I did read their novel The Siren Stars, years before I met the Carrigans. (Even earlier, fear that information from a SETI signal might pose a threat played a big role in Hoyle and Eliot's A for Andromeda.)
(although Fermilab was one of the first organizations to have the internet)
And the World Wide Web in particular-- as far as I can determine, Fermilab was the fourth institution to host a Web site.
Could they not gain slight entry and then analyze and improvise their way in through the portals, gaining control?
Yes, that is the essential question.
It's hard to imagine how this would be possible, starting with reception a passive radio signal.
In numerous SF stories, including the ones mentioned above, trouble starts when someone, using plans provided by aliens, builds a computer he doesn't really understand. Would we really be this dumb? Still a hypothetical question at this point.
Re: Dates
(although Fermilab was one of the first organizations to have the internet)
And the World Wide Web in particular-- as far as I can determine, Fermilab was the fourth institution to host a Web site.
Could they not gain slight entry and then analyze and improvise their way in through the portals, gaining control?
Yes, that is the essential question.
It's hard to imagine how this would be possible, starting with reception a passive radio signal.
In numerous SF stories, including the ones mentioned above, trouble starts when someone, using plans provided by aliens, builds a computer he doesn't really understand. Would we really be this dumb? Still a hypothetical question at this point.