Teleology

“ Modern facilities of communication have helped to impress more deeply upon modern astronomy its associative character. The electric telegraph gives a certain ubiquity which is invaluable to an observer of the skies. With the help of a wire, a battery, and a code of signals, he sees whatever is visible from any portion of our globe, depending, however, upon other eyes than his own, and so entering as a unit into a widespread organisation of intelligence. ”

“ The electric telegraph was a visionary dream among mediæval physicists;‍559 it has hardly yet ceased to excite our wonder; to our descendants centuries hence it will probably appear inferior in ingenuity to some inventions which they will possess. Now every strange phenomenon may be a secret spring which, if rightly touched, will open the door to new chambers in the palace of nature. To refuse to believe in the occurrence of anything strange would be to neglect the most precious chances of discovery. ”

“ The laboratory has supplied us with the basic means of lifting the curtain of space from scenes and activities at a distance. A system of sight transmission and reception, comparable in coverage and service to the world-wide hook-up of sound broadcasting, has brought all nations closer together. ”

“ The object or the part of an object to be observed should be brought as nearly as possible to the centre of the field of view. When there is no apparatus for keeping the telescope pointed upon an object, the best plan is so to direct the telescope by means of the finder, that the object shall be just out of the field of view, and be brought (by the earth's motion) across the centre of the field. Thus the vibrations which always follow the adjustment of the tube will have subsided before the object appears. ”

“ The telescope is an optical instrument for viewing objects at a distance. Its name is compounded of two Greek words,—τηλε, which signifies, at a distance, or far off, and σχοπειν, to view, or to contemplate. By means of telescopes, remote objects are represented as if they were near, small apparent magnitudes are enlarged, confused objects are rendered distinct, and the invisible and obscure parts of very distant scenes are rendered perceptible and clear to the organ of vision. The telescope is justly considered as a grand and noble instrument. ”

“ Attractions of Telescopic Work.—In concluding our comments we may briefly refer to the importance and pleasure attached to telescopic work, and the growing popularity of observation in the attractive and diverse field of astronomy. A telescope may either be employed as an instrument of scientific discovery and critical work, or it may be made86 a source of recreation and instruction. By its means the powers of the eye are so far assisted and expanded that we are enabled to form a clearer conception of the wonderful works of the Creator than could be obtained in any other way. ”

“ It would, we admit, take a little more experience to solve problems like these on your own—and to deal with all the other complications of satellite communications. But we hope our brief glimpses into the laboratory have shown what this experience might be like. Our six case histories have only scratched the surface, but they should give you a good idea of the fascinating work that goes into practical science and engineering. They should show that something like Project Telstar doesn’t succeed only because of far-sighted, imaginative thinking—nor only because of ingenious engineering. ”

“ Obviously, at the point of contact, any species must have acquired at least enough sophistication in the field of physics—quanta, unified field theory, and atomic transmutation for a start—to have begun to look away from the essentially blind alley of dualistic thinking. But the extent to which these Terrans were still limited by their early developmental pattern is indicated by the almost unbelievable fact that they developed ultra-dimensional transport before discovering any more effective channels of communication than the electromagnetic! ”

“ Accustomed as we had become to the thought that wireless telegraphy would place us more readily in touch with the sidereal universe than with distant points upon our earth, presuming indeed, that, except for the intervening envelopes of atmosphere attached to our or any neighboring planet, the path of transmission of messages through space would be inconceivably swift, we saw nothing really impossible in the impression that we had that night received communications from extra-terrestrial sources. ”

“ Other worlds and their inhabitants are remarkably popular subjects of speculation at the present time. Every day we hear people asking one another if it is true that we shall soon be able to communicate with some of the far-off globes, such as Mars, that circle in company with our earth about the sun. One of the masters of practical electrical science in our time has suggested that the principle of wireless telegraphy may be extended to the transmission of messages across space from planet to planet. ”

“ Just as in the Radio Photograph the picture surface of the Radio Vision is covered with a small spot of light moving over the picture surface in successive parallel lines, with the light value of the lines changed by the incoming radio signals to conform to a given order, the order being controlled by the distant scene at the sending station.
And as the whole picture surface is covered in one-twelfth to one-sixteenth of a second, persistence of vision of the human eye is sufficient to get the picture from the white receiving screen—a photographic plate is not necessary. ”

“ It is difficult to define accurately what is meant by a "teleological" system, but the argument is not much affected by the particular definition we adopt. Broadly, a teleological system is one in which purposes are realised, i.e. in which certain desires—those that are deeper or nobler or more fundamental or more universal or what not—are followed by their realisation. Now the fact—if it be a fact—that the universe is mechanical has no bearing whatever on the question whether it is teleological in the above sense. ”

“ Such imaginary lines of demarcation between earth and heavens were forever swept away by Newton, and the recent work of spectrum analysis simply completes the demonstration that the remotest bodies which the photographic telescope can disclose are truly part and parcel of the dynamic world in which we live. ”

“ Very large instruments are not often used, because of their necessarily restricted fields. Moreover, a small instrument, apart from its advantage in this respect, is worked with greater facility and expedition.253 This is important, especially when the observer is to examine the region in the immediate neighbourhood of the Sun. He has then a very brief interval for the attainment of his purpose, and a small telescope must be used on account of its large field, its ready manipulation, and its general effectiveness on objects at low altitudes. ”

