You’re probably right about Dyson spheres: the idea was concieved at a particular level of knowledge about how things work, and at this level no other way of utilizing the amount of energy a star produces could be thought of. Most likely, the real implementation would surprise Dyson as mush as the horseless carriages of yore surprised those who imagined a faster mechanical horse for the then-current carts.

I guess it echoes back the fact that we don’t really know what to look for when searching for civilization more advanced that ours is. Understandably, we’re looking for some phenomena that can’t be explained by the scientific knowledge we have (and hence suggest the artificial nature of the said phenomena), but the irony here is that the scientific method is “wired” to avoid “artificial” explanation as mush as possible. Still, the Universe provides us with ample amounts of phenomena we’re not able to explain (yet?), dark matter notoriously being one.

As for the snowflakes, I’m really thrilled this little widget put you in a good mood. I’m not yet sure if I want to make it an annual habit, but I’ve been thinking of doing it for a number of Christmases, and this year the urge was irresistible.