Save the Space Aliens!

by Crazy Ivan

Alright guys and gals, I haven't lost track of the fact that this is a Myachi blog or anything.  Up to this point I've never bothered to bring up anything here that wasn't directly related to Myachi and thus important to our loyal readers.  I'm not the kind of person to burden you with my own pet causes.  It wouldn't be fair to use this blog as a soap box to push through my own personal concerns.

So I promise not to do that... very often.

But this one is really important.

SETI is running out of money.  For those who don't know, SETI is a (primarily) privately funded effort to search for signs of extra-terrestrial intelligence (space aliens).  If you've ever watched the movie Contact, that was the group Jodie Foster worked for.  And while we're on the subject, sorry you sat through that whole movie just for that silly ending.

Anyway, SETI has a giant array of radio telescopes that they use to scan the heavens for stray radio signals that might indicate life on other planets.  This might seem like the stuff of science fiction, but it remains the most likely way we have of finding out if ET is out there trying to phone us.

This is only a fraction of it... and a tiny one at that.

There are also a lot of other functions for this gigantic array, including but not limited to helping track space junk that could threaten our satellites (which could result in making Myachi HQ even harder to find on your GPS) or even the International Space Station.

The program has been essentially suspended due to funding cuts.  Right now 42 ridiculously awesome testaments of modern technology are sitting in "hibernation" while the director of SETI goes out and looks for money.  They're looking for a big donor to kick in on one of the most important pure research tools in the world, but they're also accepting small donations from individuals (and probably large donations from individuals as well).

You can get all the details on their home page by clicking here.

I'm something of a science geek (and proud to admit it) so finding out that the space shuttle program was coming to an end was kind of tough on me.  Living in a country that is essentially space program-less doesn't appeal to me at all.  Knowing that they might have to shut SETI down is too depressing to consider.

Not to mention the trauma of losing my 7th favorite planet.

I know that most of my readers are unemployed (not because they're lazy... most of them are kids), but I think that this information should be flooding into every public forum you can find.  So if you can't donate to SETI, do the next best thing and SPREAD THE WORD!  That's one thing that Myachi Maniacs are really good at.

Tweet about it, put in on your Facebook page, tell your friends and family, tell your science teacher, tell your eccentric wealthy grandfather or tell the Men in Black that hover near that circular burnt spot in the forest behind your house.  Just get the word out.  If you've ever thought about how incredibly cool it would be to know that there is life on other planets, or even better, how cool it would be to talk to that life, the least you can do is help chip in on the phone call.

Again, I'm sorry for using the Myachi Blog for something so thoroughly not Myachi and I promise not to do it often, but this is some important stuff.