5 ms·

This one is still my favorite: http://imgur.com/gallery/7ze3a http://imgur.com/gallery/7ze3a

INTPenis 11y ago
Once we do colonize the solar system I'm sure invidual moons of giant planets will play a larger role than the actual planets. So I don't see this working in the future. The only future we can truly expect, aside from total annihilation and reset of the planet, would be a total colonization of the solar system.
- SwellJoe 11y ago
  But, if it is to be a "flag for planet earth", it would not need encompass colonies on other worlds, and it wouldn't be the goal of such a flag to do so. If, as someone else suggested, the right idea is a flag for humanity, then your argument works.
- ajmurmann 11y ago
  It's still where we as mankind originated and seems somewhat appropriate. However, maybe that's short sighted and we will get a very anti-earth separatist movement from the colonies.
- yc1010 11y ago
  Why not? if Mars is colonized then there be 2 white dots on this flag (not sure why the moon is white) It looks quite good actually
MikeTaylor 11y ago
Needs to have Pluto knocked out :-)
- dakridge 11y ago
  Neil?
dognotdog 11y ago
That one is a lot more interesting, though it's basically just a map, which is atypical for flags. The OP's flag is very abstract. Presumably, any other alien race also strives for unity and lives. It's hard to create a better flag without actually knowing aliens and having some idea of commonalities and differences with humanity. Indeed, maybe we need a flag for humanity, not planet earth?
- legulere 11y ago
  Not so atypical for recent flags: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Cyprus https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Cyprus https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Bosnia_and_Herzegovina https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Bosnia_and_Herzegovina https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Kosovo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Kosovo
  - deleted 11y ago
    [deleted]
  - scrollaway 11y ago
    The programmer in me can't help but think about the maintenance map-based flags incur with border changes. I have similar reservations about the US flag. :)
- vlehto 11y ago
  These would be the current candidates for humanity: http://leonardodavinci.stanford.edu/submissions/clabaugh/images/vm/leonardo.jpg http://leonardodavinci.stanford.edu/submissions/clabaugh/ima... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pioneer_plaque#/media/File:Pioneer_plaque.svg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pioneer_plaque#/media/File:Pio... And my personal favorite: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1f/Voyager_golden_record_82_feeding.gif https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1f/Voyager_... (BTW there is a flag for earth: http://static.news18.com/pix/2015/04/UN_flag.jpg http://static.news18.com/pix/2015/04/UN_flag.jpg )
  - aruggirello 11y ago
SCAQTony 11y ago
That is a brilliant. IMHO a reversed out guilloche graphic like the one on the spacesuit is to hard to duplicate or draw.
jarito 11y ago
Seems like using a flag that gives an unknown contact your home address is a bad idea. That information might not be something we want to communicate right off the bat.
- jarboot 11y ago
  Completely agree. Reminds me of Liu Cixin's Three Body Problem novels :)
  - ajmurmann 11y ago
    I just read that and the Dark Forrest and that (fundamental) part of the book honestly made no sense to me. His claim that you can't locate a signal's source location was in complete conflict with everything I thought I knew about astronomy and how we locate things in space.
- dakridge 11y ago
  You might want to send your concerns to SETI
  - vidarh 11y ago
    One suggested solution to the Fermi paradox is that any civilization that gets noisy enough to get noticed quickly gets attacked and destroyed (or taught to hide better in the future...)
- iSnow 11y ago
  Since we are constantly broadcasting at high energy and with interesting patterns, I wouldn't worry about that. Everyone who sees this flag is either from Earth or knows its position very well.
- unethical_ban 11y ago
  If an alien civ discovered that flag somehow, we've probably tipped our hand.
- dingaling 11y ago
rndn 11y ago
I like this one by a Hello Internet listener: http://i.imgur.com/WT7TUAf.png http://i.imgur.com/WT7TUAf.png https://www.reddit.com/r/vexillology/comments/37udsu/my_best_new_earth_flag_design_please_read_the/ https://www.reddit.com/r/vexillology/comments/37udsu/my_best...
hyperion2010 11y ago
Was about to hunt that one down to post. Glad to see I'm not alone.
36erhefg 11y ago
That is functionally a horrible design. Imagine a couple hundred solar systems. It is very likely that one will have exactly 8 planets with their 3rd planet being their home planet. And even if such a system doesn't exist, this map doesn't stand out at all. At a glance it could represent any solar system: "Hey, this map has planets and a sun. Which solar system is that? I have no idea." This introduces unnecessary confusion and possible conflicts. Symbolic representation of a solar system is the most generic thing you can choose about a solar system. A flag should be something unique that stands out from other ones.

