I've completed perhaps a dozen global adventures, that is, around the world trips. From the first on Pan Am a third of a century ago to my recent Tokyo-Amsterdam-Las Vegas-Denver "quickie," they were all different and experienceful. Coming home safely could have been the best part of all, but the journey each time was memorable. Says something about life itself, as, if you don't believe in an afterlife, you can't wait till the end.
On this note, Prickly City (a political comic strip, mostly featuring Carmen, a conservative grade school Hispanic girl, and Winslow, a liberal coyote pup) was particularly appropriate to this theme today:
The same might be said for the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI), my Chapter 4 of SIMPLE SOLUTION for Humanity. Sure, I've been critical of our military budget and those expensive NASA missions, but that does not mean we shouldn't continue to explore for the limits of knowledge. So what if Enrico Fermi's Paradox questions this effort or Steven Hawking is worried that searching poses risks to Humanity. A small fraction of tax funds should be invested in SETI, for what if the solution to Peace or answer to Fusion is beaming in from an advanced civilization? Thus, the $2 billion Square Kilometre Array, to become the world's largest telescope in 2024, spearheaded by South Africa and Australia, I think can be justified. Remember Contact?
If we never detect anything, ever, Winslow nevertheless, has the right attitude. Further, for the sake of Humanity, we do need to dream, too.
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