Re: starship-design: RE: Bugs again

[Gene Marlin <rmarlin@network-one.com>]

> > I do not have in mind our "normal" broadcasts:
> > first, they are undirected and low power (as others pointed out,
> > practically undetectable at interstellar distances), and they are
> > at most 50 ly away now, so we have still some time left
> > to work of being more fit...
> > I thought about intentional, narrow-beam broadcasts
> > (using our radar equipment) aimed at particular stars,
> > especialy close ones. I consider it silly,
> > equally as putting a plaque on Voyagers with coordinates
> > of our solar system

Why is that silly? For roughly 3500 million years, light leaving the solar
system has been "tagged" with the spectral signature of water vapor and free
oxygen, as well as methane and ozone.  Any space faring civilization capable of
interferometry would have known by now that we are prime real estate. A radio
transmission would only prove that the animals here can use tools, and perhaps
participate in a mutually beneficial exchange of biological and cultural
information.

As for conquering a distant K1 civilization, why resort to killing one or two
when you can kill off everything? An overly hostile and paranoid group of aliens
(there are probably a few), might decide to launch nanotech spores or von
Neumann devices that seek and destroy planets like Earth. By now, we would have
been overrun.

Speaking of vN, there are probably a few drifting around in some quiet part of
the Sol system right now.