Doritos In Space
Written by Nancy Atkinson
I'm all for the commercial use of space, but this might be a bit overboard. Back in March of this year, Ian reported on a fund raising scheme to help the United Kingdom's physics and astronomy money woes. The scheme involved soliciting commercial companies to pay for advertising being beamed into space, supposedly directed towards potential extra terrestrial life. The manufacturer of Doritos snack chips stepped up, donating an undisclosed sum in exchange for transmitting their ad. But the Doritos people decided to turn the advertisement into a contest, and created the Doritos Broadcast Project, which invited the UK public to create a 30 second video clip that could be beamed out to the universe offering a snap shot of life on earth to anyone 'out there'. According to a poll, 61% of the UK public believe this is just the start of communication with ET life and that we will enter into regular communication with an alien species at some stage in the future. See the winning commercial:
The winning space-ad entitled 'Tribe' was voted for by the British public and directed by 25-year-old Matt Bowron. It will officially be entered into the Guinness Book of Records and will be aired on the more conventional medium of television in the UK on Sunday, June 15th.
Does this really offer a "snapshot of life on Earth?" Is this the impression of ourselves we'd like to give to extraterrestrials?
The message is being pulsed out over a six-hour period from high-powered radars at the EISCAT European space station in the Arctic Circle. The University of Leicester has also been involved in the project from its inception.
EISCAT Director, Professor Tony van Eyken who will oversee the transmission said: "The signal is directed at a solar system just 42 light years away from Earth, in the 'Ursa Major' or Great Bear Constellation. Its star is very similar to our Sun and hosts a habitable zone that could harbor small life supporting planets similar to ours."
Peter Charles, Head of the Doritos Broadcast Project said: "We are constantly looking to push the boundaries of advertising and this will go further than any brand has gone before. By broadcasting the winning ad to the Universe, Doritos is delivering a world first and Matt Bowron, the winner, will go down in advertising folklore. We also shouldn't be too surprised if the first aliens start arriving on planet Earth immediately demanding a bag of Doritos."
Wow.
Dr Nigel Bannister thinks the idea might stimulate extra public interest. "The idea of transmitting an ad into space is somewhat controversial but still of scientific interest," he said.
"This could be a test for future very long range communications and it gives us an opportunity to tell the Universe we are here (in case someone out there is listening - like reversal of the SETI programme!).
"There could also be potential commercial interest in enterprises like this. Imagine one day that companies on Earth might wish to advertise to other planetary colonies within our solar system -for example if man ever moves to colonise Mars!"
Source: Space Daily
Filed under: SETI
June 14th, 2008 at 1:13 am
"Mmmm… Sounds good… Is that with beef or chicken?"
and a side order of Doritos?
June 14th, 2008 at 5:24 am
I hate Doritos, they are like cardboard, uuggghh…. Proper crisps are Walkers or Seabrook…
June 14th, 2008 at 6:05 am
Hopefully they will nuke us from orbit in 90 years because by spamming the universe we have well and truly committed an act that damns the entire species.
June 14th, 2008 at 9:50 am
I wonder what dip the aliens will use for us when they get here?
June 14th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
Somebody give Yael Dragwyla a cigar or I will. Sir you have hit the nail on the head. We need to look at Science and religion as two separate entities. If those who criticize(on either side) think they sound intellectual, Think again, you sound like the elementary kids I teach and deal with on a daily basis. Stop your temper tantrums and discuss the article on its merits or lack thereof.
BTW doritos has nacho cheese flavor chips… mmmmm TASTY!!!!
ps. The ad is dumb even by Earthly standards.
June 14th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
Great, yet another group shouting out to space so that some day the aliens will come and do some pest control.
Is the message we really want to send ET that we're extremely tasty?
June 15th, 2008 at 11:40 am
Considering that the Martians landed in England around 1896 and practically wiped
everything out there, you think they would be
far more cautious about contacting aliens than other countries, but I guess not.
I bet they also think Dr. Who will come and
rescue them.
June 16th, 2008 at 12:49 am
Hey all this we see in the universe just proves there is a god. Now if there is aliens does that really meen there isn't a god. No it does not. But yea there's prob more life out there we don't know. I have great faith in my so called god but see science as proving the greatness of him. What about spiritual life. Maybe when we die we can now go everywhere in the universe with no space suit no rockets. We wouldn't have to follow the laws of nature cuz where not solid life anymore. I know that there's a higher power I just don't expect it to do everything. We makes things happen and it sets off life to envolve. Humans have free will so we shouldn't expect God to change things when we don't like it. Science is the evadence of what God has done!
June 16th, 2008 at 4:35 am
Dear Timothy its time to stop doing drugs ….
June 16th, 2008 at 6:48 am
MegaChrist,
The fact you are using this as a name shows your ignorance towards your own beliefs. It is a sin in the Christian religion to use Christ's name in vain as you do here, with an attitude of self-conceit; especially in the manner you speak towards others.
If you were a true Christian, you would allow others to believe as they do without boistrous output on how they are so wrong. You don't see the leadership of any Christian faith going after science in the same manner as you do.
Please take your foolish (yes foolish… not ignorant) statements elsewhere.
If you believe in God, then you know he gave you 2 ears and one mouth. You should engage the two, and relax the one.