GeekSpeak – Is there a civilization around Tabby’s Star? Join the discussion on Saturday April 1 at 12pm SLT

 There are rumors that there may be alien megastructures around Tabby’s Star, which is about 1500 light years from Earth.  Other explanations have been suggested for the variation in the light from the star but none of them fit all the data.  So it is possible that a Kardashev type 2 civilization is ruling over that area of space.The Kardashev scale measures how much energy is used.  Type 1 uses the energy...

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GeekSpeak – Is it time to revise the Drake Equation? Join the discussion February 8th at 12pm SLT

It has been many years since Drake produced his equation about how many intelligent, technological aliens there could be in the universe.  In 1961 we had not discovered a single exoplanet.  And we now have a much broader definition of life. On the other hand, we now know of many more ways in which a civilisation can destroy itself.  So is it time to review the Drake Equation?  Or the Fermi paradox? (Why don’t...

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GeekSpeak – reaching a Kardashev Type 1 civilization. Join the Discussion on Saturday, August 31st at 12pm SLT

Reaching level 1 on the Kardashev scale means storing and using all the energy that the earth gets from the sun.  We will reach this when we increase our energy production about a million-fold.  Can we ever get there?  Will we need to hollow out the earth and use all the asteroids around? What will happen if we do not reach it?  Will we fall back to stone age energy levels, or is there a middle way? What...

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GeekSpeak – what if we had to restart civilisation?

Imagine being one of a hundred people suddenly stranded in a forest, maybe on a strange planet, while all the rest of humanity has disappeared along with all technology.Would your small group be able to restart a civilization?  How long would it be before you could use electricity again?  How long before you had metal? Would a lot of knowledge just get lost over the generations before it could be used?What would be the first technology...

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