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From cave paintings to 4chan in 20k years... that's an excellent way to look at it, and makes it easier to wrap your mind around the timelines it can take a civilization to get from milestone to milestone. It's hard to conceive of the times and distances we are talking about here. Having a practical timeframe to think of, at least gives you a handhold to grab on to, as you slide down the infinite mountain of numbers... And ooli makes a good point about intelligence. I know the Drake Equation has thought of that, but breaking it down into layman-understandable pieces is a valuable exercise for me.