make crop circles, when I was young. A 2x2 with a pointy end, some rope, a lot of beer - all the ingredients of a successful crop circle. Takes less than an hour, drives them nuts for years.
posted by kristin at 8:57 AM on November 14, 2001

Well, I always thought kristin was an alien.
posted by mattpfeff at 9:29 AM on November 14, 2001

A great read on the subject is Carl Sagan's first book, Intelligent Life in the Universe, especially Ch. 30. He discusses the same types of prime factor binary code transmission, using a 29 x 19 example also designed by SETI's Frank Drake.
posted by padjet1 at 9:29 AM on November 14, 2001

Heee...that was great. Thanks for all the fish. I love crop circles. My goal is to make some. I think they're beautiful. The aliens have already landed, and they're two inches tall. I had no idea SETI had such a good sense of humour; but I guess you'd have to in that line of business.
posted by Hildegarde at 10:21 AM on November 14, 2001

Shhh....don't mention the Thetans.... you'll get ...THEM in here, and we've seen their lawyers in action.
posted by dwivian at 11:04 AM on November 14, 2001

Makes me want to run out and see K-Pax...
posted by Sal Amander at 12:14 PM on November 14, 2001

> pracowity, you don't leave the option open that such
> intelligent beings are capable of puliing pranks. Why
> can't aliens have a sense of humor?

Sure, if there are smart space folk out there, they probably have a sense of humor. But if their sense of humor amounts to trampling a few crops over and over again, then they aren't really intelligent, are they? The sort of dimwit who laughs and laughs at the same practical joke probably can't navigate from there to here.
posted by pracowity at 11:05 PM on November 14, 2001