Pentagon releases UFO videos

[soreshins]

Sorry - I think I’m coming across as if I’m challenging you. Not my intent. Just curious to hear your views that’s all.

My own personal opinion is that, if any of these objects did turn out to be extraterrestrial in nature, (and I’m not at all convinced that this is likely) then they are more likely to be intelligent machines than biological entities. Which I think is actually more frightening as you alluded to.

Again, apologies if I’m coming across as an A-hole! It’s just a great topic to explore

[Ozy_Flame]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

But I'll throw this out there: maybe what we know about physics is mostly right and mostly complete. And if so, maybe space travel is all but impossible for organic species. If true, maybe we are more likely to have machines than aliens come and visit us.

Netownian physics? Because we sure don't know everything about quantum physics, which may be where we end up finding answers. Heck, there's arguments to be made that quantum physics can help explain universal consciousness, non-linear time warping and multi-dimensional existences.

To say what we know about physics in general as "complete" is a significantly dangerous statement based in confirmation bias rooted in hubris.

[jammies]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

ISome type of sonar or radar type of sensory perception could be possible (imagine a world where the atmosphere is cloudy and opaque).

...

Also, your basic premise was once again built upon earth-centric premises: hunting other prey.

Radar is detecting radiation, and radar-sending organs are therefore a type of eye. Sonar is a kind of echo-location. Those are not alien concepts beyond human comprehension. Senses are just not a good basis to argue for truly alien aliens. Sex and reproduction is much more likely to be a source of mutual incomprehension, a species that has thousands or millions of young, of which very very few make it to adulthood, is not going to be able to emotionally relate to human culture and vice versa.

As far as "prey" being an earth-centric concept, again there are a limited number of ways living beings can convert energy for their own use. Gathering energy by killing and consuming other beings is a low-effort solution, and I'd even argue that it's not possible to evolve complex ecologies without predators, diseases and parasites. Evolution is all about feedback from both the environment and other organisms, and sentient clouds (or whatever) peacefully munching on sunlight have nothing forcing them to evolve.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by soreshins

Sorry - I think I’m coming across as if I’m challenging you. Not my intent. Just curious to hear your views that’s all.

My own personal opinion is that, if any of these objects did turn out to be extraterrestrial in nature, (and I’m not at all convinced that this is likely) then they are more likely to be intelligent machines than biological entities. Which I think is actually more frightening as you alluded to.

Again, apologies if I’m coming across as an A-hole! It’s just a great topic to explore

You are not, at all. All good

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

Netownian physics? Because we sure don't know everything about quantum physics, which may be where we end up finding answers. Heck, there's arguments to be made that quantum physics can help explain universal consciousness, non-linear time warping and multi-dimensional existences.

To say what we know about physics in general as "complete" is a significantly dangerous statement based in confirmation bias rooted in hubris.

Wow. There's missing the point and then there's missing the point.

I was not, in any way shape or form, trying to suggest that we are close to having physics solved. Nor do I think that.

It was simply an 'even if we did' example. Which we obviously don't.

But hubris was certainly an ironically appropriate choice of words.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by jammies

Radar is detecting radiation, and radar-sending organs are therefore a type of eye. Sonar is a kind of echo-location. Those are not alien concepts beyond human comprehension. Senses are just not a good basis to argue for truly alien aliens. Sex and reproduction is much more likely to be a source of mutual incomprehension, a species that has thousands or millions of young, of which very very few make it to adulthood, is not going to be able to emotionally relate to human culture and vice versa.

You're agreeing with me, not arguing with me, here. Eyes were an example for the argument that there would be incomprehensible differences, not the argument in themselves. Whether it's reproductivity, emotional view of the universe (or something else to replace emotional motivation), or whatever you want to consider, it is reasonable to expect that there would be differences far beyond the 'aliens' that have been described by the claimants to date.

As far as "prey" being an earth-centric concept, again there are a limited number of ways living beings can convert energy for their own use. Gathering energy by killing and consuming other beings is a low-effort solution, and I'd even argue that it's not possible to evolve complex ecologies without predators, diseases and parasites. Evolution is all about feedback from both the environment and other organisms, and sentient clouds (or whatever) peacefully munching on sunlight have nothing forcing them to evolve.

Not sure that I agree here. I would think there are paths of evolution, and paths to sentiency, that don't include having a history of being a predator. It seems reasonable to assume that life could evolve on a planet, entirely composed of herbivores, or of acquiring all necessary nutrients from fluids, or whatever.

I think your point that nature requires some scarcity, some competition, to survive and thrive, is a good one. But that scarcity and competition could come from simply being more efficient at acquiring the limited (herbivorous or fluid) food sources.

[Ozy_Flame]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

Wow. There's missing the point and then there's missing the point.

I was not, in any way shape or form, trying to suggest that we are close to having physics solved. Nor do I think that.

It was simply an 'even if we did' example. Which we obviously don't.

But hubris was certainly an ironically appropriate choice of words.

