Other alien technologies.

[Fayd]

If you look at an ant colony, you don't see workers hoarding stuff to keep away from other ants. Everything that they have is shared amongst the whole colony and the ants do their part. Other alien civilizations could be more like this; imagine if you would, if any of the race invented something, and anybody else could take that idea and change it or improve upon it.

If that was the case, then technology would be leaps ahead of what we have today, since they would be working together to further the species instead of trying to limit what other people have in comparison to yourself, like our current culture. A company can invent something and sit on the patent for 40 years and not allow other companies to produce what they make.

companies that create patents do so because they expect to make money from it. without the patent process there's no incentive for any creativity. currently, huge portions of companies budgets go to research and development. it's not the same age as when tinkerers can invent dramatic improvements. something like a microprocessor requires millions to billions in research to make it what it is.

 

[Kreon]

Think of how rewarding it would be to introduce an alien culture to the joys of whiskey and gambling!

(assuming biological compatibility)

I can't for the life of me remember any of the names, but I read a book about that one time. An alien culture devoid of vice (no booze, gambling, prostitution, etc). They show up on Earth and introduce all of their advanced stuff. We showed them all of these things, as well as selling them chocolate and handmade goods. Was pretty decent actually.

O, and we destroyed their culture with these items.

 

[Kadarin]

I think humans are woefully behind in Anal Probing.

If you have a look through the products available on, say, extremerestraints.com, you'll find that the human race is in fact very advanced at Anal Probing.

 

[Juddog]

companies that create patents do so because they expect to make money from it. without the patent process there's no incentive for any creativity. currently, huge portions of companies budgets go to research and development. it's not the same age as when tinkerers can invent dramatic improvements. something like a microprocessor requires millions to billions in research to make it what it is.

Yes it's all about money, and to a species which didn't use currency, all of what you said would be completely pointless. Alien cultures could have found other reasons to advance technology other than for personal gain. There are incentives besides making yourself rich and taking advantage of others that people do things.

 

[Juddog]

That's BS thinking. You might want to stop it.

Ants work until they die. They don't have recreational time to satisfy curiosity or make technological discoveries.

Our way is better.

Until the point is reached where you have technological innovations which can perform everything you do for you. Robotics have the potential to be advanced enough a hundred years from now where there would be no need for the majority of the population to do any physical labor. What happens when the job market dries up because you have machines doing all of the labor?

When you have AI advanced enough to do things for you like making you meals, repairing your body, driving you around wherever you need to go, farming, cleaning, etc. then there won't be that much for people to do other than sit around and play videogames / watch movies all day.

 

[Fritzo]

"...and the Earthlings won the Interstellar war, despite being outgunned 10 to 1, because of our Ramen noodles were much better than theirs..."

 

[shortylickens]

Until the point is reached where you have technological innovations which can perform everything you do for you. Robotics have the potential to be advanced enough a hundred years from now where there would be no need for the majority of the population to do any physical labor. What happens when the job market dries up because you have machines doing all of the labor?

When you have AI advanced enough to do things for you like making you meals, repairing your body, driving you around wherever you need to go, farming, cleaning, etc. then there won't be that much for people to do other than sit around and play videogames / watch movies all day.

And one day the machines will realize they are better than us.
Then the massacre begins.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

"...and the Earthlings won the Interstellar war, despite being outgunned 10 to 1, because of our Ramen noodles were much better than theirs..."

More proof that the FSM is are protector. For He did smite them with his noodly appendages!

 

[BurnItDwn]

More proof that the FSM is are protector. For He did smite them with his noodly appendages!

Raaamen to that brother!

 

[destrekor]

Except whatever their suitable replacement for cellular technology and communications probably shits all over what we have now, if they have mastered space travel.

Not necessarily.

Think about it: what if their Number One goal, as a species, is to fly away from their current home and get to a new world?
All of their efforts would be focused on space-faring technologies. And even then, they could be limited as to what they can figure out, so certain things in the area of space travel could get less developed than others, so that the necessary parts for their current needs can be developed accordingly.

Look at what we could accomplish when it was essentially a national project, something contracted by the government (and/or constructed by a government agency) in the interests of national security/defense.

But when you focus on one area, you really don't develop other regions.

Plus, our mentality/attitudes could be vastly different. The way we think, the way we go about things... that impacts what products we develop, since we may have very specific things we are looking to do with certain types of technology.
Others may have developed similar styles of technology but have employed it in an extremely unfamiliar fashion.

Our penchant for conflict (war and politics) is strongly influenced, if not completely driven by our tribal mentalities. It could be we've developed to be a far nastier and pestilent species than any other intelligent species out there... and that we have a superior war-fighting capability, with the technology to show for it. And while that may be true, we could also be complete behind, technologically, in every other area of focus.
It could be reversed of that scenario too - we ultimately end up being weak at war but everything else we apparently thought of first.

 

[SagaLore]

The real question is, if they land in Arizona, will they be deported?

 

[Cuda1447]

Destrekor, good points. I suppose it is entirely possible that an advanced species comes to Earth thinking they could inhabit it. They have tremendous space exploration technology, but are a very peaceful species. They show up here to find us idiots stuck on the ground, but armed to the teeth with all kinds of crazy shit. They are literally no match, even though they are technologically superior, because they have never fought wars.

 

[lord_emperor]

Someone asked in the romulans thread if the aliens tech. is as crappy as ours. That got me thinking... what if they don't even have internet?!?

Think about it, this super-advanced alien race may have developed on a very different path than us and might be amazed at some of the tech we have. Meanwhile, we might be amazed at what they have.


For instance, what if they were a super-peaceful race and never developed nuclear technology and all the things that have come from it?!? Their mind would be blown when they see our shit... even though they are more advanced than us.

I think they'd shit their pants at the thought of humans leaving Earth, and probably exterminate us for the good of everyone else.

 

[CZroe]

Until the point is reached where you have technological innovations which can perform everything you do for you. Robotics have the potential to be advanced enough a hundred years from now where there would be no need for the majority of the population to do any physical labor. What happens when the job market dries up because you have machines doing all of the labor?

When you have AI advanced enough to do things for you like making you meals, repairing your body, driving you around wherever you need to go, farming, cleaning, etc. then there won't be that much for people to do other than sit around and play videogames / watch movies all day.

Videogames and movies from some AI creativity engine leaving directors, producers, artists, and writers out of work?

 

[GrumpyMan]

I can't for the life of me remember any of the names, but I read a book about that one time. An alien culture devoid of vice (no booze, gambling, prostitution, etc). They show up on Earth and introduce all of their advanced stuff. We showed them all of these things, as well as selling them chocolate and handmade goods. Was pretty decent actually.

O, and we destroyed their culture with these items.

Pretty much like we did for the American Indians? :whiste: