By the author's watch, the time during which we search, and will search, for extraterrestrial intelligence is, and will be, very short compared to the age of the universe, the expected life of our solar system and the very brief time our technologies permit such a search.
Given that there are "billions and billions" of stars, some of which probably have life-sustaining planets, some
of which may have intelligent life as we know it, searching for "intelligent" signals within 200 light-years distance from Earth will be statistically fruitless.
When the Earth completes another orbit of the Sun, we will see one more light-year into the past. We will be
as extinct as the dinosaurs (or the extraterrestrial intelligent dinosaurs looking for us) before any signals
can be detected, let alone communications established.
In an admitted misanthropic parting slap-shot, the author believes that any "intelligent" extraterrestrial life will
avoid contact with the Earth if they detect our commercial radio and television signals or, especially, Earth military communications. Fortunately, Earth's signals will be swamped by interstellar radio frequency interference, such as noise from the background cosmic radiation, before these signals further pollute the universe.
