BLOGS

Star Trek made us fawn over Vulcans; loath Klingons (who in a wierd Worf way, turned out to be cool), and Romulans (not-so-much).

ET gave us the cute beneficent alien, we didn't get a whole lot of tech from him/her, but a good feeling after seeing him/her with a young, screaming Drew Barrymore; we rooted for ET when we thought its life force left.

SETI has three links on this blog page: each starts with, er "SETI" on "Cool Physics Links." However, with the current political climate of "other-ness," my predictions are gloomy, but succinct:

- gun sales would increase along with survivalists and militias;

- a new invective -- like "Slag" in Alien Nation -- would be invented;

- the new-new concern would be inter species marriages;

- Ragnorok, End-Time, Mayan Prophecies et al would become prominent immediately.

I'm watching a lot of episodes on Science Channel on the subject: "Are We Alone"; "Alien Encounters." It's in the nerd Zeitgeist (a very small fraction of said Zeitgeist, mind you).

An interesting paper is making its way across the net asking if "first contact" will help or harm humanity: Acta Astronautica. I'm reminded of the Twilight Zone episode: "To Serve Man."

I think sadly, we only have ourselves as reference, and how we evolved as the top of the predatory scale, similar to H.G. Wells' recollection of Britain's foray into Australia inspiring War of the Worlds. A feeling of universal reciprocity; "karma" that we would reap the whirlwind: what we've collectively sown in the winds of time...with one another.