[ExI] explanation of reasoning behind very low signal data rate

[Gregory Jones]

Ja.  Keith, back in the long time agos, I noted the number of stars inside
the sphere with radius the time since SETI sent the intentional signal.
Ignore please that the signal was directed at M13 and the signal will not
get to that 300,000 star globular cluster for about another 25 thousand
years.  Intentionally disregarding that and assuming any star anywhere can
receive that signal, being as it is at the quietest frequency in the
cosmos, I created a list back in about 1995 of dates which signal passed by
that star, and the date we would receive a reply if they fired back
immediately.

It was cool: the intervals on which stars came within that signal sphere
came closer and closer, so I would get pings more and more often.

I stopped maintaining that software in 2011 upon my retirement (I
maintained the software on my work computer and physically could not email
it out (there was no legal or physical mechanism to keep that spreadsheet
or send it out.))  It occurred to me that any AI hipster, such as BillK,
could reproduce that very easily by asking AI software to recreate it.
Since there are about 1800 stars within 50 light years, we should be
getting new stars nearly every week.

This past week I have been fooling with AI software tools, specifically
CursorAI.  I was impressed enough with it that I opened an account.  But I
didn't load it on my travel computer, and so I won't be able to access it
for perhaps a few weeks (depending on how my forced adulting goes.)  But
with just text, BillK or one of you other AI software hipsters could likely
ask AI to write code to list all the stars which are within the time span
since 16 Nov 1974 when SETI sent out that message, and a second list within
the time span it would take to reply.  Going on memory here because of
limited bandwidth (like Jack Kerouac, I am on the road) there are about a
thousand stars within 52 years of earth, and about 80 some stars within 26
years?

Do remember the excitement among us space geeks when Hipparcos data started
coming in, early 1990s, oh what a time to be in the space biz.  We were
getting good accurate distances to a bunch of local stars.  Cool stuff.

BillK or the other AI hipsters, please ask your AI software to re-create my
spreadsheet from 2010.  I will try it with DuckAI, which I do have with me,
but it is not powerful compared to CursorAI.

spike



On Tue, Jul 28, 2026 at 12:13 PM Keith Henson via extropy-chat <
extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org> wrote:

> This may actually be our situation if my reading of Tabby's star and the
> two dozen other blinking stars is correct. The evidence supports them
> spreading out at 1/3rd of c. The closest blinker is 511 ly out. This might
> not be the case, of course, but if it is, one of these days we might see
> the asteroid Vista turning into a data center for uploaded aliens.
>
> If they remember their own biological origins, they might take an interest
> in humanity.
>
> Or not. I doubt they would bother to wipe us out.
>
> Keith
>
> PS, I realize how unlikely it is that we would have neighbors that close.
>
>
> On Tue, Jul 28, 2026 at 3:41 AM Ben Zaiboc via extropy-chat <
> extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org> wrote:
>
>> On 28/07/2026 04:44, spike wrote:
>> >
>> > How do you dim a star at a few Hz rate, Keith asked.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > I answer: you don’t.  There is no need to send signals at data rates
>> that high.  The only message that needs to be sent out is “Hello galaxy, we
>> are here.”
>>
>>
>> I would question the 'need' to do that. What benefit would it bring? What
>> risks would it create?
>>
>> Far better, I'd think, to put the same effort into making billions of von
>> Neumann probes, and spread your actual civilisation across the galaxy,
>> instead of just spreading news of it.
>>
>>
>> >
>> > Why send such a signal?  Because as soon as any nearby intelligent
>> civilization realized there was a technologically advanced civilization
>> nearby, it would use its laser to start sending signals to that system.
>> The SBrains would get free intelligence, and identifying which stars
>> contain civilizations capable of receiving signals sent at much higher data
>> rates using a laser, as Keith suggested.  Until the SBrains figure out
>> where the live stars are located, the laser is a waste of energy and
>> effort.  The SBrain first six prime signal, sent passively identifies where
>> someone is listening.
>>
>>
>> OR:
>> As soon as civilisation A realized there was a civilisation B nearby, it
>> would build massive amounts of nanotech probes and send them in that
>> direction to dismantle civilisation B and use its resources and data to
>> expand civilisation A.
>>
>> Maybe advanced civilisations tend to overcome the imperatives of
>> biological life and turn to co-operation instead of competition, but would
>> you gamble your entire existence on it?
>>
>> --
>> Ben
>>
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