Re: How do you say 'Hello' to an alien?

Quoting Joe <joe@...>:

> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Ian Spackman" <ianspackman@...>
> > >
> > > > The length of the message (in bits) was a product of two primes. When
> the
> > > > sequence of bits was rasterred onto a rectangle whose sides were the
> > > > factors of the length of the message, a rather blocky bitmapped image
> > >appeared.
> > > >
> > > > "Aceribo message" would probably be a useful search term to find what
> was
> > >sent.
> > >
> > >Yeah..um...What kind of insane aliens would think of that kind of thing?
> >
> >
> > Well, I don't think it's *that* obscure.  If you have the idea of it being
> > binary, the two-prime-number thing would suggest a rectangle to anyone who
> > has any half-decent maths, I'd think.  And (bigger if) if they have a
> sense
> > of bilateral symmetry they could even tell which reading is the right
> > one.  What I've always doubted is that they'd figure out anything much
> > encoded in the message.
> >
> > Still, if they get that far it's enough to suggest there's some sort of
> > "intelligent life" out there, I'd have thought.
> >
> > It's still a massive longshot, but I think the prime number thing is the
> > simplest bit of it. :)
>
> Yes, but who's going to look at the fact that something has, say, twenty-one
> bits and say 'Oh look! It's a product of two primes! Let's map it onto a
> rectangle!'.  It just doesn't seem [?plausible]
Anyone with a mathematically inclined brain?

If I got hold of a string of zeros and ones, and had reason to suspect it
contained a message encoded in a way intended to be "obvious", it's the kind
of thing I look after.

Whether aliens have mathematically inclined thinking devices, or are prone to
assume that someone'd send a message intented to be "universally"
understandable across the lightyears, are other questions.

                                                       Andreas

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