ALIENS CALLING....okay, not really, darn it.
May 23, 2023 9:04 PM Subscribe
Earth Will Receive an 'Alien' Transmission From Mars This Week Called A Sign in Space, the scientific art experiment invites the public to help decode the signal, which is meant to emulate a message from extraterrestrials.
"On May 24 at 3:00 p.m. ET, the European Space Agency’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) will transmit an encoded message to Earth. A trio of ground-based radio observatories will attempt to receive the signal when it arrives 16 minutes later. The signal, an encoded message developed by artist Daniela de Paulis and her colleagues, will then be made available to the public, who are invited to try to make sense of the message.
The event, which you can watch above, will be livestreamed on Wednesday from 2:15 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. ET. The media event will include scientists, artists, engineers, and other experts."
I continue to be super disappointed at No Real Aliens, but this at least sounds interesting.
"On May 24 at 3:00 p.m. ET, the European Space Agency’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) will transmit an encoded message to Earth. A trio of ground-based radio observatories will attempt to receive the signal when it arrives 16 minutes later. The signal, an encoded message developed by artist Daniela de Paulis and her colleagues, will then be made available to the public, who are invited to try to make sense of the message.
The event, which you can watch above, will be livestreamed on Wednesday from 2:15 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. ET. The media event will include scientists, artists, engineers, and other experts."
I continue to be super disappointed at No Real Aliens, but this at least sounds interesting.
ANCIENTS OF MU
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 10:00 PM on May 23, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 10:00 PM on May 23, 2023 [4 favorites]
Said Spirit to Opportunity,- Duet on Mars, John Updike
“I’m feeling rather frail,
With too much in my memory,
Plus barrels of e-mail.”
Responded Opportunity,
“My bounce was not so bad,
But now they send me out to see
These dreary rocks, bedad!”
“It’s cold up here, and rather red,”
Sighed Spirit. “I feel faint.”
Good Opportunity then said,
“Crawl on, without complaint!
“This planet needs our shovels’ bite
And treadmarks in the dust
To tell if life and hematite
Pervade its arid crust.”
“There’s life, by all the stars above,
On Mars—it’s you and I!”
Blithe Spirit cried. “Let’s rove, my love,
And meet before we die!”
posted by Reverend John at 10:10 PM on May 23, 2023 [4 favorites]
If they expect the decoding event to last days, let alone "six to eight weeks", I hope they made it really difficult to decode. Having had experience with online multiplayer puzzles and ARGs, it's super easy to underestimate how quickly a puzzle will fold under the weight of a hundred or thousand or more puzzlers hacking at it.
posted by rifflesby at 10:40 PM on May 23, 2023 [13 favorites]
posted by rifflesby at 10:40 PM on May 23, 2023 [13 favorites]
I hope it's not just a crummy commercial. Be sure to drink your Ovaltine Red Bull, it gives you wings and whatnot.
posted by mhum at 11:27 PM on May 23, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by mhum at 11:27 PM on May 23, 2023 [4 favorites]
Want some practice? A message to the aliens, part 23/23 (wat). Start at the first in the series and try to decode the message we sent to the aliens.
posted by zengargoyle at 11:32 PM on May 23, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by zengargoyle at 11:32 PM on May 23, 2023 [5 favorites]
Happy days and jubilation!
posted by Literaryhero at 12:06 AM on May 24, 2023
posted by Literaryhero at 12:06 AM on May 24, 2023
I have no interest in talking to any alien interested in talking to me. Unless I can interview for Supreme Galactical Overlord. Then I may think about it.
posted by y2karl at 12:44 AM on May 24, 2023
posted by y2karl at 12:44 AM on May 24, 2023
We’re really trying to be nice about this but if you drop any more of those damned cars on us, there will be consequences.
posted by Phanx at 1:49 AM on May 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Phanx at 1:49 AM on May 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
We're trying to reach you about your planet's extended warranty...
posted by JoeZydeco at 4:59 AM on May 24, 2023 [9 favorites]
posted by JoeZydeco at 4:59 AM on May 24, 2023 [9 favorites]
It's not just going to be the song calling occupants of interplanetary craft, is it? Which would be fine if it were the Carpenters' version.
posted by NoMich at 5:45 AM on May 24, 2023
posted by NoMich at 5:45 AM on May 24, 2023
I had Klaatu cover. It was on the Due South soundtrack album.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 6:03 AM on May 24, 2023
posted by RonButNotStupid at 6:03 AM on May 24, 2023
Point of order: Klaatu’s version was not a cover — they were the songwriters.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 6:33 AM on May 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by ricochet biscuit at 6:33 AM on May 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
And really, if we’re going to have a cover of it, this eerie one is the last word.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 6:35 AM on May 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by ricochet biscuit at 6:35 AM on May 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
The signal will apparently be distributed through a discord server which is linked near the bottom of the article in the first link, if anybody else wants to take part. I'm in there as Hypnagogic Jerk.
