[extropy-chat] Dark matter and ET

The Avantguardian avantguardian2020 at yahoo.com
Sun Jul 17 00:18:00 UTC 2005



--- Eugen Leitl <eugen at leitl.org> wrote:

> The simplest explanation for Fermi's paradox, as
> ever, that it isn't.
> We aren't in anyone smart's light cone.

I absolutely agree with this. There is no paradox, not
yet at any rate. My back of the envelope calculations
based on our galactic geometry indicate that since its
inception aproximately 50 years ago, SETI has
"scanned" something like 0.003 percent or less of any
hypothesized "habitable zone" composed of stars in the
galactic disk of similar metallicity to sol. Moreover,
until we have a sample size larger than 1, we would be
safest in assuming that sol was neither prococious nor
tardy in developing intelligent life. Thus on average
ET civilizations, should be about as advanced as we
are now. These two factors together indicate that it
may be a great many years before the great silence is
broken.     


> > def: computronium: matter organized to optimize
> computing capacity.

Well, I am not sure what the the theoretical or real
limits on Moore's Law might be but it will take a long
time to catch up to biology. As far as I, as a
biologist, am concerned, DNA IS computronium at a
staggering information capacity/density of 340
exa-bytes (EB = 10^18 bytes) per cubic centimeter.
Just add water. :)


The Avantguardian 
is 
Stuart LaForge
alt email: stuart"AT"ucla.edu

"The surest sign of intelligent life in the universe is that they haven't attempted to contact us." 
-Bill Watterson

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