On 8 Mar 2007 21:08:36 -0800, wrote:

-snip-

Here is some food for thought. Consider the null
result, thus far, from the Seti program. They
have surveyed candidate stars over a considerable
volume of space with a sensitivity capable of detecting
a civilization leaking radio/tv radiation at a strength
comparable to our commercial broadcasting, and
anything with the strength of our military radar out
to a considerable distance beyond.

There are three obvious explanations:
Either it is rather unusual for a civilization
capable of our technology to get started in the
first place, or most of those that do are shy
about accidentally or deliberately making their
existence known, or they don't last long after
making it to our level of technology.

That third possibility is sobering.

For some of us.

Another possibility, from a book I'm reading.

There's an omni-not-so-benevolent intelligence out there that listens
for, as the book put it, the yapping dog in the yard (RF in space) and
when found, comes by and "shoots" it. In the book, they blew up our
sun. Book is, "Variable Star" by Robert A. Heinlein and Spider
Robinson. Pretty good read. Not done yet so I can't tell you how it
ends.

Renata