The reason why I as is because I am plugging away at a degree in physics. I am just trying to figure out where I want to take it – definitely not academia. I am currently thinking about going into Econometrics, but I just don't know.

maybe the aliens are deep introverts (due to having such high IQ's) and just don't want to waste their time with humans… and it's not even lunch time.

Either that, or they realised that we're about as appealing to them as a bunch of Vogons in short skirts and want to stay the hell away.

Check out Greg Bear's The Forge of God, in which he presents one potential solution to the Fermi Paradox. The only problem is, the entire Earth kind of ends up as collateral damage in the process…

I think there is something about deep introverts that value honesty on an equal footing to the truth.

I reckon it's because we've been ripped off, lied to, and taken advantage of by the rest of society for our entire lives. Honesty and loyalty become extremely valuable commodities to people who come across them rarely and also have the ability to see through the BS that others spout on a regular basis. I act the same way with my friends- to me the dividing line between family and friend is basically non-existent, but it takes a lot to earn that level of trust. And the fastest way to violate that trust is to lie to me about something- and at that point I immediately go nuclear.

what do you do for a living? Solving people's problems sounds interesting.

Used to be a bookrunner in a bank- basically producing daily risk and P&L for a trading desk. That was back when everything was falling apart and I was the only one who could keep things running (not always very well, I might add). Once I got good at it, though, I went from merely holding things together to actually improving things. That eventually led to my current role, which is much more project-focused and allows me to work on implementing new technologies and new ideas across multiple business lines. These days I spend most of my time trying to figure out ways to solve complex problems within the limits of the firm's infrastructure. Good times, actually, provided you ignore the complete and utter bloody mess that is the modern banking industry…

On a more serious note, though. I think there is something about deep introverts that value honesty on an equal footing to the truth. Someone can screw up and I won't hold it against them, after all shit happens. However, lie to me (especially about money) and I will never forget, and future co-operation might prove difficult.

Also, Didactic, what do you do for a living? Solving people's problems sounds interesting.