# Reverse SETI question: If You Could Send A Message...? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 13, 2013, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reverse-seti-question-if-you-could-send-a-message/668794 "2013-09-13T20:09:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![LinusK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/258eb7/32.png) [@LinusK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LinusK)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2013, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reverse-seti-question-if-you-could-send-a-message/668794/1 "2013-09-13T20:09:10Z")
Suppose scientists decided to send a message to an extra-solar civilization (like the message we’re listening for, with SETI), and you were put in charge of what to say. The brainiacs say your message will reach them in about a billion years, give or take a few hundred million. You can send them anything you want: music, karaoke, classic literature, porn, a personal message, anything you want. What do you send them? ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2013, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reverse-seti-question-if-you-could-send-a-message/668794/2 "2013-09-13T20:22:08Z")
Wikipedia. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2013, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reverse-seti-question-if-you-could-send-a-message/668794/3 "2013-09-13T20:23:17Z")
Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2013, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reverse-seti-question-if-you-could-send-a-message/668794/4 "2013-09-13T20:34:56Z")
Take my wife… please. ---
**Author:** ![Mtgman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Mtgman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mtgman)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2013, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reverse-seti-question-if-you-could-send-a-message/668794/5 "2013-09-13T20:50:52Z")
It’s not SETI, although it’s related. The field is called CETI, the [Communication with Extraterrestrial Intelligence](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communication_with_Extraterrestrial_Intelligence) and in fact we have sent multiple messages like this. Probably the most famous is the [Aricebo Message](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arecibo_message) but of course there are our faithful [letter](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyager_Golden_Record) carriers, the [Voyager probes](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyager_program), and more recently the [Cosmic Call](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmic_Call) and [A Message From Earth](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Message_From_Earth) programs. Enjoy, Steven ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2013, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reverse-seti-question-if-you-could-send-a-message/668794/6 "2013-09-13T21:38:45Z")
Run ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2013, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reverse-seti-question-if-you-could-send-a-message/668794/7 "2013-09-13T21:59:38Z")
Kilroy Was Here ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2013, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reverse-seti-question-if-you-could-send-a-message/668794/8 "2013-09-13T22:39:36Z")
You may have all these worlds, save Europa. Attempt no landings there. ---
**Author:** ![aNewLeaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2013, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reverse-seti-question-if-you-could-send-a-message/668794/9 "2013-09-13T22:41:46Z")
Please preheat your ovens to 325. We’ll be there shortly. ---
**Author:** ![LinusK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/258eb7/32.png) [@LinusK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LinusK)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2013, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reverse-seti-question-if-you-could-send-a-message/668794/10 "2013-09-13T23:40:29Z")
> [@Mtgman](#): > > It’s not SETI, although it’s related. The field is called CETI, the [Communication with Extraterrestrial Intelligence](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communication_with_Extraterrestrial_Intelligence) and in fact we have sent multiple messages like this. Probably the most famous is the [Aricebo Message](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arecibo_message) but of course there are our faithful [letter](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyager_Golden_Record) carriers, the [Voyager probes](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyager_program), and more recently the [Cosmic Call](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmic_Call) and [A Message From Earth](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Message_From_Earth) programs. > > Enjoy, > Steven Thanks. I didn’t know there was such a thing as CETI. Hope they’re not saying saying anything bad about us… Or, at least not about me. ---
**Author:** ![LinusK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/258eb7/32.png) [@LinusK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LinusK)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2013, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reverse-seti-question-if-you-could-send-a-message/668794/11 "2013-09-13T23:41:59Z")
> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > Wikipedia. Wikipedia would be a poor choice, I think, especially if they got to see any of the comments pages. They’d invent time travel just to come back in time and kill us. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2013, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reverse-seti-question-if-you-could-send-a-message/668794/12 "2013-09-13T23:50:57Z")
“The trick is to bang the rocks together, guys!” ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2013, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reverse-seti-question-if-you-could-send-a-message/668794/13 "2013-09-14T02:58:01Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Regards, > Shodan I laughed! ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2013, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reverse-seti-question-if-you-could-send-a-message/668794/14 "2013-09-14T03:52:45Z")
> [@Mtgman](#): > > It’s not SETI, although it’s related. The field is called CETI, the [Communication with Extraterrestrial Intelligence](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communication_with_Extraterrestrial_Intelligence) and in fact we have sent multiple messages like this. Probably the most famous is the [Aricebo Message](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arecibo_message) I dunno, it just looks like a picture of Stewie to me. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2013, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reverse-seti-question-if-you-could-send-a-message/668794/15 "2013-09-14T05:05:38Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > I dunno, it just looks like a picture of Stewie to me. Then the message is, “Some day you will all bow before me!” ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2013, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reverse-seti-question-if-you-could-send-a-message/668794/16 "2013-09-14T06:18:06Z")
How do you stop a cascading black hole? Need answer fast. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2013, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reverse-seti-question-if-you-could-send-a-message/668794/17 "2013-09-14T06:23:22Z")
42 ---
**Author:** ![gus28](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6de8d8/32.png) [@gus28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gus28)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2013, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reverse-seti-question-if-you-could-send-a-message/668794/18 "2013-09-14T12:14:22Z")
Leeroy Jenkins!!! ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Duality](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.duality/32/4098_2.png) [@Mr.Duality](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Duality)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2013, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reverse-seti-question-if-you-could-send-a-message/668794/19 "2013-09-14T13:14:03Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > How do you stop a cascading black hole? Need answer fast. Wins the thread. ---
**Author:** ![LinusK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/258eb7/32.png) [@LinusK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LinusK)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2013, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reverse-seti-question-if-you-could-send-a-message/668794/20 "2013-09-14T14:08:25Z")
> [@Mr.Duality](#): > > Wins the thread. I LOL’d. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reverse-seti-question-if-you-could-send-a-message/668794.md?page=2)