Life in the universe?

I'm curious as to what your opinions are regarding the prospects of life elsewhere in the universe? I mean this with the utmost sincerity and am not attempting to generate a thread of silly comments. Surely one involved in astronomy cannot help but wonder, marvel even, at what is and may be "out there".
I'm curious whether people feel that life exists elsewhere in our solar system (Europa, in the Martian past, etc.), or our galaxy?
For those familiar with the Drake equation it would seem that the probability is indeed quite high. However, several of the variables involve guesswork and thus, it is not a certainty.
Furthermore, one might speculate on the prospect for "intelligent life" (humbly, and probably presumptively using us a model for "intelligence"). And thus, if the galaxy is indeed teeming with self-aware, technologically advanced beings, why have they not contacted us....or have they (as some claim...I however am not in this category).
When one thinks of human evolution, with modern humans existing for perhaps 200,000 or so years (and with real evidence of advanced thought such as Lascaux cave art existing for perhaps 35,000-40,000 years) it is indeed amazing how far, how fast we've come. Just think where we may be in another 1,000 years, another 10,000, another million...all cosmic blinks of an eye...intelligent life somewhere else could be just such a few blinks ahead of us...with technology and abilities we can scarcely imagine.

Any thoughts?

Anthony, I am inclined to think that an alien life form communicating with us, is as plausible as us communicating with insects. Sincerely, Mr. Darian Rachal

"How far and how fast" we've come?

OK, it seems pretty fast, geologically speaking. I'm one of those cynics when it comes to the "far" part, though. We've gotten the hang of developing technology so well that I think it's fooling us when it comes to our overall concept of where our species is. (This may not seem to connect to Life In The Universe, but hang on...)

Basically, if we can put men on the moon but still have fifty-year-old men thumbing their noses like 8-year-olds on the net, *quite* a disparity exists. Consciousness came along *way* after instinct, yet it was told to order instinct around. Result: goofy planet.

Now we want to find others out there, plainly to have something new to laugh at -- we're getting tired of being the only ones who are both in on, and the butt of, every joke there is.

But perhaps I shouldn't tackle questions like this after I've watched three Godzilla movies in a row...