[Narrew]

But the reason I do not think there is, because SETI has not heard 1 stinking thing for the Last 15-20 years of listening.

Our puny planet has been broadcasting for only the Last 60 years, and each year we increase the amount we send out. I do not see a future that we will close our leakage off (ie tight beam communication).

And lets say that we will broadcast indiscriminately for a total of 1k years. Before we decide not to leak anymore or die off, what ever.

So just as a ripple in a pond flows out, our broadcast will flow away from the earth, so if the Drake's equation is any where correct, we should hear other races communications, even if that race is dead and gone, as its ripple flows over Earth's orbit. I do not know when the Universes background radiation will distort/destroy a signal, but it seems a long time. So at anyone time, there should be a few signals coming from somewhere.

It's either that, or we are the only race that is stupid enough to leak our communications out to space (paranoid aliens then).

As the movie brought up, it comes down to Occam's Razor.

Now, don't get me wrong, I think SETI should continue to listen, just incase we are in dry period (of ripples). And I do want to see E.T.'s, but until we hear something, I will go with Occam.