WHAT'S the best way to look for signs of intelligent extraterrestrials? You're probably thinking about giant radio dishes scanning the sky, and scientists who spend months sifting the data for meaningful signals. But Allen Tough has a much more direct approach: put up a website and invite aliens to e-mail you.
Is he serious? It seems so. Tough is an emeritus professor of adult education at the University of Toronto. He reinvented himself as a futurist and joined in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) in the 1980s. He thinks ET may already be watching us and waiting for an invitation to make contact. Hence his "Hello to ETI" Web page (http://members.aol.com/WelcomeETI/hello.html). The page offers visitors from space a hearty welcome and explains why Earthlings are worth contacting. It also provides a clickable e-mail link to Tough.
Say what you like, but Tough's effort has earned the endorsement of a ...
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