re: The machines who walked and walked and walked...
my notion is that emotions are often the genes speaking to us, and if we invoke the emotions associated with exploration and settlement, we'll awaken the walker gene.
A successful emotion being the fright caused by the Soviet advances in space until 1966!
Further, we're more likely to actually meet intelligences produced by the walker strategy.
I'd translate it this way: a human made machine could be the first to meet an ET entity...also a machine.
Raoul asked a simple question, that's the answer he got. That'll teach him!
Haa, but it's very productive!! thanks to you!