I was gonna say...three paragraphs in and still no answer?

I like your answer, though. It's interesting; technology's jumped so far forwards in the last century that the common view (at least, my impressions) is that science fiction is imminent -mostly because so much of it has been. Amazing discoveries and inventions happen every week. The Star Trek communicator (cell phones), cars that know where to go (well...GPS), even the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Kindle/iPhone + Wikipedia).

So even though I "know" it's not likely, I still feel that I wouldn't be shocked to see alien contact within our lifetime(s). Your final answer really brought home that reminder that interplanetary travel is to interstellar travel as walking to school is to flying to Japan...or perhaps an even greater gap. No aliens in real life for the time being.

The Left Hand of Darkness, huh? Great world-building, and a good print of understanding and your ever-present and ever-relevant Self-and-Other. Actually, Le Guin does both of those pretty well in most of ( ... )