communication · 8:31am Oct 5th, 2012
Suppose a human cosmonaut crash landed on Equestria. Upon meeting the ponies, it instantly becomes clear that there is a language and cultural barrier. Though the human is able to breathe the air, he or she must repair their ship, and needs the ponies' help to do so. How does the human communicate their situation? I asked a friend of mine, and he gave me some information allegedly from NASA.
First, the intelligence test. The human should immediately convey the following message: .. ... ..... ....... ........... ............. ................. ...................
The sequence consists of the first eight prime numbers; 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19
Once intelligence has been established, it should be followed up with this sequence: . . .. ... ..... ........ ............. .....................
This sequence is a demonstration of our numerical system. 1+1=2, 1+2=3, 2+3=5, 3+5=8, 5+8=13, 8+13=21, and so forth.
Once the second sequence has been conveyed, the next thing that should be done is convey what the act of pointing means.
The question I pose to you, my fellow bronies is this: where do we go from there. How do we go from numerical sequences and pointing, to active communication between the two parties? I challenge you to write a fic demonstrating this situation, it's potential solution, and/or any mishaps that might result from a failed attempt. keep in mind that everything from words to body language can have different meanings to different peoples. what one person considers a casual gesture, another might consider rude or offensive.
