On Sun, 19 Feb 2006 06:27:46 GMT, reharris1@yahoo.com (Robert Harris)
wrote:

Please excuse me if this question has been discussed before, but I am
new to this group.

Many times as a matter of fact. But it is not a "stupid" question. A
teacher once told me a "stupid" question is one that is never asked
but always wondered about.

I don't think there is much doubt, that by the end of this century,
our own broadcast television and radio will be a thing of the past.
Already, we can get a much larger and better selection of radio
stations on the Internet, and television isn't far behind. 

No you are mistaken here...I have a friend that has a  Satellite based
ISP. That means he gets both intenet, email, everything thru his
satellite dish. What about all the Starbucks coffee shops? They ALL
have wireless networking built in to them when they open.
Have you heard of HD Radio yet? It IS coming, another friend of mine
designed it and it IS being used RIGHT NOW, on a limited basis.
This is also satellite based, just as HD tv is.

But the internet is a combination of cables, tightly beamed laser
signals, and very short range wifi. Correct me if I'm wrong, but none
of our Internet communications could never be heard in other solar
systems, will they?

Yes our current transmissions to our satellites is overa football in
size, just a very small part of that transmission actually is captured
by the satellite. The same thing happens on the ground..ever wonder
why alot of people can have a satellite dish and each can receive the
same data when the satellite is only broadcasting to a small area of
the Earth. It is because the Satellite isNOT transmitting to a small
section of the Earth, it is scattering that beam all over us.

So, why would we expect alien civilizations to use such primitive and
inefficient technology? If like us, they only used open broadcasting
for about a century, then the odds of us hearing them during such a
tiny window, are astronomically small. 

This is also a misconception...we are NOT trying to talk to aliens in
the here and now, we are trying to intercept transmissions that have
travelled hundreds of thousands, in not millions of light years. That
means that the messages we will receive are from long in the past. BUT
the point of receiving one is, that when we do, we will PROVE we are
not alone and other measures need to be taken to figure out how to
receive the current messages. Currently their is very little money
being spent in this area. Can you just imagine the money that will
come in when we prove that other life forms exist!