“ Luck there always has been and always will be, until all brains are opened, and all connections made known, but luck turned to account becomes design; there is, indeed, if things are driven home, little other design than this. The telescope, therefore, is an instrument designed in all its parts for the purpose of seeing, and, take it all round, designed with singular skill. ”

“ Or had our system of radio reception perhaps developed along entirely different lines than theirs? Had they used some principle entirely foreign to the electron theory in their radio work—say some unknown projector ray or light repulsion of the sort which makes the tail of a comet point always away from the sun? It seemed possible, even probable. Then I asked myself what medium of language an exterior planet would use in an attempt at communication, and two things immediately suggested themselves: geometry and music! ”

“ So true it is that on our planet the best intentions are often mixed up with a few grains of folly.
After steam, the electric light and the telegraph and the telephone, the discovery of unmistakable signs of the existence of humanity inhabiting another region of our solar archipelago, would that not be the most marvellous apotheosis of the scientific glory of the twentieth century? And cannot wireless telegraphy be some day applied to this problem? Electro-magnetism is an immense invisible world still insufficiently explored. ”

“ Artificial signals, plainly not made by men, are now reaching Earth every seventy-nine minutes from remotest space. There is as yet no hint of what the messages may mean, but that they are an attempt at communication is certain. ”

“ Space and distance were annihilated by man's conquest of the air and the introduction of wireless telegraphy. Scientific research, by the discovery of X-rays and new elements, more than equalled the pretensions of mediæval thaumaturgists. ”

“ Attention is particularly directed to the way in which nowadays all the motions are brought to the eye-end so as to be most convenient for the observer, and frequently, as in this case, accomplished by electric power, while the declination circle is read by means of a small telescope so that the large instrument can be directed upon any object with the minimum of trouble. ”

“ Manifestly the only signals available, when telegraphic communication is impossible, are signals in the celestial spaces, for these alone can be discerned simultaneously from widely-distant parts of the earth. ”

“ The more powerful they make our telescopes the more of these planetary systems come forth to view. No man and no number of men, improve your telescopes as you may, will ever count the myriads of worlds in this grand universe, which are made to rear a human progeny for heaven. ”

“ Serge Olinski, and myself.
"For some time, mysterious radio waves, which appeared to come from some definite source in space, have been puzzling men of science engaged in radio research work. We know that infra-red radiation and short radio waves make it theoretically possible to communicate with other planets. They can penetrate the upper atmosphere, and may be directed toward any planet with accuracy and power, as well as penetrating the planets without scattering. ”

“ Those who desire to experiment on radio-photography, i.e. transmitting photographs, drawings, etc., from one place to another without the aid of artificial conductors, must cultivate at least an elementary knowledge of optics, chemistry, mechanics, and electricity; photo-telegraphy calling for a knowledge of all these sciences. ”

“ The attunement of the brain cells to varying rates of vibration in the universe, brings all things to you on the principle of the wireless telegraph. “All things are yours,” was the announcement of the Master of the Christian system. This is scientifically true. The universe is at your disposal and you can get it. ”

“ What is wireless telegraphy but one of those marvels which a decade ago we should have considered as quite beyond the horizon line of our experimental knowledge, and as belonging to the unrevealed mysteries of the spiritual universe? ”

“ In nine cases out of ten the moon will be the first object to which the beginner turns his telescope, and he will find in our satellite a never-failing source of interest, and a sphere in which, by patient observation and the practice of steadily recording what is seen, he may not only amuse and instruct himself, but actually do work that may become genuinely useful in the furtherance of the science. ”

“ A light is so arranged as to illuminate the field of the telescope, and the observer, looking in, sees the ten transit wires and the one declination wire, and also sees their images reflected from the surface of the mercury. ”

“ The telescope at intervals swung around the shimmering horizon, magnifying the dancing heat waves until the distortion of their wavering, streaming currents at times rendered the view chaotic and baffling. ”

“ Space had become an adventure, not just for lonely astronauts, but for everyone right in his living room.
Project Telstar, of course, had more serious objectives:
to prove that a broadband communications satellite could transmit telephone messages, data, and television; to test, under the stresses of an actual launch and the hazards of space, some of the electronic equipment that had been developed for satellite communications; to measure the radiation that a satellite would meet in space; to find out the best ways to track a moving satellite accurately ”

“ Sensor and manipulator technology is advancing apace, largely through rapid growth in the fields of industrial robotics and computer science. Approximately 40% of human sensory input is in the form of vision, so it is appropriate that most work in physical perception relates to visual information processing and remote scene nterpretation. Algorithms and specialized sensors developed for satellite on-board pattern recognition and scene analysis can enable the teleoperator to perform many of these functions. ”

“ The addition of modern appliances to the telescope to enable it to be used as an accurate pointer, has played a conspicuous part in the accurate measurement of space, and the results are of such importance, and they have increased so absolutely pari passu with the telescope, that we must now say something of the means by which they have been brought about. ”

“ Actually the only communication we have with Terra short of space travel, is by short wave radio, and radio waves as you may know travel at approximately the speed of light. Since we are approximately 4.4 light-years away from Earth, a round trip message to Washington would take about nine years. This of course does not take into consideration the time needed to process your case."
Claude kept watching the Director's face while he spoke. He looked like an honest man. ”