Human scientists duelling over alien communication

A Russian scientist is conducting his own SETI program, according to Seed. Academician Alexander Zaitsev "has already sent several powerful messages to nearby, sun-like stars—a practice called "Active SETI.""
The question is, how many independent voices now represent humanity to the cosmos?

[S]ome scientists feel that he's not only acting out of turn, but also independently speaking for everyone on the entire planet.

We can imagine an open source SETI approach, with projects proliferating and forking all over the Earth (then beyond, later on).  Imagine the Chinese government using their new space program to transmit messages, explaining the virtues of authoritarian capitalism.  Or non-governmental entities, like churches.  Surely the Raelians are doing this already.

Second problem: if active SETI is more likely to elicit a response, is such a response, er, a good thing?  Listen to Seed's Gothic consideration:

Moreover, they believe there are possible dangers we may unleash by announcing ourselves to the unknown darkness.

(cue ominous music)  This is a classic science fiction alien invasion plot.

Speaking of Russians contacting aliens, wasn't there an idea, once upon a time, about carving a vast shape into the Siberian forests, as a sign to aliens?

(via Signs of Witness)

Comments

[Steven Kaye]

"In 1820, German mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss wanted to announce our presence to extraterrestrial passersby by clearing a huge right triangle in the Siberian forest. His plan was to plant wheat in the triangle, then border each side with a square filled with pine trees. Aliens cruising by would glimpse this sylvan representation of [a.sup.2] + [b.sup.2] = [c.sup.2] and know the planet's inhabitants had mastered the Pythagorean theorem."

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1511/is_4_20/ai_54174551

[Alexander Zaitsev]

Please visit

http://arxiv.org/abs/0711.2368

to read my early paper:

Sending and Searching for Interstellar Messages

[Thomas]

Hasn't humankind already been sending a glossolalial spew of messages heavenward since the advent of radio frequency communications?

[Bryan Alexander]

That's the one, Steven. Thanks.

Thank you for commenting, professor Zaitsev. I think Thomas, who commented next, agrees with you concerning our already sending IMs out.