Great article!
I think with the sheer number of planets out there, the chances of us being alone are very slim. I don't think there's been any sort of traffic between our civilizations and of course there's no way of knowing how far along they are compared to us. But I no longer think it's far-fetched to suggest there's something out there. The question is what?
I don't think it's simply a loneliness issue. If we ARE alone, then that's a good thing in many ways. That eliminates the fear of a more advanced civilization than ours. I just don't think it's something nature is capable of. I can't imagine that nature would only create ONE intelligent species in this WHOLE galaxy...much less the universe.