I eavesdropped on a communication..
[...]
> > So, for the SETI@home project to work, as has been
> suggested, by
> > "evesdropping" on similar level civilizations,
> they would have to
> > be within ~100 light years of us.
>
> Or, as has already been pointed out, they could have
> been farther away but
> further advanced: e.g., 200 light years away, 200
> years ahead of us.
>
> > If they are beyond that their
> > signals would have already passed us by. If you
This very much depends on whether we actually eavesdrop on normal radio traffic, or find a purposeful beacon (permanent or in response to our signals). The ETs' unintentional radio emanation might disappear as tech evolved, but the beacon is something that we could count on for a longer term and over greater distances.
[...]
> Even Joe Sixpack knows that SETI isn't guaranteed to
> find anything. That's
> why they call it a "search".
Indeed. The whole point is we cannot make too many assumptions. Atleast SETI@home allows us an inexpensive crack at it.
Mike