I've been on the war path as for utilizing the most universal
bandwidth of communications from the very get go (at least two years
worth and counting).

The notion that some other civilization remains as primitive as our
limited communications via radio, this seems rather typically arrogant
on our part.

The capability of focusing energy, namely efficient photons upon a
given target, at perhaps as tight as 0.05 milliradian, seems to beat
anything radio by leaps and bounds, not to mention being of the most
acceptance to the widest possible range of species as well as
intellect.
http://guthvenus.tripod.com/radio-maybe.htm
http://guthvenus.tripod.com/gv-illumination.htm
http://guthvenus.tripod.com/gv-interplanetary.htm

Of attempting such efforts with the likes of Venus, as for starters
I'm of the knowledge that 400~450 nm should best penetrate those
clouds. Though as for Sirius we could go 350~400 nm if not
considerably lower, such as 200 nm, as our sun creates it's peak
energy at roughly 500 nm.

Of course, if you have anything to honestly add or reference that's
worth knowing and/or doing, as I'll certainly take a look-see in order
to learn what I can, and/or I'll publish a link into whatever you've
got.

Latest Sirius entry, along with graphics (Feb. 03, 2004):
http://guthvenus.tripod.com/gv-sirius-trek.htm

Regards, Brad Guth / IEIS~GASA

kpwatson@luna.co.uk (Keith Watson) wrote in message news:<e209b9f9.0402040544.3b6ea66e@posting.google.com>...

I've been enthusiastically running the SETI@Home client for several
years now.  The other day my wife stopped me dead in my tracks with
the throw away line "Doesn't that assume that all technologically
based cultures always use a specific part of the electro-magnetic
spectrum to communicate, etc.?" (or words to that effect, I'm
paraphrasing a bit :o) ).

It did get me thinking though. Although our current technologies use
electro-magnetic waves for communicating (i.e. radio, television,
radar, etc.) are we justified in assuming that we will always use
this? and by inference assume that extra-terrestrial intelligences
(ETIs) will also?

Trouble is we can't predict the future.  Think how different the
technologies around now are from those around at the turn of the
19th/20th centuries. There are many we have today that weren't even
thought of then (indeed I suspect a number of very learned and
educated individuals at that time would have taken great pains to
prove that they were impossible if you'd have even suggested them). 
It's entirely possible that some bright spark (no pun intended) will
come up with a new comunications technology that doesn't use the
electro-magnetic spectrum at all. And if so the chances are that other
ETIs will also.

I have this uncompfortable picture of us busily listening for
electro-magnetic signals when evidence of ETI is all around us but we
just haven't the technology to recognise it.  But then, if this is
true, then all the other ETI's probably go through the same phase! :o)

I suspect that, until we know better, we just have to keep banging
those rocks together.

Regards,

Keith