Although the prose and storytelling is . . non-optimal . . I found Stross' explanation for the Fermi problem extremely convincing, from the novel Accelerando[1]

Although the prose and storytelling is . . non-optimal . . I found Stross' explanation for the Fermi problem extremely convincing, from the novel Accelerando[1]. I think it's sort-of called the Bandwidth Explanation. Basically, the apparent lack of intelligent life in the universe is an illusion created by a shortage of bandwidth. I'm going to try and work through it here. As a civilization spreads, the outer nodes get "dumber" as the speed of light begins to cut into bandwidth/response. So agents get much more bang for their buck increasing their complexity while staying inside the light-second (or light-hour, with caching) sphere, right up until computational complexity is nearing the atomic level (i.e., "computronium"). So you get these planetary-sized shells of computronium, bound by the bandwidth limit of C. Human-equivalent intelligence gets a simulation space that's larger than a few hundred thousand Earths[0]. I'm probably not explaining it all that well, but Accelerando is free on the internet[1]. Like I said - not amazing literature, but pretty neat ideas. The sad part of all this is that civilizations reach this hard halt where they've converted their systems into computronium - they come to a sudden halt, and no way to press on outwards, as they're all held in thrall to the light sphere. [0] I challenge the notion of "simulation space" or even the notion that "downloaded humans" would stay human for very long (they wouldn't). Another problem: Stross' system is a little bit magical in terms of its infrastructure, because a fog of undifferentiated laser-connected micro-computers is going to have terrible latency across a 1 AU distance, and there's no way for a central authority to route things. But Stross is way smarter than I am . . so who knows? [1] https://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/accelerando/accelerando-intro.html https://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/acceler... [1.a] Unrelated, but check out "A Colder War", also downloadable. CIA Cold War shenanigans meets Cthulhu! Features some obscure Cambrian species. This sent me down a rabbit hole of learning about the incredible early animals of our planet's history.