Re: NEWS: Possible Identification of ETI

Doug Bailey (Doug.Bailey@ey.com)
Thu, 29 Oct 1998 23:40:01 -0500

Damien wrote:

> An Australian physicist at Perth Observatory sez:
>
> < It's a hoax, actually...
>
> There's a closed mailing list for SETI signal verification,
> and a BBC reporter is on it. Someone anonymously faked moderation
> on a post and claimed to have seen signals, and the BBC guy
> reported it before checking further, becuase he assumed everyone
> on the list was vaguely 'legit'. Nobody else has seen the 'signals'
> and the data that was posted looks bogus... >

I received similiar indications when I spoke with a public relations person at SETI today. I was told SETI was going to place information to the effect that the entire affair appeared to be a hoax sometime today. The information I found on the subject lends weight to the "hoax" probability:

http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Hall/7193/latest.html\\

However, SETI has yet to make any announcement on their website nor has any other group emerged to debunk the claim. Strangely, the BBC has not issued any follow-up on the story either.

Doug Bailey
doug.bailey@ey.com
nanotech@cwix.com