You are very passionate about this subject. You don't communicate well, but I'm proud of you.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

You are very passionate about this subject. You don't communicate well, but I'm proud of you.

Thanks dad

[soreshins]

I’ve been thinking about aliens, and what they would potentially look like if they were intelligent enough and able to build a spaceship, all day and even started boring my wife about it - until she told me politely to f off haha

Anyway, this is worth a read for some different viewpoints on how aliens might look:

https://www.popularmechanics.com/spa...lly-look-like/

[Jiri Hrdina]

As someone who has seen a UFO, I would only say that it wasn't some trick of light or anything like it. It was physically there, before me, in the air. Doesn't mean I believe in aliens, but I saw something and I have no idea WTF it was.

[Muta]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

As someone who has seen a UFO, I would only say that it wasn't some trick of light or anything like it. It was physically there, before me, in the air. Doesn't mean I believe in aliens, but I saw something and I have no idea WTF it was.

That is awesome! I've had my own personal sighting as well over YYC, it was very cool. Hovered to the west for a while, moved north and then just vanished out of sight. What was your experience?

[Jiri Hrdina]

It was about 30 years ago, outside my house in Beddington Heights in the middle of the afternoon. This silver cylinder thing came down from Nose Hill (which was just west to us). It moved very quickly and very evenly. Made no sound. It came down across the neighborhood. I was playing basketball on the driveway (just myself, no one else) so I hopped on my bike to try and keep up with it, but it was moving far too fast and it got away from me. Didn't have a camera to get a pic but I remember it as clear as day.

[Ozy_Flame]

That's awesome Jiri. I've had a couple, most notably this year in Edmonton when I was walking my dog at night. It was a white cylinder coasting across the sky, west to east, no sound, no blinking, perfectly even speed. I thought I was crazy but then other people confirmed the sighting too (at least on Reddit). It was really bizarre and it was not a normal aircraft.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Yeah that sounds very similar to what I saw

[soreshins]

I have also had a UFO experience. About 25 years ago, when I was living in the UK, I was driving home down a country road late at night with my then girlfriend. A light flew directly from behind the car, fast and low over the top of us and then straight ahead before disappearing behind a hill. I actually reported it to the Ministry of Defence and was told in a letter a few weeks later that there were no aeroplanes in the vicinity that night and they could not explain it. I still have that letter somewhere.

[Snuffleupagus]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

It was about 30 years ago, outside my house in Beddington Heights in the middle of the afternoon. This silver cylinder thing came down from Nose Hill (which was just west to us). It moved very quickly and very evenly. Made no sound. It came down across the neighborhood. I was playing basketball on the driveway (just myself, no one else) so I hopped on my bike to try and keep up with it, but it was moving far too fast and it got away from me. Didn't have a camera to get a pic but I remember it as clear as day.

Too bad you didn't have a camera as someone could probably explain it, I lived in Edgemont back then and flying fancy kites were a big thing back then, could it have been a kite that broke it's string and floated in the westerly wind?

A balloon kite perhaps

[Jiri Hrdina]

Yeah I thought it could be something like that and have looked into it in the past. It flew very smoothly but with the right wind maybe. Looked different from pictures I've seen of various balloons and kites but I don't dismiss the possibility it was a man made thing that i just hadn't seen before.

[Flames_Gimp]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

It was about 30 years ago, outside my house in Beddington Heights in the middle of the afternoon. This silver cylinder thing came down from Nose Hill (which was just west to us). It moved very quickly and very evenly. Made no sound. It came down across the neighborhood. I was playing basketball on the driveway (just myself, no one else) so I hopped on my bike to try and keep up with it, but it was moving far too fast and it got away from me. Didn't have a camera to get a pic but I remember it as clear as day.

I once saw something by simons valley in 1994 at about 9pm, A large triangle shape formation of lights, it was huge from what i remember, too big to be a single airplane, to this day I have no idea what it was.

[Snuffleupagus]

Originally Posted by Flames_Gimp

I once saw something by simons valley in 1994 at about 9pm, A large triangle shape formation of lights, it was huge from what i remember, too big to be a single airplane, to this day I have no idea what it was.

Not saying you yourself think that was alien but all these assumed alien UFO's with lights kind of bother me, if somehow aliens are smart enough to figure out how to travel billions of miles would they be stupid enough to leave the lights on? or why would they need lights at all?

[getbak]

I also saw what I would describe as a triangle of lights. I saw it/them twice when I lived in Lloydminster in 1996-97.

Both times, I was walking at night and something made me look up. When I did, a formation of three red lights flew by overhead traveling northbound. It/they seemed to move completely silently. It was too dark to tell if it was three separate objects or one large one.


I just checked, and found this entry on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_triangle_(UFO)

This is very close to what I saw, except it didn't have the light in the middle. It also wasn't as bright. With what I saw, the light almost seemed to be reflected or heavily diffused. Like in this photo, they were rounded on the front edge and flat on the back.





I've always assumed that if it was a manufactured object(s), it was likely man-made and being flown out of Cold Lake, which is only about 125km north of Lloydminster.