I pretty much agree. I mean - I see where he's coming from. But I think it's based on a false premise. I think it's entirely possible that we are
the first species in our galaxy or local group that have evolved to the point of getting off the planet or seriously contemplating moving out beyond our solar
system. Unlikely, but possible.
One thing we've recently discovered. That whole idea of our I Love Lucy reruns being beamed across space? Turns out it's not really possible to discern
anything intelligible about them or that they are anything beyond random noise. IIRC, this is based on experience with getting signals to and from the Pioneer
and Voyager craft. Yes, the raw radio noise would be there, but you wouldn't be able to reconstruct anything from it. So most likely we are NOT
inadvertently broadcasting our presence to the Saberhagen Berserkers or the ID4 aliens. Basically, the whole notion of SETI is flawed. It's unlikely in the
extreme that we're going to be able to pick up on anything at all in regards to any alien species or empires that way.
Either they can't see us/we can't see them, or they may be using something other than radio to communicate with. Gravity Waves maybe? There was an
interesting short story from Larry Niven in the 70s concerning an old Gravity Wave Comm system left on Mars by a departed alien civilization.
the first species in our galaxy or local group that have evolved to the point of getting off the planet or seriously contemplating moving out beyond our solar
system. Unlikely, but possible.
One thing we've recently discovered. That whole idea of our I Love Lucy reruns being beamed across space? Turns out it's not really possible to discern
anything intelligible about them or that they are anything beyond random noise. IIRC, this is based on experience with getting signals to and from the Pioneer
and Voyager craft. Yes, the raw radio noise would be there, but you wouldn't be able to reconstruct anything from it. So most likely we are NOT
inadvertently broadcasting our presence to the Saberhagen Berserkers or the ID4 aliens. Basically, the whole notion of SETI is flawed. It's unlikely in the
extreme that we're going to be able to pick up on anything at all in regards to any alien species or empires that way.
Either they can't see us/we can't see them, or they may be using something other than radio to communicate with. Gravity Waves maybe? There was an
interesting short story from Larry Niven in the 70s concerning an old Gravity Wave Comm system left on Mars by a departed alien civilization.