Planetarium show investigates
existence and other mysteries
Assume life exists on other
planets and consider it would
take 20 years for a television
signal to reach those planets.
Our first contact with aliens
could be Ricky Ricardo yelling,
“Luuuuuucy!”
That’s one scenario pictured
by author and producer Rick
McGarvey in “The Search for
Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence,”
the Lane Education Service
District's newest planetarium
show.
The scene is indicative of
what is both good and bad
about the show.
McGarvey, a physics depart
ment graduate student, has
been given a difficult task: pre
senting scientific material in a
style that will appeal to each age
level without condemning the
rest of the audience to a state of
slumber. The high backs and
cushioned seats of the plane
tarium’s easy chairs don’t help
matters. One woman sitting
behind me very vocally lost the
struggle.
In attempting to appeal to the
younger crowd, McGarvey oc
casionally lapses into situations
which detract from the more
sombre scientific message of
the show.
Cartoon drawings, along with
a mock board meeting on an
other planet and the appear
ance of Yoda, the muppet from
The Empire Strike Backs,
delighted the children but
seemed out of place among the
well-chosen slides and narra
tion of the show.
But the “gimmicks” are a
small part of the show and
McGarvey redeems himself in
his choice of subject matter,
slides and music.
The show begins with an in
vestigation of what constitutes
life and the forms it might take
on other planets. Slides point
out that life not coded by DNA
may be radically different from
what we know on earth, but
these other forms of life could
be much more highly ordered.
NASA ships have been using
computer space probes for 15
years to detect some sign of life
in outer space. In addition,
since 1960 there have been 10
attempts to communicate with
other planets using radio waves.
Few signals have actually
been sent out from earth — most
efforts have centered on de
tecting signals from other plan
ets. Television transmissions
should be strong enough to be
received on other planets —
but, as pointed out, they would
take approximately 20 years to
reach their destination.
At this point the show shifts to
an interesting, if somewhat ir
relevant, segment on attempts
to communicate with whales on
earth. Scientists seem to feel
the big guys are attempting to
talk to us, if we could just figure
out what they're saying. This is
finally tied into the rest of the
show by a rather tenuous an
alogy: if we can’t talk to other
intelligent life on earth, what are
the odds for communicating
with life in outer space?
The action shifts from whales
to more familiar territory.
To appease those who still
follow the “In Search of Ancient
Astronauts” line of speculation,
the show delves into the ruins
and mysteries of the pyramids,
Easter Island, the Mayans and
the Incas. But other cultures
had technical skill too, the show
points out, and these “myster
ies’’ were the work of human
hands, not aliens.
UFOs are dismissed as
modern man’s equivalent of the
ancient myths told about men
and their flying machines. It is
more likely that UFOs are the
result of known irrational life on
this planet than unknown ra
tional life on others, says Ri
chard Feynman, a Nobel laur
eate in physics.
And what is the object of in
tense efforts to contact aliens
from other planets? Aside from
the thrill of boldly going where
no man has gone before, the
show asserts the objectives of
“intergalactic trade, language
and cultural exchange."
Narrator of the show is Dave
Shakes, a University telecom
munications major. Music is by
Edgar Froese, the Beatles, and
Morton Subotnick, among
others. ‘'Icarus," by Paul
Winters — the opening and
closing music — is especially
effective.
Alien-buffs and others should
enjoy the show — there is ba
sically something for everybody.
And if you haven't been to a
planetarium for a few years, sit
back, relax, and just watch the
stars come out.
The show will be presented at
1:00 and 3:00 p.m. on Saturdays
and Sundays through March.
The planetarium is located in
the southwest corner of the
Autzen Stadium parking lot.
Admission is $2 for adults,
and $.75 for children and
students. The show price also
includes admission to the
Science Center — go early,
you’ll want to play around in
there awhile first. Children
under 6 are admitted to the
Science Center free, but are not
admitted to the planetarium.
By Ann Portal
1
McCutcheon to hold
concert, dance, workshop
The EMU Cultural Forum presents an evening of old-time
mountain music and dance Friday at 8 p.m. John McCutcheon
comes to Eugene to play, call a Southern Appalachian style
square dance and conduct a workshop on traditional dance.
A native of Wisconsin, McCutcheon is probably best known
for his role in popularizing the hammered dulcimer. He also plays
fiddle and banjo
The concert and square dance will be held in the EMU
Ballroom on campus. Admission is $2. The workshop will be held
from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Friday afternoon in Gerlinger 220.
For further information contact the EMU Cultural Forum at
686-4373.
John McCutcheon
Pacific Alliance and the EMU Cultural
Forum, in association with KZEL Presents a
No Nukes Benefit Concert to
STOP TROJAN-STOP TRIDENT
JACKS ON BROWNE
CRIS WILLIAMSON
FLOYD WESTERM AN
JOHN TRUDELL
Monday February 23, 1981 8:00 p.m.
McArthur Court, University of Oregon
Tickets 8 50, 7.50„ 6.50 All reserved seating,
available at: E M U. main desk, Toad Hall Hifi, Everybody’s
Records, Bremen Town. Mail Order 686-4363.
Tickets go on sale Tuesday February 3rd
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Greetings from the weary workers of
the night upstairs in the EMU
Kirk and I have just about tied-up the
Thursday Revue section — hurrah. A
long night for sure and then the
machines have to screw-up. All in a
day's work Gaib had to show up at
12:30 a m just to prove he's a crazy
journalism student striving to conquer
the tabloid. To get through the general
business of the staffbox: THURSDAY, a
week prior to publication is the deadline
for all calendar information and stories
and photos. Sounds so threatening
Please get your stuff in on time so Kirk
and I can get a decent night's rest All
my thanks go to the writers who
struggled — like the rest of us — with
the infamous flu and a number of
spectacular excuses and of course
to Kirk who provided the needed
addictive sweet soda laced with
caffeine Next week we visit Dreaktast
hotspots Wheel Toodles, Erzsi
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