Area 51. It's a research center, but for what?

[Zedzero]

A.I. development?

 

[irateidiot]

I believe a smokescreen explanation for Roswell too, but I think the 'weather balloon' was a crude russian spying device. They went with the alien cover story so there wouldn't be mass hysteria(Roswell was before the McCarthy Red scares, when an event like this would be highly publicized. In '48 we were still trying to stay on Stalin's good side). The first person to mention anything about a UFO was an Air Force officer, not some local nutter. That's the only reason the story is a s popular as it is. But I think your version is just as plausible. The thing is, why bother still denying it if it's either of our explanations? Can they just not admit to that big a lie, even if it was during the Cold War?

But why would the Russians want to know what the weather was like over Roswell? It's nowhere near Moscow.

 

[C_sector]

The facility is a real life 'Umbrella Corporation'.........

*gasps*

 

[Sentient6]

I think it's a research center for experimental aircraft, or something like that. That's the official story... For all we know, they're making Brandston Pickle there (sorry, just watched too much ZP...).

 

[blindthrall]

I believe a smokescreen explanation for Roswell too, but I think the 'weather balloon' was a crude russian spying device. They went with the alien cover story so there wouldn't be mass hysteria(Roswell was before the McCarthy Red scares, when an event like this would be highly publicized. In '48 we were still trying to stay on Stalin's good side). The first person to mention anything about a UFO was an Air Force officer, not some local nutter. That's the only reason the story is a s popular as it is. But I think your version is just as plausible. The thing is, why bother still denying it if it's either of our explanations? Can they just not admit to that big a lie, even if it was during the Cold War?

But why would the Russians want to know what the weather was like over Roswell? It's nowhere near Moscow.

Umm, because it wasn't a real weather balloon, it was a high-atmospheric craft for taking pictures. Los Alamos is in New Mexico. You're not serious, are you?

 

[Guttural Engagement]

Snorp (Snip)

"Area 51. It's a research center, but for what?"

My guess is it's a 50 story underground city - where everyone is a South Korean goldfarmer; and all the profits go to the propaganda storie's about having alien spacecraft and all that mumbo jumbo.

 

[Guttural Engagement]

A.I. development?

AI is a concept generated by Sci-Fi pioneer's such as 'Star Trek'. Although a very interesting topic, AI is IMPOSSIBLE to create. Intelligence can be emulated, but not re-created in machines. Machines CAN and already do - compensate for certain variables they may encounter; but a machine can't learn to overcome new obstacles it hasn't been programmed to overcome.

EI - is what I like to call it. (Emulated Intelligence)

 

[Zedzero]

A.I. development?

AI is a concept generated by Sci-Fi pioneer's such as 'Star Trek'. Although a very interesting topic, AI is IMPOSSIBLE to create. Intelligence can be emulated, but not re-created in machines. Machines CAN and already do - compensate for certain variables they may encounter; but a machine can't learn to overcome new obstacles it hasn't been programmed to overcome.

EI - is what I like to call it. (Emulated Intelligence)

...I already knew this -.- ...I was just to tired to explain it, it was what like 1 am. Some scientist agree that is is POSSIBLE but would almost impossible to create.

 

[Gitsnik]

A.I. development?

AI is a concept generated by Sci-Fi pioneer's such as 'Star Trek'. Although a very interesting topic, AI is IMPOSSIBLE to create. Intelligence can be emulated, but not re-created in machines. Machines CAN and already do - compensate for certain variables they may encounter; but a machine can't learn to overcome new obstacles it hasn't been programmed to overcome.

EI - is what I like to call it. (Emulated Intelligence)

A human is a machine made up of biological components. The idea of a being such as, say, a Transformer, is not all that far fetched. What is far fetched is the pretentiousness of us as a human race to think that we are both awesome for being "intelligent", and capable (or incapable I suppose) of replicating our own features in another object.

If you want to really get into it, start a discussion with a priest over what constitutes a soul, predestination, and whether your puppy is going to heaven. If you stay calm there is a surprising amount of research in there.

Gits, 4 years working in A.I. Firm believer in a deity.

 

[CrysisMcGee]

A.I. development?

AI is a concept generated by Sci-Fi pioneer's such as 'Star Trek'. Although a very interesting topic, AI is IMPOSSIBLE to create. Intelligence can be emulated, but not re-created in machines. Machines CAN and already do - compensate for certain variables they may encounter; but a machine can't learn to overcome new obstacles it hasn't been programmed to overcome.

EI - is what I like to call it. (Emulated Intelligence)

A human is a machine made up of biological components. The idea of a being such as, say, a Transformer, is not all that far fetched. What is far fetched is the pretentiousness of us as a human race to think that we are both awesome for being "intelligent", and capable (or incapable I suppose) of replicating our own features in another object.

If you want to really get into it, start a discussion with a priest over what constitutes a soul, predestination, and whether your puppy is going to heaven. If you stay calm there is a surprising amount of research in there.

