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Because:Quote: The greater the social and cultural distances between people, the more magical the light can spring from their contact.
... as Milan Kundera said.
When that light is too blinding, too magical, we put on the dark glasses of humor so we can keep challenging otherness at a safer level of opacity.
«While I complain of being able to see only a shadow of the past, I may be insensitive to reality as it is now, since I'm not at a stage of development where I'm capable of seeing it.» Claude Levi-Strauss (Tristes Tropiques, 1955)
modified 16-Dec-17 18:06pm.
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Because beating up a man of war can be dangerous to your health?
If you have an important point to make, don't try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time - a tremendous whack.
--Winston Churchill
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Ha ! I realized I was in an alien body in 1955 (at age twelve).
«While I complain of being able to see only a shadow of the past, I may be insensitive to reality as it is now, since I'm not at a stage of development where I'm capable of seeing it.» Claude Levi-Strauss (Tristes Tropiques, 1955)
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Those Terrans are most strange indeed!! 
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One day, scientists on Earth will discover a very distant planet, one with a huge continent in its equatorial zone, and begin to observe it toroughly. Eventually, they will figure out, after several decades, that there is a message carved in the soil of a huge plain. They will spend some other decades to decode it, and it will appear that its meaning would be "Who are you?".
The excitement caused by the discovery of an extra-terrestrial intelligent form of life will trigger a passionate community, dedicated to determine how to answer to this another form of life in a way that it would understand relatively easily. Several decades further, and and appropriate answer could be set up: "We are the 'Terrans'. Who are you?".
Some more decades will be necessary for the distant form of intelligent life to see the answer, decode it, and decide if they should answer back, and how. And even more for Earth's scientists to see the reply and decode it once more:
"We are not talking to you!..."
"I'm neither for nor against, on the contrary." John Middle
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..since now every weird chunck of debris is a potential terrorist 
Bastard Programmer from Hell 
If you can't read my code, try converting it here[^]
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So they've been tossing satellites into space for quite a few years now,
letting them fall down or spin off into space, banging them into each other, even blowing a few up
- so there's bits of tech all around out there, and now they want to check space debris for tech.
OK, I know the reason they give is "looking for alien tech,"
...but why do I get the feeling it's really because some clearly very important manager at NASA misplaced his garage door remote control down at the assembly line and his wife ran off with the only spare.
Signature ready for installation. Please Reboot now.
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Just in case anyone else was wondering about exactly what astronomers are doing this.
"Siemion is a member of the Breakthrough Listen initiative: a $100 million project, backed by Russian billionaire Yuri Milner, to hunt for extraterrestrial intelligence. "
Astronomers probe 'Oumuamua for signs of intelligent life - The Washington Post[^]
And the specific radio telescope used for this is looking for private funding just to keep it going. Probably, as a guess on my part, because older earth based radio telescopes have limited use.
Green Bank Telescope - Wikipedia[^]
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Is buckshot Rudolph's favourite drink?
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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That explains the red nose then! 
"Go forth into the source" - Neal Morse
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I must agree, because I don't wanna be Rudy.
... such stuff as dreams are made on
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Buckshot is a low-cost bar drink. However, Rudy may pay more doe.
| Ravings en masse^ |
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| "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein | | "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you are seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
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Ho ho ho
Signature ready for installation. Please Reboot now.
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Yes, it's cheap, so he imbibes until he staggers home depressed, he realizes that he's only a fawn in their game.
"the debugger doesn't tell me anything because this code compiles just fine" - random QA comment
"Facebook is where you tell lies to your friends. Twitter is where you tell the truth to strangers." - chriselst
"I don't drink any more... then again, I don't drink any less." - Mike Mullikins uncle
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Oh deer. Rein in on the depression, will ya?
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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Sorry, I've herd that before, but I'm kinda stuck in the rut.
"the debugger doesn't tell me anything because this code compiles just fine" - random QA comment
"Facebook is where you tell lies to your friends. Twitter is where you tell the truth to strangers." - chriselst
"I don't drink any more... then again, I don't drink any less." - Mike Mullikins uncle
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I had to use ANTLR to parse that.
/ravi
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You're always on the bleating edge Ravi!
"the debugger doesn't tell me anything because this code compiles just fine" - random QA comment
"Facebook is where you tell lies to your friends. Twitter is where you tell the truth to strangers." - chriselst
"I don't drink any more... then again, I don't drink any less." - Mike Mullikins uncle
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I'm glad you feel that way. My GF was less excited. She just looked out the window and said, "It looks like rein, dear."
/ravi
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Well I guess she has to fallow her own instincts.
"the debugger doesn't tell me anything because this code compiles just fine" - random QA comment
"Facebook is where you tell lies to your friends. Twitter is where you tell the truth to strangers." - chriselst
"I don't drink any more... then again, I don't drink any less." - Mike Mullikins uncle
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Actually I was hoping she would buck the trend.
/ravi
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Sometimes it's difficult being non-typical.
"the debugger doesn't tell me anything because this code compiles just fine" - random QA comment
"Facebook is where you tell lies to your friends. Twitter is where you tell the truth to strangers." - chriselst
"I don't drink any more... then again, I don't drink any less." - Mike Mullikins uncle
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Clearly, she doesn't have a hart.
/ravi
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Not something you can beam about now, but at some point the tine will be right.
"the debugger doesn't tell me anything because this code compiles just fine" - random QA comment
"Facebook is where you tell lies to your friends. Twitter is where you tell the truth to strangers." - chriselst
"I don't drink any more... then again, I don't drink any less." - Mike Mullikins uncle
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