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drethelin comments on Catastrophe Engines: A possible resolution to the Fermi Paradox - Less Wrong
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The fermi paradox is not a paradox. We have not sent out enough signal to be very noticeable, and we do not have the instruments to detect almost any alien signals. Due to signal attenuation, we would be pretty much unable to notice anything further than around 10 lightyears, and even within that range only if the signal was being beamed directly at us. The same problem applies to any aliens, only the paradox there is delayed by a further time problem: the speed of light. We've only been emitting radio for around 100 years, so there's a radius of only 100 light years within which aliens could've detected us and decided to send a signal, and an even smaller 50 lightyear radius in which we might have a chance of noticing it.
We'we been emitting the presence of oxygen in our atmosphere for about 1 billion years. Every nontrivial alien would notice this.
You don't necessarily spend a bunch of money on sending a contact message to every planet with oxygen.
Why not? Or rather make an expedition there ASAP.
At least. More likely, you have a large colonization plan underway and this planet is in your path anyway.
I think the biggest reason we have to assume that the universe is empty is that the earth hasn't already been colonized.
Regardless of whether ETs are sending signals, presumably we should be able to detect Type II or Type III civilizations given most proposals for how such civilizations should look like.