Markets in everything — talk to aliens

A group of engineers has offered a solution for people who want a
direct line to aliens – by broadcasting their phone calls directly into
space.

People
wanting to contact extraterrestrial beings through www.TalkToAliens.com
can dial a premium rate US number and have their call routed through a
transmitter and sent into space through a 3.2-metre-wide dish in
central Connecticut, US.

The
service, launched on 27 February, will cost users $3.99 per minute,
says Eric Knight, president of the company. He says that a large radio
receiver – like the Arecibo dish in Puerto Rico – situated on a distant
planet might be large enough for an alien civilisation to receive the
calls.      
   

But who pays the long distance charges when ET returns your call?  Here is the story, and thanks to www.geekpress.com for the pointer.