Once we do colonize the solar system I'm sure invidual moons of giant planets will play a larger role than the actual planets. So I don't see this working in the future. The only future we can truly expect, aside from total annihilation and reset of the planet, would be a total colonization of the solar system.

SwellJoe 11y ago
But, if it is to be a "flag for planet earth", it would not need encompass colonies on other worlds, and it wouldn't be the goal of such a flag to do so. If, as someone else suggested, the right idea is a flag for humanity, then your argument works.
ajmurmann 11y ago
It's still where we as mankind originated and seems somewhat appropriate. However, maybe that's short sighted and we will get a very anti-earth separatist movement from the colonies.
yc1010 11y ago
Why not? if Mars is colonized then there be 2 white dots on this flag (not sure why the moon is white) It looks quite good actually

MikeTaylor 11y ago

Needs to have Pluto knocked out :-)

dakridge 11y ago
Neil?

dognotdog 11y ago

That one is a lot more interesting, though it's basically just a map, which is atypical for flags. The OP's flag is very abstract. Presumably, any other alien race also strives for unity and lives. It's hard to create a better flag without actually knowing aliens and having some idea of commonalities and differences with humanity. Indeed, maybe we need a flag for humanity, not planet earth?

legulere 11y ago
Not so atypical for recent flags: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Cyprus https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Cyprus https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Bosnia_and_Herzegovina https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Bosnia_and_Herzegovina https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Kosovo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Kosovo
- deleted 11y ago
  [deleted]
- scrollaway 11y ago
  The programmer in me can't help but think about the maintenance map-based flags incur with border changes. I have similar reservations about the US flag. :)
vlehto 11y ago
These would be the current candidates for humanity: http://leonardodavinci.stanford.edu/submissions/clabaugh/images/vm/leonardo.jpg http://leonardodavinci.stanford.edu/submissions/clabaugh/ima... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pioneer_plaque#/media/File:Pioneer_plaque.svg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pioneer_plaque#/media/File:Pio... And my personal favorite: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1f/Voyager_golden_record_82_feeding.gif https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1f/Voyager_... (BTW there is a flag for earth: http://static.news18.com/pix/2015/04/UN_flag.jpg http://static.news18.com/pix/2015/04/UN_flag.jpg )
- aruggirello 11y ago

SCAQTony 11y ago

That is a brilliant. IMHO a reversed out guilloche graphic like the one on the spacesuit is to hard to duplicate or draw.

jarito 11y ago

Seems like using a flag that gives an unknown contact your home address is a bad idea. That information might not be something we want to communicate right off the bat.

jarboot 11y ago
Completely agree. Reminds me of Liu Cixin's Three Body Problem novels :)
- ajmurmann 11y ago
  I just read that and the Dark Forrest and that (fundamental) part of the book honestly made no sense to me. His claim that you can't locate a signal's source location was in complete conflict with everything I thought I knew about astronomy and how we locate things in space.
dakridge 11y ago
You might want to send your concerns to SETI
- vidarh 11y ago
  One suggested solution to the Fermi paradox is that any civilization that gets noisy enough to get noticed quickly gets attacked and destroyed (or taught to hide better in the future...)
iSnow 11y ago
Since we are constantly broadcasting at high energy and with interesting patterns, I wouldn't worry about that. Everyone who sees this flag is either from Earth or knows its position very well.
unethical_ban 11y ago
If an alien civ discovered that flag somehow, we've probably tipped our hand.
dingaling 11y ago

rndn 11y ago

I like this one by a Hello Internet listener: http://i.imgur.com/WT7TUAf.png http://i.imgur.com/WT7TUAf.png https://www.reddit.com/r/vexillology/comments/37udsu/my_best_new_earth_flag_design_please_read_the/ https://www.reddit.com/r/vexillology/comments/37udsu/my_best...

hyperion2010 11y ago

Was about to hunt that one down to post. Glad to see I'm not alone.

36erhefg 11y ago

That is functionally a horrible design. Imagine a couple hundred solar systems. It is very likely that one will have exactly 8 planets with their 3rd planet being their home planet. And even if such a system doesn't exist, this map doesn't stand out at all. At a glance it could represent any solar system: "Hey, this map has planets and a sun. Which solar system is that? I have no idea." This introduces unnecessary confusion and possible conflicts. Symbolic representation of a solar system is the most generic thing you can choose about a solar system. A flag should be something unique that stands out from other ones.