OFF: SETI, ETs

[Andy Gilham]

Steve said

>Well, this isn't exactly the same principle, but you can slow down
>subjective time just by accelerating for long enough.

I recall subjective time slowing down pretty badly during a Mike Oldfield
concert - it seemed to go on *forever* :(

But seriously, the time dilation effect is a well-established corollary of
the Special Theory of Relativity, and there's any number of popular science
books that'll give a clear explanation.

ObHW: Time dilation (as well as suspended animation) explains the Starfarer's
Despatch (Spirit of the Age), as well as Queen's "39".

Steve Hawking did come up with something recently that suggested that
backward time travel may be possible in certain limited circumstances, but I
think it was of the order of nanoseconds in the vicinity of a naked
singularity, or some such.

> obIndependenceDayReview: (courtesy of the teen sitting behind me,
> following the city-destruction scene): "What *absolute bullshit*!
> That was pretty great, though!"

The more I hear about this flick, the more it seems like "President Rambo
versus the Flying Saucers".  Think I'll give it a miss!

- Andy