Listen to the complete (~5 minute) interview at the Starlight Zone

This idea got far more press than either of us had anticipated, so we tried to use our air time to do some damage control and clarify the idea beyond the scope of a brief news write-up. We are currently in the process of drafting the manuscript for submission.

This work is unfunded: We came up with this idea following the Pale Blue Dot III meeting as a solution to particular problems with the SETI approach to finding intelligence; however, we are not funded to develop this idea nor do we have any intentions of proposing construction of mirrors on the Moon to any funding agency. (Our global society can’t even agree upon a consistent program to address climate change issues–I seriously doubt our ability to maintain a long-term signaling project.)

Our signal is omnidirectional: A targeted broadcast such as a radio signal or laser pulse is limited because of its directionality. Our scheme, though, covers the far side of the Moon with mirrors on pivots (with dark solar panels on the opposite side) so that the albedo of the Moon can be effectively changed from 0 to 1, resulting in a 20% change in luminosity for the Earth-Moon system. This change in luminosity will be observable from almost any direction at any time and will not require a targeted broadcast.

Our signal is broadband: Because the light reflected from the Moon’s mirrors comes from the Sun, the detected change in luminosity will span a large section of the electromagnetic spectrum (depending on the particular mirrors used). This further increases our chance of success because we make fewer assumptions about the preferred observational/communicative frequency of extraterrestrials (whereas conventional SETI presumes radio beacons or other narrow-band broadcasts).

This beacon requires current and near-future technology: The mirror/solar panel pivots can be constructed with current technology. Furthermore, we are detecting new extrasolar planets every day. In 2009, Kepler will launch in search of terrestrial planets around other stars, and in the next 10-20 years the Terrestrial Planet Finder will be able to observe these planets and take spectra of their atmospheres. In other words, within the century it will be within our technological grasp not only to build such a signal but also to detect a similar signal around a distant world.

ET’s may use a similar technique: Even if we never construct a technosignature using the Moon, it is conceivable that a technological extraterrestrial society may signal their presence using a similar method. If the Terrestrial Planet Finder were to detect an Earth-sized planet around another star blinking in the prime numbers, we would at least have a hypothesis to explain this seemingly deliberate signal.

Fortunately, this type of worldview is almost impossible to maintain, at least for someone with even minimal exposure to the arts. In addition to music, visual art, and dance, poetry (including lyrics) provides an intermediary between the world of language and art. Poetic expression uses the same lexicon as spoken language, but the devices of metaphor and (somewhat) free reign on syntax and form create an art of language, in a sense. Powerful ideas captured in poetics have the ability to transcend the literality of words and convey an untranslatable message.

Musical and theatrical performances, then, strive to achieve this super-linguistic degree of communication (with varying degrees of success). But I think it is important to realize that a wordless song or dance can convey an idea just as real, true, and applicable as a book or speech. Ideas come from people, not from words.

This limitation of linguistic communication made me realize the importance of alternate communication modes, namely through various art forms. When I play music with others, there is a deep level of communication that is maintained through the sounds even though no words are spoken. The communication that develops over time among musical friends is without parallel in linguistics and cannot be sufficiently described in prose. Yet I am confident that any practitioner of an art form also finds expression and mystery that cannot translate into words.

And speaking of music, Cootie Brown albums are now available online! They are available directly from the Ekora webstore as well as on CD Baby.

View a PDF of the complete article.

The perfect response to the question: Are you hungry?

Oh, I’m Chad. Why don’t you Russia on over to visit U.S. sometime. We’ll go in the Palestine, sit on the Afghanistan, and have Turkey dipped in Greece served on our best China, followed by a big Bolivia of Chile and Tunisia on the Sandwich Islands; but make sure you wash your Honduras before you eat or you’ll have Germanies all over them.

There is a language benefit in referring to a population by a category, but often an individual will cling to the identity of a category. Is it really useful to have a binary construct of politics (republican or democrat only), gender (masculine or feminine only), or religion (theist or athiest only)? When such binaries are constructed, most of us tend to fall somewhere on a spectrum between the two (sometimes arbitrary) opposites; yet we find a need to identify with a single side than to exist along the spectrum.

Perhaps categories create and enhance a sense of community, but they might also act to impede creativity.

And speaking of inaccessible wilderness, I’m looking forward to Locust Grove in just three weeks!

Simultaneity (boolean) – Does the mode of communication require simultaneous participation by all parties?

Location Dependent (boolean) – Does the method of communication require being in a specific location?

Logging (boolean) – Does the method of communication typically include archival features?

Preparation (time) – How much time can reasonably be spent crafting, revising, and modifying a response?

Face to Face communication shares the same benefits and limitations as a Land Line on this chart (aside from logging), since I did not include physical distance as a factor. Snail Mail and Email both have the benefit of thoughtfulness; that is, you can spend time composing a letter or email, with the opportunity to analyze your writing and rework ideas. Instant messaging provides this benefit as well, although the active participation of both parties in Instant Messaging places a modest upper limit on composition time. The mobile phone, by definition, is the most portable of these communication modes–although there are an increasing number of portable email and Instant Messaging devices (often embedded with phones).

Any mode of communication with a true value of simultaneity will be interrupted if a similar form of communication is attempted at the same time. For example, Face to Face conversation is interrupted when a participant elects to answer their Mobile Phone. If, on the other hand, the participant received an email (or a voice message), they can ignore it until the Face to Face communication is complete.

In general, I like my available communication modes to change with my physical location, so unless I’m travelling I use my Mobile Phone as if it were a Land Line. But many people disagree, preferring communicative homogeny independent of location.

A) Would you like cream or sugar?
B) Would you like soup or salad?

In case A, it is generally acceptable to take cream, sugar, or both cream and sugar. In case B, though, the chose is exclusionary between soup and salad. But with xor in the lexicon, we can remove the degeneracy:

A’) Would you like cream or sugar? (inclusive or)
B’) Would you like soup xor salad? (exclusive or)

See how much easier this would be?

One method used in changing minds is evangelism. The classic example of evangelism is the big-tent-revival characterizing certain religious movements, but evangelism is used in many secular arenas as well (political campaign rallies, for example). A problem with evangelism, however, is that it gives the false impression that it is easy to change minds. Using religious evangelism as an example, consider the “call to salvation” that occurs at the end of a powerful sermon. Many people many step forward to embrace a new religious ideology, to change their former style of life. This is often cited as an example of rapid conversion; namely, the people only need to hear a message with an open mind in order to accept it.

Evangelism would be incredibly powerful if this were true, but a person’s life journey plays a much larger role in determining their acceptance of an idea. The drug addict who turns to Jesus is not making an immediate rejection of their former lifestyle in favor of a new faith. Rather, their experiences up to this point have led to an undesirable result, and the evangelical message reached them at a proper moment. AFter all, addicts can certainly be aware of their addiction (or at least the consequences), even if they take no action to change the situation. And, of course, not all converts had a large obstacle to overcome: some of these new converts have simply been on a personal philosophical journey that led to acceptance of the evangelist’s message.

Leaving the religious example, the concern over global climate change is another issue that requires a change in worldview. Evangelism to raise concern over our culture’s impact on the climate system is useful, but it is useful in the sense that it reaches out to people who are at the point where they are ready to accept this paradigm shift. These people are not making a 180-degree shift in worldview, but their journey in life has led them to the point where this message makes sense.

How are minds effectively changed, then? Evangelism should not be completely abandoned, but perhaps the one-on-one coffee shop conversations are more effective–not only because the message can be tailored to the individual, but also because these conversations contain an important personal element that is lost when addressing a crowd.