Mars
by rrusczyk, Jun 21, 2008, 12:10 AM
Back on my Mars kick, this story, while not entirely unexpected, could end up being the biggest news of the year when someone in 2050 looks back at 2008. OK, I'm exaggerating, but maybe not by much.
One interesting note, when I was telling Paul about the Mars book, and we turned to talking about "why Mars", he jumped immediately to the most interesting reason -- that it might ultimately be a chance for humans to take another swing at developing a society from scratch. There likely won't be any other chances of that here on Earth unless there's a massive catastrophe first. Hmmm... Maybe we shouldn't worry about asteroid defense. But the old adage about interesting times is almost certainly a true one. My generation in the United States has had a decidedly uninteresting time so far, 9/11 notwithstanding. And, probably as a result, we've had a much easier ride than any recent generation before us.
One interesting note, when I was telling Paul about the Mars book, and we turned to talking about "why Mars", he jumped immediately to the most interesting reason -- that it might ultimately be a chance for humans to take another swing at developing a society from scratch. There likely won't be any other chances of that here on Earth unless there's a massive catastrophe first. Hmmm... Maybe we shouldn't worry about asteroid defense. But the old adage about interesting times is almost certainly a true one. My generation in the United States has had a decidedly uninteresting time so far, 9/11 notwithstanding. And, probably as a result, we've had a much easier ride than any recent generation before us.
February 2012
January 2012