Where is everybody? The Fermi Paradox, Part 2: It’s just too hard

Another possibility, albeit one not terribly popular with science-fiction writers, is that interstellar travel is just too difficult.  There is no way to travel faster than the speed of light, no wormholes or “jump points”. No ceramotitanumsteel alloys or materials that will hold up to the stresses of journeys of hundreds or thousands of years. Interstellar …

Where is everybody? The Fermi Paradox, Part 1: Benevolent non-interference

Science fiction fans and writers are usually familiar with the Fermi Paradox, which questions the discrepancy between what appears to be the overwhelming likelihood of the existence and distribution of high-tech civilizations, and the total lack of evidence of their existence. If you are writing a science fiction story, you should know why this situation …