The Drake Equation

Well, that does it. I might as well come right out and say it. I'm a nerd, a huge nerd really. It's probably not a surprise to anyone, but the reasoning behind my declaration may surprise some of you. Yes, it's well documented that I'm a video game nerd, a history nerd, a comic book nerd, and a movie nerd. But, I've joined into the strongest bastion of nerdom, the space nerds.
For the last 6 months I've been following a space blog called "Universe Today" It's full of fascinating information on anything from the latest design for the moon rover to cosmic rays and asteroids.
I used to be very interested in space and space exploration. When I was younger my dad and I spent hours building an Apollo rocket model and launching other rockets out of a local high school football field. Then I discovered that math was essential to perusing this interest. I've never been much of a math guy. So it became more of a hobby. Now I want to share that hobby because I am finding out all kinds of interesting things that I'd love to talk about with people.
Today I learned about the Drake Equation. To put it as easily as I can it is an equation that tries to assign numerical values to relevant terms to determine the amount of intelligent life in our galaxy. Sounds neat right? It is, in fact, why you don’t check out the actual equation here.
The Universe Today discussed it in relation to a "new drake equation", one that ultimately leaves us with the probability that there may be only one intelligent civilization capable of communication in the entire Milky Way, if that. That doesn't mean there isn't a lot more life out there on planets, but probably not comparable life.
This raises all kinds of interesting questions. is the equation flawed since it's based solely on earth experiences? Can we really set values for unknowns like the average lifetime of a communicating civilization? Are we looking for life the wrong way? Could humans actually be the oldest and most technologically advanced life forms in the universe? Will contact with other life ever be made? Given how small a percentage there is of another communicating civilization existing will we ever coexist at the same time with one? I literally have thousands of questions and it is tremendous fun to just sit and ponder some of these things. So, I guess I'm suggesting you too become a nerd. Check out the article I am talking about and then the rest of the blog. They update it everyday, sometimes several times a day, so you'll always have something interesting to read. Join the nerds.