# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2013, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reverse-seti-question-if-you-could-send-a-message/668794/21 "2013-09-14T16:57:14Z")
Roll Tide! ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2013, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reverse-seti-question-if-you-could-send-a-message/668794/22 "2013-09-14T17:25:32Z")
The most important possible piece of information we could send is the mere fact of our existence. So I’d encode a simple mathematical diagram, followed by a relevant number. For instance, a picture of a circle, with a diameter drawn across it at an angle of 1 radian, followed by binary digits of pi, or a picture of the graph of e[sup]x[/sup], followed by binary digits of e. Any intelligence remotely similar to our own should be able to figure out how to interpret those messages, and to recognize that they could only have come from another intelligence. ---
**Author:** ![Werekoala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7993a0/32.png) [@Werekoala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Werekoala)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2013, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reverse-seti-question-if-you-could-send-a-message/668794/23 "2013-09-14T18:18:56Z")
FWIW I read somewhere awhile back (or maybe saw it on a show like “Through the Wormhole”) that the odds of any message we send being detected out past a few light years are essentially zero due to the fall-off in power of the transmission over distance. Somewhat depressing. But as to the OP, I’d send some sequence of unmistakable artificial signals that would simply get the attention that we were here. I’m not sure anything of much usefulness would be possible. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2013, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reverse-seti-question-if-you-could-send-a-message/668794/24 "2013-09-14T18:47:46Z")
> [@LinusK](#): > > What do you send them? a message saying [“WOW”.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wow!_signal) ---
**Author:** ![Asympotically\_fat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e47c2d/32.png) [@Asympotically\_fat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asympotically_fat)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2013, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reverse-seti-question-if-you-could-send-a-message/668794/25 "2013-09-14T20:27:26Z")
asl? lol ---
**Author:** ![Learjeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/94ad74/32.png) [@Learjeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Learjeff)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2013, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reverse-seti-question-if-you-could-send-a-message/668794/26 "2013-09-14T20:49:37Z")
“keep out!” ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2013, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reverse-seti-question-if-you-could-send-a-message/668794/27 "2013-09-14T20:52:41Z")
> [@Werekoala](#): > > But as to the OP, I’d send some sequence of unmistakable artificial signals that would simply get the attention that we were here. I’m not sure anything of much usefulness would be possible. From wiki page on the Wow! Signal: In 2012, on the 35th anniversary of the Wow! signal, Arecibo Observatory beamed a response from humanity, containing 10,000 Twitter messages, in the direction from which the signal originated. In the response, Arecibo scientists have attempted to increase the chances of intelligent life receiving and decoding the celebrity videos and crowd-sourced Tweets by attaching a repeating sequence header to each message that will let the recipient know that the messages are intentional and from another intelligent life form. If anything will scare them away, it would have to be that. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2013, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reverse-seti-question-if-you-could-send-a-message/668794/28 "2013-09-14T22:04:34Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > The most important possible piece of information we could send is the mere fact of our existence. So I’d encode a simple mathematical diagram, followed by a relevant number. For instance, a picture of a circle… Stop! We have no technology to send a _picture_. We can only send a data stream, and for simplicity, a binary one, to _represent_ a picture. The encoding/decoding instruction part of the transmission is vital to the purpose of sending it. Just getting the recipient to recognize we are sending a picture would be a major accomplishment, and assuming they can see the visible color spectrum would be a leap of fantasy. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2013, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reverse-seti-question-if-you-could-send-a-message/668794/29 "2013-09-14T22:16:42Z")
One line only: 14 k of g in a f p d That’ll have’em puzzled for a while. ---
