<p>Maybe we're just first in our neighborhood.</p>
<p>-Dave</p>
<p><blockquote type="cite">On Feb 16, 2011 12:32 PM, "Keith Henson" <<a href="mailto:hkeithhenson@gmail.com">hkeithhenson@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br><br>On Wed, Feb 16, 2011 at 12:38 AM, Eugen Leitl <<a href="mailto:eugen@leitl.org">eugen@leitl.org</a>> wrote:<br>
<br>
> On Tue, Feb 15, 2011 at 03:13:18PM -0500, David Lubkin wrote:<br>
><br>
>> I'm still pissed at Sagan for his hubris in sending a message to the<br>
>> stars without asking the rest of us first, in blithe certainty that "of<br>
>> course" any recipient would have evolved beyond aggression and<br>
>> xenophobia.<br>
><br>
> The real reasons if that they would be there you'd be dead, Jim.<br>
> In fact, if any alien picks up the transmission (chance: very close<br>
> to zero) they'd better be farther advanced than us, and on a<br>
> faster track. I hope it for them.<br>
<br>
I have been mulling this over for decades.<br>
<br>
We look out into the Universe and don't (so far) see or hear any<br>
evidence of technophilic civilization.<br>
<br>
I see only two possibilities:<br>
<br>
1) Technophilics are so rare that there are no others in our light cone.<br>
<br>
2) Or if they are relatively common something wipes them *all* out,<br>
or, if not wiped out, they don't do anything which indicates their<br>
presence.<br>
<br>
If 1, then the future is unknown. If 2, it's probably related to<br>
local singularities. If that's the case, most of the people reading<br>
this list will live to see it.<br>
<br>
Keith<br>
<br>
PS. If anyone can suggest something that is not essentially the same<br>
two situations, please speak up.<br>
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</blockquote></p>