Hey RA, I been meaning to ask you about the definitions of intelligent life, I heard "tool using" used as a description of intelligence, wouldn't such a definition include chimpanzees? Would they be considered "intelligent", since they use rocks to break open shells and other souces of food?
Tough question! Some believe that Dolphins are intelligent even though they do not use tools. I think the line gets blurred personally.
For SETI, all we can do is look for a non-natural RF source such as an extremely narrowband carrier. This implies a tool building species that has progressed far enough to be using tools that emit microwaves at a power high enough for us to detect them.
Ping test.