Gits, 4 years working in A.I. Firm believer in a deity.

Yes I agree fully. Something like an intelligence such as transformers is possible. Your own mind is an amazingly complex computer. Now computers already have us beaten in pure intelligence, but it has no will of its own. No soul or personality. It's the sense of individuality, how we learn, how we react and view our world that they hope to recreate in a machine. Creativity notwithstanding.

 

[Gitsnik]

Yes I agree fully. Something like an intelligence such as transformers is possible. Your own mind is an amazingly complex computer. Now computers already have us beaten in pure intelligence, but it has no will of its own. No soul or personality. It's the sense of individuality, how we learn, how we react and view our world that they hope to recreate in a machine. Creativity notwithstanding.

Sure. Until you learn topics such as social engineering, the possibility of pre-destination, and the like. An example:

Is only accurate if you are already likely to perform such an action. People are amazingly linear beings, and have no actual sense of randomidity that I (or others) have yet been able to determine.

This is why I mentioned pre-destination, souls and whether a puppy goes somewhere (i.e. has a soul). We like to think we're such hot shit, but a lot of humans - myself included - merely react to upbringing, genetics (on some level), and situations. Sure, you have the "freedom" to drive on the wrong side of the road if you want, but you are predictably not going to intentionally unless other situational factors arise.

I also had the thought that Area 51 is where the white mice have their control centre. That could work, but I would have thought it would be Area 42.

Edit: Oh right. The AI / DEITY comment was a bit of an old joke, and a bit of a true statement. Every AI person I know who has done any significant amount of effort and work in the field believes that there must be a deity, because we can't do it

 

[The Cake Is Annoying]

Yeah every american has heard of Area 51, where all kinds of alien shit goes down. Now on the official side, the U.S. government barely acknowledges its existence, and they say its a research center.

My college has research facilities too that do things I don't know about. I could ask. But the truth is probably mundane. "Oh, we're trying to reduce the cost of doing x by about y percent."

Needless to say they don't acknowledge its research facilities' existence much either. Unless they're looking for funding.

Well that's certainly true from what's been told, they do research on a lot of experimental aircraft, weapons, and everything else.

Personally, I believe the story. But what do you think is going down there?

Spoiler: maybe it's something cool.

Like flying zombie piranhas!

EDIT: Oddly enough, I'm watching Invasion of the Body snatchers (1993) right now.

Also, you can be shot for trying to trespass. You could also be shot for taking a photo of the blackbird when it first came into use. They don't want any information getting out about their projects.

To be fair firing bullets is a breakthrough technology in protecting Intellectual Property. Much less messy than legal proceedings. Much cheaper. Much faster. And you have the law on yor side. And every idiot with the even the most primal of survival instincts will GTFO.

You don't need a very good reason to adopt firing bullets as part of your corporate strategy. You need a very good reason NOT to. Like risk of a bad reputation or image, or not having the law nearly as much on your side.

If I ran a company that relied on IP, I'd adopt firing bullets. I whole heartedly endorse this product and/or service.

 

[VGCATZ]

It's a airforce research base. They developed the "Blackbird" plane there I think, Either that or gave the first test flight of it there. It would make sense to have an isolated area to test out that sort of technology considering the extent of secrecy that surrounds the patenting process

 

[Unknower]

The place in Google Maps. [http://maps.google.fi/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=fi&geocode=&q=area+51&ie=UTF8&hq=Area+51&hnear=Area+51,+Nevada,+USA&t=h&ll=37.248094,-115.80431&spn=0.100435,0.222988&z=13]

I was surprised by how close Nevada Test site is to Area 51 (scroll southwest). The distance is like, what, 20-30 km?

My thoughts:

1. Nevada Test Site might rule out vast underground facilities. I doubt vast underground facilities would be built near a place where hundreds of underground nuclear tests are being conducted. Of course, nukes aren't as powerful as earthquakes, but still.

2. Nuclear test. Radiation. Hundreds of nuclear tests. Hundreds of Lots of radiation. The place might be classified so that Air Force doesn't need to pay compensation for workers etc.

3. Is that an excavation? [http://maps.google.fi/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=fi&geocode=&q=area+51&ie=UTF8&hq=Area+51&hnear=Area+51,+Nevada,+USA&t=h&ll=37.221991,-115.815457&spn=0.006279,0.013937&z=17] Are those tunnel entrances? Why are they digging? Are they expanding underground facilities, searching for Noah's Ark, burying nuclear waste or digging duck ponds to improve morale and aesthetics?

4. I might contradict myself in points 1 and 3... Anyway!

5. Long runway is long.

6. Conspiracy theorists who really care about "uncovering the truth" or something like that should go there and check the amount of traffic going in and out of there. If traffic is low, then there's not probably not much going on. If it's high, then there's probably something going on. If there's lots of traffic going in but not out, or vice versa, then... then... well, that would be just weird.

7. Even if there was something going on, it would most likely be research of experimental aircraft, not aliens.