**Author:** ![JustinC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justinc/32/8083_2.png) [@JustinC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustinC)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reverse-seti-question-if-you-could-send-a-message/668794/30 "2013-09-16T17:22:51Z")
A picture of Jennifer Love Hewitt’s breasts. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reverse-seti-question-if-you-could-send-a-message/668794/31 "2013-09-16T17:36:29Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > You may have all these worlds, save Europa. Attempt no landings there. Um, and Earth. Don’t fuck with Earth. Attached is a documentary showing what happened to the last visitors who tried. Attachment: _Independence Day_. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reverse-seti-question-if-you-could-send-a-message/668794/32 "2013-09-16T18:36:29Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **Musicat** : > > Stop! We have no technology to send a picture. We can only send a data stream, and for simplicity, a binary one, to represent a picture. The encoding/decoding instruction part of the transmission is vital to the purpose of sending it. Just getting the recipient to recognize we are sending a picture would be a major accomplishment, and assuming they can see the visible color spectrum would be a leap of fantasy. I was thinking something along the lines of a 289-bit long binary message. If the aliens are too stupid to notice the significance of that number and arrange it properly, or to recognize the pattern in the bits once it’s so laid out, then they’re not the ones we’re interested in talking to anyway. If you really want to be sure they’ll get it, though, send the same picture in multiple resolutions at 4 bits, 9 bits, 25 bits, 49 bits, 121 bits, 169 bits, 289 bits, 361 bits, and 529 bits, just to be sure they realize what those numbers have in common. None of this makes any assumptions whatsoever about the visible light spectrum, so I’m not sure why you even mentioned that. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reverse-seti-question-if-you-could-send-a-message/668794/33 "2013-09-16T20:26:40Z")
“Bet we can kill us before you can kill us” ---
**Author:** ![lavenderviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/cdc98d/32.png) [@lavenderviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lavenderviolet)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reverse-seti-question-if-you-could-send-a-message/668794/34 "2013-09-16T23:55:06Z")
I agree with Stephen Hawking that it would be stupid of us to try to make contact with other lifeforms. Anyone advanced enough to understand our message and find us would be far more likely to want to take over the planet and kill us than just chit chat with us and go home. Humans trying to show aliens that we exist would be like a Native American tribe sending smoke signals to European settlers to make sure the Europeans know where to find them. ---
**Author:** ![Aquadementia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aquadementia/32/555_2.png) [@Aquadementia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aquadementia)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2013, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reverse-seti-question-if-you-could-send-a-message/668794/35 "2013-09-17T00:20:07Z")
Every day I would send up the latest “The Family Circus” comic. The will think we are sooo precious! ---
**Author:** ![LinusK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/258eb7/32.png) [@LinusK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LinusK)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2013, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reverse-seti-question-if-you-could-send-a-message/668794/36 "2013-09-17T03:25:01Z")
> [@lavenderviolet](#): > > I agree with Stephen Hawking that it would be stupid of us to try to make contact with other lifeforms. > Anyone advanced enough to understand our message and find us would be far more likely to want to take over the planet and kill us than just chit chat with us and go home. > Humans trying to show aliens that we exist would be like a Native American tribe sending smoke signals to European settlers to make sure the Europeans know where to find them. Well I guess Hawining’s not as smart as he thinks he is. He’s forgetting it’ll take them a couple of billion years to get here. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2013, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reverse-seti-question-if-you-could-send-a-message/668794/37 "2013-09-17T03:57:25Z")
If it takes them a couple billion years to get here, it’s still kind of stupid for us to try to make contact. There’s no way humanity is going to be around then. ---
**Author:** ![AnalogSignal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/analogsignal/32/1085_2.png) [@AnalogSignal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnalogSignal)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2013, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reverse-seti-question-if-you-could-send-a-message/668794/38 "2013-09-17T04:16:08Z")
“Please come and visit us here on the moon. We are friendly and have cookies.” Then cover the moon with land mines. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2013, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reverse-seti-question-if-you-could-send-a-message/668794/39 "2013-09-17T13:41:45Z")
Just send them old “Jersey Shore” episodes…that will convince them that we should be left alone! ---
**Author:** ![Chief\_Pedant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@Chief\_Pedant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Pedant)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2013, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reverse-seti-question-if-you-could-send-a-message/668794/40 "2013-09-21T03:42:17Z")
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