Hi LJK

the difference between the two is that the "message in a bottle" concept of those researchers was about communications with other ETIs - and they're right. Message probes are cheaper per bit than broadcast radio when you have no particular destination in mind. What Gurzadyan was trying to say was that aliens won't fly between stars via starships but will instead beam themselves around as patterns of information to already established destinations. Of course a probe has to go there first to build the right receiver facility - which synergises with the message probe concept quite neatly.

Adam