[Nemesis6]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCB35lTiqT4

In 1977 NASA launched two Voyager spacecraft. The probes journeyed to Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune before travelling out into interstellar space.

In the eventuality that intelligent Extraterrestrial or future Humans would find the probes and be curious as to their origin, NASA added two Golden Records to the spacecraft which contained images, sounds, music and greetings from Earth.

This video shows some of the images that were included and the greetings in fifty-five languages: Akkadian (akkadītum), Amoy (廈門話), Arabic (العربية), Aramaic (ܐܪܡܝܐ), Armenian (Հայերեն), Bengali (বাংলা), Burmese (한국어), Cantonese (粵語), Czech (čeština), Dutch (nederlands), French (Français), German (Deutsch), Greek (Ελληνικά), Gujarati (ગુજરાતી), Hebrew (עברית), Hindi (हिन्दी), Hittite (𒉈𒅆𒇷), Hungarian (magyar), Ila, Indonesian (Indonesia), Italian (Italiano), Japanese (日本語), Kannada (ಕನ್ನಡ), Kechua (Qhichwa simi), Korean (조선말), Latin (Latina), Luganda (Ganda), Mandarin (官話), Marathi (मराठी), Nepali (नेपाली), Nguni, Nyanja (Chicheŵa), Oriya (ଓଡ଼ିଆ), Persian (فارسی), Polish (polski), English, Portuguese (Português), Punjabi (ਪੰਜਾਬੀ), Rajasthani (राजस्थानी), Romanian (Română), Russian (Русский), Serbian (српски), Sinhalese (සිංහල), Sotho (Sesotho), Spanish (Español), Sumerian (eme-ĝir), Swedish (svenska), Telugu (తెలుగు), Thai (ไทย), Turkish (Türkçe), Ukrainian (українська), Urdu (اُردو), Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt), Welsh (Cymraeg), Wu (吴语), and a message from Kurt Waldheim in English.

The thought of someone, or something, somewhere, some day getting their hands, tentacles, or mind-rays on this and comprehending at least some of it, even if it's just the basic message -- that they're not alone --, well, that thought just amazes me to no end.

[Kolgena]

Two decades later, a Lucifer shows up.

I'm curious as to the reasoning behind putting a ton of greetings in different languages in the same video. Isn't that extremely confusing? For starters, whoever finds it is likely to assume that it's one language, meant to convey something far more complex than "Sup, how you doin'?" based on its length.

[FUBAR-BDHR]

Remember ancient Egyptian was decoded because of the Rosetta Stone.  Sending in more then one language makes it more likely that one will be able to be decoded. 

[Kolgena]

Except, the Rosetta Stone had Greek on it as a reference language.

While there wasn't really an alternative, I also think it kind of a stretch to put so much audio information on what are basically vinyls. I mean, if you've never seen anything like it before, how are you supposed to figure out that the grooves can be turned into sound?

[Thaeris]

Clearly, this is the first test in determining if whoever finds the thing is smart enough to make contact with us.

 

[FUBAR-BDHR]

Yes ancient Greek which had already been deciphered.  This proves that while dozens of other languages have been translated without a the key we would still be wondering what the symbols meant.

Also it's always possible that the aliens introduced one or more of the languages.  Far fetched maybe.  Enough drawings of strange objects in the sky before language?  Yep.  

[watsisname]

Clearly, this is the first test in determining if whoever finds the thing is smart enough to make contact with us.

 

You mean dumb enough to make contact with us.

[Flipside]

Two classic stories about this:

1: Voyaqer also recorded Earths position using relative positions to pulsars, their periods listed by the decay rate of a certain element.
2: It was suggested that some Beethoven was included on the Record, but Carl Sagan said it would just be showing off

There was actually some pretty clever things left on board, pity really that the odds are we will overtake it before it leaves the Sun's gravity influence.

[Mongoose]

I especially enjoy that "Johnny B. Goode" is one of the songs on the record.

[Klaustrophobia]

Except, the Rosetta Stone had Greek on it as a reference language.

