Simon Laub wrote:
New Scientist wrote:

IF WE aNEW SCIENTIST re not alone in the Universe, why have we never

picked up signals

from an extraterrestrial civilisation? This long-standing puzzle, known
as the Fermi paradox after physicist Enrico Fermi, who first posed the
question, is still one of the strongest arguments against the existence
of intelligent aliens.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2003-05/ns-aah050703.php

Makes sense if you have some nasty aliens out there. And then poor
us little Earthlings ....

-> i.e. "Let them join us when we think they are ready".

-Simon
silanian.tripod.com

I see the Fermi Paradox as based on an invalid assumption.

I used to live near the ocean, and would sometimes wade and swim in the sea.
I never saw a shark. Yet I did not exclaim "There are said to be sharks in
here, I don't see them and therefore they probably do not exist." I knew
they were there, but merely beyond the range of my human sensoria.

I believe that is a fairly good analogy to extraterrestrial intelligence.
The size of the universe is such that it is inconceivable that we are the
only technological beings in existence. Yet that same immense size that
assures we are not the only ones also insures that it is improbable that we
will interact with, or even detect them.

-- 
Tony Sivori