ScottS

Did not see this posted anywhere else so SIAP. https://theconversation.com/did-a-giant-radio-telescope-in-china-just-discover-aliens-not-so-fast-185165 This phrase is the standard that astronomers will be applying to a curious signal captured with China’s “Sky Eye” telescope that might be a transmission from alien technology. An article reporting the signal was posted on the website of China’s state-backed Science and Technology Daily newspaper, but was later removed. So have astronomers finally found evidence of intelligent found life beyond Earth? And is it being hushed up? We should be intrigued, but not too excited (yet). An interesting signal has to go through a lot of tests to check whether it truly carries the signature of extraterrestrial technology or is just the result of an unexpected source of terrestrial interference. And as for the deletion: media releases are normally timed for simultaneous release with peer-reviewed results – which are not yet available – so it was likely just released a bit early by mistake. An eye on the sky Sky Eye, which is offically known as the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST), is the the largest and most sensitive single-dish radio telescope in the world. A engineering marvel, its gargantuan structure is built inside a natural basin in the mountains of Guizhou, China. The telescope is so huge it can’t be physically tilted, but it can be pointed in a direction by thousands of actuators that deform the telescope’s reflective surface. By deforming the surface, the location of the telescope’s focal point changes, and the telescope can look at a different part of the sky. FAST detects radiation at radio wavelengths (up to 10 cm) and is used for astronomical research in a wide range of areas. One area is the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, or SETI. SETI observations are mainly done in “piggy-back” mode, which means they are taken while the telescope is also running its primary science programs. In this way, large swaths of the sky can be scanned for signs of alien technology – or “technosignatures” – without getting in the way of other science operations. For special targets like nearby exoplanets, dedicated SETI observations are still carried out. The hunt for alien technology Technosignature searches have been ongoing since the 1960s, when the American astronomer Frank Drake pointed the 26-metre Tatel telescope toward two nearby Sun-like stars and scanned them for signs of technology. Over the years, technosignature searches have become far more rigorous and sensitive. The systems in place at FAST are also able to process billions of times more of the radio spectrum than Drake’s experiment. Despite these advances, we haven’t yet found any evidence of life beyond Earth. FAST sifts through enormous amounts of data. The telescope feeds 38 billion samples a second into a cluster of high-performance computers, which then produces exquisitely detailed charts of incoming radio signals. These charts are then searched for signals that look like technosignatures. With such a large collecting area, FAST can pick up incredibly faint signals. It is about 20 times more sensitive than Australia’s Murriyang telescope at the Parkes Radio Observatory. FAST could easily detect a transmitter on a nearby exoplanet with a similar output power to radar systems we have here on Earth. The trouble with sensitivity The trouble with being so sensitive is that you can uncover radio interference that would otherwise be too faint to detect. We SETI researchers have had this problem before. Last year, using Murriyang, we detected an extremely interesting signal we called BLC1. However, it turned out to be very strange interference (not aliens). To uncover its true nature, we had to develop a new verification framework. With BLC1, it took about a year from when it was initially reported to when peer-reviewed analysis was published. Similarly, we may need to wait a while for the FAST signal to be analysed in depth. Professor Zhang Tongjie, chief scientist for the China Extraterrestrial Civilization Research Group, acknowledged this in the Science & Technology Daily report: The possibility that the suspicious signal is some kind of radio interference is also very high, and it needs to be further confirmed and ruled out. This may be a long process. And we may need to get used to a gap between finding candidate signals and verifying them. FAST and other telescopes are likely to find many more signals of interest. Most of these will turn out to be interference, but some may be new astrophysical phenomena, and some may be bona fide technosignatures. Stay intrigued Will FAST’s extraordinary signals meet the burden of extraordinary evidence? Until their work is reviewed and published, it’s still too early to say, but it’s encouraging that their SETI search algorithms are finding curious signals. Between FAST, the Breakthrough Listen initiative, and the SETI Institute’s COSMIC program, the SETI field is seeing a lot of interest and activity. And it’s not just radio waves: searches are also underway using optical and infrared light. As for right now: stay intrigued, but don’t get too excited.

