Pulling off very short stories is hard - there isn't enough space for building a character or a story someone cares about. That is why I usually read the Probability Zero stories in Analog without expecting much. And then I am pleasantly surprised when one of them works.

Humanity evolving on Earth is not exactly good news for the Great Galactics. They are looking for place for a new colony and sharing a world with other intelligent races is not really something they do. Plans get built and discarded and at the end one is found. The part that made me laugh is that it fits perfectly with where we are at the moment as species.

Charming story. It may not be as deep as some of Pohl's other works but it is delightful. ( )