While there wasn't really an alternative, I also think it kind of a stretch to put so much audio information on what are basically vinyls. I mean, if you've never seen anything like it before, how are you supposed to figure out that the grooves can be turned into sound?

there is no way in HELL a species that has achieved space flight and is capable of retrieving the probe hasn't already figured out that grooves can record sound.

[Mongoose]

That statement aside, there are pretty pictographs on the thing showing how to operate the record.

[Grizzly]

Except, the Rosetta Stone had Greek on it as a reference language.

While there wasn't really an alternative, I also think it kind of a stretch to put so much audio information on what are basically vinyls. I mean, if you've never seen anything like it before, how are you supposed to figure out that the grooves can be turned into sound?

there is no way in HELL a species that has achieved space flight and is capable of retrieving the probe hasn't already figured out that grooves can record sound.

What if said species lives in a vacuum?

[watsisname]

Since an image speaks so well, here's Voyager's golden record.

What if said species lives in a vacuum?

Well... at least they can melt the gold down and make some space bling.

On another note, if the aliens use the map to find us, I wonder if they'll ask if we blew up the 9th planet. 

[Ghostavo]

Regarding the Rosetta stone stuff, the rosetta stone has (or at least it's assumed to have) the same text in three different languages.

The voyager audio has 55 different languages saying 55 completely different things, everything from "Good day." to "Hello from the children of planet Earth." to "Peace and happiness to all."

[newman]

The chances of this being intercepted by an intelligent alien race in the next 1,000 or even 10,000 years are slim at best anyway

[redsniper]

Heh... The Sounds of Earth.

[Rodo]

Tried to put myself in the shoes of an alien being watching this (only aliens with feet, all others I fail to conceptualize mentally)... got dizzy.

[Bob-san]

I think we would have been better off explaining our basic math system and perhaps then a basic language system. Show what the symbols we use mean and then use them--so that they can learn what we do (and how we do it). After explaining basic math, explain basic chemistry by symbolism and perhaps a periodic table of elements. Make and show patterns to help. In my attachment, I showed the numbers using internal angles as well as dots to count. Then toss in a demo about making larger numbers by showing increasing numbers and ways to manipulate numbers (P.E.M.D.A.S.). We could even give them a time-scale by representing the speed of light in seconds, minutes, hours, & days. If they have anything like modern math, then the entire thing should be easy to understand. Finally, a sample of matter (ie: Carbon-14) could work as a rough clock by showing decay & using that as a clock.

Mounting 7 of these plates each probe should hopefully also decrease the chance that part of all of it is illegible.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Bobboau]

you should also include 10-20 and 100

[Bob-san]

you should also include 10-20 and 100

I just sketched that up. I didn't want to spend longer on higher numbers. I'd personally think that understanding the meaning is more important than being able to say it...

Then show...
5 + 5 = 10
::. + ::. = :::::
10 + 10 = 20
::::: + ::::: = ::::: :::::
5 + 10 + 20 = 35
::. + ::::: + ::::: ::::: = ::::: ::::: ::::: ::.
35 - 10 = 25
25 - 20 = 5
5 - 20 = -15
6 x 3 = 18
(6+6+6 v^"or" 3+3+3+3+3+3)
10 x 10 = 100
18 x 20 x 35 = 630
10 x 100 = 1 000
20 x 100 = 2 000
...
10 000
100 000
1 000 000
...
1 ÷ 10 = 0.1
0.1 x 1 = 0.1
0.1 x 10 = 1
0.1 ÷ 100 = 0.001
0.001 + 25 = 25.001
...
0⁰ = 1
0¹ = 0
0² = 0
1⁰ = 1
1¹ = 1
1² = 1
2⁰ = 1
3¹ = 3
-4² = 16
-5³ = -125
6⁴ = 1 296
7⁵ = 16 807
-999⁰ = 1
...
H (+1) -1
C (+6) -2, -4
Ne (+10) -2, -8
Au (+79) -2, -18, -32, -18, -1