Why haven't we figured people out yet? Maybe it's because we have nothing to compare ourselves against. There are no other species out there with our intelligence or verbal communication or any of the other things that make human beings unique among the creatures of the earth. Perhaps the most interesting thing about discovering intelligent alien beings would not be understanding them, but understanding ourselves.
...is a weblog about the liberal arts 2.0 edited by Jason Kottke since March 1998 (archives). You can read about me and kottke.org here. If you've got questions, concerns, or interesting links, send them along.