posted by dbx at 7:27 AM on May 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by dbx at 7:27 AM on May 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
.-- .... -.-- / -.. --- . ... / .-. --- ... ... --..-- / - .... . / .-.. .- .-. --. . ... - / ..-. .-. .. . -. -.. --..-- / -. --- - / ... .. -- .--. .-.. -.-- / . .- - / - .... . / --- - .... . .-. / ..-. .. ...- . ..--..
posted by Etrigan at 7:39 AM on May 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Etrigan at 7:39 AM on May 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
We have some background in alien message encoding/decoding with the Voyager Golden Record, and this person did a video on decoding the record all these decades later.
But that seemed like cheating: he had the information on the primer and what to do after that. I'd really like to see Voyager handed to a bunch of high school or college kids with no advance knowledge and see if they can begin to figure out what is what.
posted by JoeZydeco at 7:59 AM on May 24, 2023 [2 favorites]
But that seemed like cheating: he had the information on the primer and what to do after that. I'd really like to see Voyager handed to a bunch of high school or college kids with no advance knowledge and see if they can begin to figure out what is what.
posted by JoeZydeco at 7:59 AM on May 24, 2023 [2 favorites]
Very cool. A potentially sweet art project, a fun puzzle, and a simulation.
posted by doctornemo at 8:15 AM on May 24, 2023
posted by doctornemo at 8:15 AM on May 24, 2023
If they expect the decoding event to last days, let alone "six to eight weeks", I hope they made it really difficult to decode. Having had experience with online multiplayer puzzles and ARGs, it's super easy to underestimate how quickly a puzzle will fold under the weight of a hundred or thousand or more puzzlers hacking at it.
This was my immediate reaction too. The only way this lasts six to eight weeks is if some of the solution is literally cryptographically impermeable until some timelocked new key or plaintext is exposed six to eight weeks later. You put all the info out on day one, it's gonna bet solved on day one, same way people binge watch full-season drops on Netflix.
posted by cortex at 9:43 AM on May 24, 2023 [2 favorites]
This was my immediate reaction too. The only way this lasts six to eight weeks is if some of the solution is literally cryptographically impermeable until some timelocked new key or plaintext is exposed six to eight weeks later. You put all the info out on day one, it's gonna bet solved on day one, same way people binge watch full-season drops on Netflix.
posted by cortex at 9:43 AM on May 24, 2023 [2 favorites]
off topic-ish but a close friend of mine is one of the chosen finalists for this program:
fake mars
they head to training this week.
posted by supermedusa at 10:49 AM on May 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
fake mars
they head to training this week.
posted by supermedusa at 10:49 AM on May 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
So, I'm kinda into First Encounter stuff, and the best ones are where there is no anthropomorphizing.
Like, in Children of Time spider aliens had the hardest time figuring out why anyone would use anything but a spiral pattern for images.
I hope they do stuff like that, but: How does a human come up with a message that is most definitely alien?
posted by flamewise at 11:33 AM on May 24, 2023 [2 favorites]
Like, in Children of Time spider aliens had the hardest time figuring out why anyone would use anything but a spiral pattern for images.
I hope they do stuff like that, but: How does a human come up with a message that is most definitely alien?
posted by flamewise at 11:33 AM on May 24, 2023 [2 favorites]
OH MY GOD WHEN WILL THEY ACTUALLY GET TO DOING SOMETHING ON THIS!?!?!
posted by jenfullmoon at 12:27 PM on May 24, 2023
posted by jenfullmoon at 12:27 PM on May 24, 2023
NYT: This Is Not an Extraterrestrial Signal. This Is Just a Test.
posted by jenfullmoon at 3:39 PM on May 24, 2023
posted by jenfullmoon at 3:39 PM on May 24, 2023
The dataset is (finally) available here: https://destor.io/seti. It's in SigMF format.
posted by dbx at 6:12 PM on May 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by dbx at 6:12 PM on May 24, 2023 [1 favorite]
This is what I've got so far:
six, six, four, sevennn, FIVE. six, six, four, sevennn, FIVE.
posted by polytope subirb enby-of-piano-dice at 2:03 AM on May 25, 2023
six, six, four, sevennn, FIVE. six, six, four, sevennn, FIVE.
posted by polytope subirb enby-of-piano-dice at 2:03 AM on May 25, 2023
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Dammit Ash.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 10:00 PM on May 23, 2023 [2 favorites]