On Apr 1, 2:28=C2=A0pm, tdciago <tdci...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> On Apr 1, 1:41=EF=BF=BDpm, thinbluemime <thinbluem...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>
> > Wikipedia Entry on Encantado:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encantado
>
> "It may refer to spirit beings or shape****fting s****s, but most often
> it designates dolphins with the ability to turn into humans."
I posted the following in another thread, but I'm reposting it here
because of the dolphin connection. The Valenzetti Equation was
compared to the Drake Equation.
Drake Equation
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drake_Equation
<Begin quote>
The Drake equation (also sometimes called "The Green Bank equation",
"The Green Bank Formula" or often erroneously labeled "The Sagan
equation") is a famous result in the speculative fields of exobiology
and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI).
This equation was devised by Dr. Frank Drake (now Professor Emeritus
of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of California, Santa
Cruz) in 1960, in an attempt to estimate the number of
extraterrestrial civilizations in our galaxy with which we might come
in contact. The main purpose of the equation is to allow scientists to
quantify the uncertainty of the factors which determine the number of
such extraterrestrial civilizations.
Frank Drake formulated his equation in 1960 in preparation for the
Green Bank meeting; held at Green Bank, West Virginia that established
SETI as a scientific discipline. The historic meeting, whose
participants became known as the "Order of the Dolphin," brought
together leading astronomers, physicists, biologists, social
scientists, and industry leaders to discuss the possibility of
detecting intelligent life among the stars.
The Green Bank meeting was also remarkable because it featured the
first use of the famous formula that came to be known as the "Drake
Equation". This explains why the equation is also known by its other
names with the "Green Bank" designation. When Drake came up with this
formula, he had no notion that it would become a staple of SETI
theorists for decades to come. In fact, he thought of it as an
organizational tool - a way to order the different issues to be
discussed at the Green Bank conference, and bring them to bear on the
central question of intelligent life in the universe. Carl Sagan, a
great proponent of SETI, utilized and quoted the formula often and as
a result the formula is often mislabeled as "The Sagan Equation". The
Green Bank Meeting was commemorated by a plaque.
The Drake equation is closely related to the Fermi paradox in that
Drake suggested that a large number of extraterrestrial civilizations
would form, but that the lack of evidence of such civilizations (the
Fermi paradox) suggests that technological civilizations tend to
destroy themselves rather quickly. This theory often stimulates an
interest in identifying and publicizing ways in which humanity could
destroy itself, and then countered with hopes of avoiding such
destruction and eventually becoming a space-faring species.
The grand question of the number of communicating civilizations in our
galaxy could, in Drake's view, be reduced to seven smaller issues with
his equation.
<snip remainder of interesting article>
</End quote>
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