Hi,
 > Just a simple, "Hello, out there!" might take a
 > thousand years to get
 > any kind of reply. ...And that is about all we dare to
 > hope for.
 Even that would be nice.
 The fact is though that if we can relate another civilisation in any way to 
how long they have so far lasted on earth then there is not much chance we 
would be around to receive a reply to our reply to them, or even their being 
still around to receive it.
 > I'll tell you a secret feeling of mine, Troy...
 > Sometimes I lose my
 > optimism altogether! The grand design of the universe
 > seems to keep
 > us separated from our sentient neighbors at just the
 > distance required
 > to prevent communications.
 I agree with you Jack, but do not lose all hope as time is a strange thing 
and there have in the past, been well documented conditions where time 
'slips' have or appear to have occured.
 sig rex
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