I am loathe to quote myself, but if anyone was thinking about making the John Hinckley Jr. Concert at the Market Hotel, well, you are out of luck. https://deadline.com/2022/06/john-hinckley-jr-brooklyn-concert-canceled-market-hotel-1235046409/

Clemson hires Erik Bakich from Michigan to be its new head baseball coach. https://theclemsoninsider.com/2022/06/14/clemson-has-its-next-baseball-coach-erik-bakich/ I thought I would check out what MGoBlog had to say about the move. This part of the post about Bakich leaving has me scratching my head: While I do not know all of the ins and outs of how college baseball programs work with regards to schedules and scholarships, I feel confident in my belief that scholarship limits in baseball are not a result of big, bad, dumb southern schools. I also seem to recall several years ago the northern schools forcing a later start to the baseball season. Am I remembering that wrong? Also, what baseball programs in the north have rich baseball histories? I know Michigan, Minnesota, and Ohio State have some CWS appearances and a few national titles but I would not put those histories up against Southern Cal, the Arizona Schools, Texas, Fullerton, Stanford, or any other of about half a dozen southern or western schools.

Must be the 2020s version of the Prick Pairing.

According to ESPN, one of the Marines that perished in this crash was the son of Dodgers legend Steve Sax. https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/34075356/son-ex-los-angeles-dodgers-player-steve-sax-five-marines-killed-training-flight-crash

Showing my age. I really never think to look on YouTube for something like this.

James Webb Telescope hit by micrometeoroid just months into flight.

Golf Digest article on the course. https://www.golfdigest.com/story/brookline-country-club-old-style-new-challenges There is a video in the article with a flyover of the course but I am not smart enough to get it to embed here.

God I hope they did not fuck this up like whomever did the American Assassin adaptation fucked that all up. I have liked what Amazon did with the Jack Reacher series and staying about as true to that book as possible, so I am cautiously optimistic that this will be at the very least above average.

Follow-up to the Adrian Alaniz post above: Sinton defeated Celina 9-0 in the 4A semifinal and is playing Argyle in the 4A state championship game at the Disch tonight. Edit: right now, Sinton is up 9-0 on Argyle in the bottom of the 6th.

Texas is winless all-time against the Air Force Academy. They have played a grand total of 1 game against each other, but still. (It was the 1985 Bluebonnet Bowl and Air Force won 24-16 in case you were wondering.) I want to schedule them if for no other reason than to eliminate that goose egg from the record. Texas is 1-0-0 against Army and 2-0-0 against Navy for the record. I am frankly surprised that Texas has not played more games against Army and Navy. I would have thought back in the early 20th century they would have played a few times. Anyway, do not mean to thread-jack. Congrats to the baseball team for its regional championship tonight.

Not exactly on topic but did not see a better thread in which to post this. Adrian Alaniz's Sinton Pirates defeated Corpus Christi Calallen in the 4A regional final at Whataburger Field last night and are headed to the state tournament for the second year in a row. I have to think at some point he will get either a bigger high school job or land on a college staff somewhere.

Clemson fires its baseball coach. https://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/34015654/clemson-fires-baseball-coach-monte-lee-missing-ncaa-tournament

I really hope Virginia Tech eliminates the Gators tomorrow and the vaunted SEC is shut out of the WCWS. No matter the sport I get more than a little tired of hearing about the supposed depth of the conference and how week in and week out the SEC schedule is a gauntlet. Make what the ladies did today in Fayettenam just that much more awesome.

Private browsing but probably a good idea.

aggy won the Big XII more than once. That is what their wall says, so it must be true.

So I am browsing Super 70s Sports for amusement and there is a tweet with this image: Out of sheer morbid curiosity, I search "anal chaos" on YouTube. The results are...well, let's use the word interesting. First result: The second result is from a group called Hybrid Viscery. The song titles from their album "Redneck Abomination" include: Vomit Breakfast Anal Chaos Grind My Dick Eviscerate Pussy Prostate Destruction The YouTube search results only get better as one scrolls down. At least to someone like me who is not into heavy metal, death metal, grindcore, or whatever other labels can be applied to the style of music that predominates this search.

It was a blood moon, which happens when the moon is in a total lunar eclipse. According to this article, Christopher Columbus used a blood moon to get over on some natives.

You are not Mel Waters, are you? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mel's_Hole

Charles Barkley is a fan:

The secret of life is low expectations. You cannot be disappointed in me if you don't expect jack shit out of me.

According to Daniel Vaughn Odessa is now a bbq destination because of Brantley Creek BBQ. https://www.texasmonthly.com/bbq/brantley-creek-bbq-odessa-review/

A re-enactment of what Craig James did after killing five hookers? At least, I hope it is a re-enactment and that five hookers were not killed in the making of this thread.