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Or it might be that advanced civilisations use more advanced means of communication. In such a vast universe, clearly superluminal communication speeds, should

Or it might be that advanced civilisations use more advanced means of communication. In such a vast universe, clearly superluminal communication speeds, should they be attainable, would be used. Maybe we just need to "tune in" properly.

rimantas 11y ago
Or maybe aliens are still in the stone age.
- elorant 11y ago
  Or in the same technological level that we are and they just didn't had the chance or the means to find us yet.
  - teambob 11y ago
    Or they can only communicate through carefully modulated gastric emissions. Then discovered fire. https://youtu.be/Do-wDPoC6GM?t=2m3s https://youtu.be/Do-wDPoC6GM?t=2m3s
- tiatia 11y ago
  This is possible but extremely unlikely, hence an unscientific assumption. You always assume the likely. That is is more likely that you are in the middle. You could argue that ONE of the steps to intelligent life is unlikely, incredible more unlikely as we assume. But the questions remains: Why are they not here? I am afraid we may not like the answer, whatever it is. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermi_paradox https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermi_paradox Related statistics: Doomsday argument German Tank Problem Capture Recapture
  - rimantas 11y ago
    The answer is obvious to me: the chances of life are very small. The universe is very big (that's some underestimation). So it is likely, that we are not alone in the universe, but we may be so far apart in terms of space and time that there will be no contact ever. Just take a look how far our signals have travelled since we began transmitting — they only covered a small part of our own galaxy.
ricardolopes 11y ago
Or both. Yes, I don't believe higher civilisations use the same means of communication we use today, just as we don't use the same as we did some centuries ago.
- morsch 11y ago
  That might be true if you only consider technologically facilitated means of communication, otherwise simple direct speech probably still makes up the largest part of it, just like it did some centuries ago. Though, strangely enough, only when you count it from the performative side. That is I bet overall more words are spoken each day than written down (or otherwise technically transmitted). On the receiving end, ie. hearing/reading, due to the "broadcast" nature of newspaper, radio, TV and the internet, maybe more communication is technologically facilitated than not. That is more words are read or listened to than heard directly from another person. I wonder if and when that happened.
analog31 11y ago
Guided waves would also be possible. I wonder what we'd think of alien civilizations, if we'd discovered fiber optics before radio.
- dogma1138 11y ago
  You mean like we did? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photophone https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photophone

rimantas 11y ago

Or maybe aliens are still in the stone age.

elorant 11y ago
Or in the same technological level that we are and they just didn't had the chance or the means to find us yet.
- teambob 11y ago
  Or they can only communicate through carefully modulated gastric emissions. Then discovered fire. https://youtu.be/Do-wDPoC6GM?t=2m3s https://youtu.be/Do-wDPoC6GM?t=2m3s
tiatia 11y ago
This is possible but extremely unlikely, hence an unscientific assumption. You always assume the likely. That is is more likely that you are in the middle. You could argue that ONE of the steps to intelligent life is unlikely, incredible more unlikely as we assume. But the questions remains: Why are they not here? I am afraid we may not like the answer, whatever it is. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermi_paradox https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermi_paradox Related statistics: Doomsday argument German Tank Problem Capture Recapture
- rimantas 11y ago
  The answer is obvious to me: the chances of life are very small. The universe is very big (that's some underestimation). So it is likely, that we are not alone in the universe, but we may be so far apart in terms of space and time that there will be no contact ever. Just take a look how far our signals have travelled since we began transmitting — they only covered a small part of our own galaxy.

ricardolopes 11y ago

Or both. Yes, I don't believe higher civilisations use the same means of communication we use today, just as we don't use the same as we did some centuries ago.

morsch 11y ago
That might be true if you only consider technologically facilitated means of communication, otherwise simple direct speech probably still makes up the largest part of it, just like it did some centuries ago. Though, strangely enough, only when you count it from the performative side. That is I bet overall more words are spoken each day than written down (or otherwise technically transmitted). On the receiving end, ie. hearing/reading, due to the "broadcast" nature of newspaper, radio, TV and the internet, maybe more communication is technologically facilitated than not. That is more words are read or listened to than heard directly from another person. I wonder if and when that happened.

analog31 11y ago

Guided waves would also be possible. I wonder what we'd think of alien civilizations, if we'd discovered fiber optics before radio.

dogma1138 11y ago
You mean like we did? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photophone https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photophone