In the evolution section, I came across a scenario that the Ummites used to illustrate how cells use different gravitational waves to help understand the external environment. In the story, I found some tell-tell signs of this part, at least, being a hoax. The Ummite story is in italics and my reasoning is in normal font. The part that makes me question this is in bold italics. There are too many letters over the years so just because one is proven false doesn't mean that they all are.
Suppose that in some country on Earth, a very technologically-developed country, a company builds an airplane factory. a This company has a massive research and development budget, giving its management free rein to develop programs its smaller competitors could never afford. Having these extraordinary means at their disposal, the management and workers embark upon an ambitious project. This new program consists in conducting a wide-ranging study of all existing technological methods of production.
They build thousands of wind tunnels, Metallography labs occupying dozens of buildings, information archives connected to all the research centers on the Planet, and hundreds of thousands of engineers, physicists and electronics specialists are contacted for their assistance (such a project is a pure fiction; it could never happen as we are describing it here).[/b]
This is only describing the internet and the mobilization of manpower and resources. Granted it is on a HUGE scale but is not out of the realm of possible. Many people in the 1960's envisioned computer technology progressing to the internet in a realistic time frame. So why wouldn't an advanced alien species see that this too would be an eventuality? In my view, only a hoaxer would be this short-sided and call this scenario "pure fiction" even in relation to the huge scale.
They compile the blueprints and technical elements necessary for their production of ALL POSSIBLE MODELS OF AIRCRAFT.
You do not need to be a technician to understand the importance of such a project. It is impossible to calculate the billions of Models which would have to be drawn (that is why we told you that this project was pure fiction, taken as a didactic example).[/b]
Again, why would it be impossible to calculate all the possible combinations if we can link all the super computers together through the internet to tackle this large number? The need to call this pure fiction tells me this part is hoax.
Once the plans are drawn according to each particular need, aeronautical condition or navigation, computers compile the information into a smaller space.
Let us continue our story: one day one of the most modern delta wing models flies; it has a turbine engine for ceilings of up to 12 000 meters.
It is to fly over an enemy area where there are heat-seeking anti-aircraft missles which can detect the infra-red radiation coming out of the turbojets. The planes are destroyed one after the others, the survival of the aircraft is in danger. The environment is INCOMPATIBLE with " the species " [in biological terms NdT ].
But the engineers on the aircraft do not waste time. With their equipment, they see what is happening and break down the problem into distinct parts.
They see for example that the enemy missiles have parabolic reflectors inside their plastic warheads, that they do not emit high frequency waves and thus they are not designed to emit radar waves; they observe that the trajectories of the missiles are directed statistically towards their own plane. They discover, finally, that these missiles are equipped with very sensitive heat detectors.
Thus the design of the plane needs to undergo a mutation. But there is no time to build a prototype and test it.
That is when the massive project mentioned earlier comes to be applied in practice.
All that needs to be done is to consult the central memory to obtain a prototype of as-good performance, similar to the existing model, but having some kind of shell to protect the exhaust conduit and reduce the amount of fateful infra-red radiation emitted.
The plans of the new model already exist, and the construction will be much easier.
That's it really. I know it's not much but doesn't this seem like the inability of a hoaxer to see that this technology was rapidly approaching. An advanced alien species certainly would have recognized this and would not feel the need to call it "pure fiction". Even if they were making a jab at our inability to cooperate on a large project like this. I also understand that the Ummites were probably talking about this scenario taking place during the time the letter was written. But since the technology that this scenario would need to operate smoothly was only a few decades away, I still couldn't see them saying this was pure fiction.
Suppose that in some country on Earth, a very technologically-developed country, a company builds an airplane factory. a This company has a massive research and development budget, giving its management free rein to develop programs its smaller competitors could never afford. Having these extraordinary means at their disposal, the management and workers embark upon an ambitious project. This new program consists in conducting a wide-ranging study of all existing technological methods of production.
They build thousands of wind tunnels, Metallography labs occupying dozens of buildings, information archives connected to all the research centers on the Planet, and hundreds of thousands of engineers, physicists and electronics specialists are contacted for their assistance (such a project is a pure fiction; it could never happen as we are describing it here).[/b]
This is only describing the internet and the mobilization of manpower and resources. Granted it is on a HUGE scale but is not out of the realm of possible. Many people in the 1960's envisioned computer technology progressing to the internet in a realistic time frame. So why wouldn't an advanced alien species see that this too would be an eventuality? In my view, only a hoaxer would be this short-sided and call this scenario "pure fiction" even in relation to the huge scale.
They compile the blueprints and technical elements necessary for their production of ALL POSSIBLE MODELS OF AIRCRAFT.
You do not need to be a technician to understand the importance of such a project. It is impossible to calculate the billions of Models which would have to be drawn (that is why we told you that this project was pure fiction, taken as a didactic example).[/b]
Again, why would it be impossible to calculate all the possible combinations if we can link all the super computers together through the internet to tackle this large number? The need to call this pure fiction tells me this part is hoax.
Once the plans are drawn according to each particular need, aeronautical condition or navigation, computers compile the information into a smaller space.
Let us continue our story: one day one of the most modern delta wing models flies; it has a turbine engine for ceilings of up to 12 000 meters.
It is to fly over an enemy area where there are heat-seeking anti-aircraft missles which can detect the infra-red radiation coming out of the turbojets. The planes are destroyed one after the others, the survival of the aircraft is in danger. The environment is INCOMPATIBLE with " the species " [in biological terms NdT ].
But the engineers on the aircraft do not waste time. With their equipment, they see what is happening and break down the problem into distinct parts.
They see for example that the enemy missiles have parabolic reflectors inside their plastic warheads, that they do not emit high frequency waves and thus they are not designed to emit radar waves; they observe that the trajectories of the missiles are directed statistically towards their own plane. They discover, finally, that these missiles are equipped with very sensitive heat detectors.
Thus the design of the plane needs to undergo a mutation. But there is no time to build a prototype and test it.
That is when the massive project mentioned earlier comes to be applied in practice.
All that needs to be done is to consult the central memory to obtain a prototype of as-good performance, similar to the existing model, but having some kind of shell to protect the exhaust conduit and reduce the amount of fateful infra-red radiation emitted.
The plans of the new model already exist, and the construction will be much easier.
That's it really. I know it's not much but doesn't this seem like the inability of a hoaxer to see that this technology was rapidly approaching. An advanced alien species certainly would have recognized this and would not feel the need to call it "pure fiction". Even if they were making a jab at our inability to cooperate on a large project like this. I also understand that the Ummites were probably talking about this scenario taking place during the time the letter was written. But since the technology that this scenario would need to operate smoothly was only a few decades away, I still couldn't see them saying this was pure fiction.
