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The Universe is a pretty big place, she said

They will come tonight
MAYBE THEY WILL COME TONIGHT. The universe is a pretty big place, she said. But what she left unsaid is that they’re coming for you. It’s just a matter of time. And they will surely ask: “Are you with us? Or against us?” (Saved from boredart.com via Pinterest)

“The universe is a pretty big place,” Dr. Ellie Arroway used to say in Contact.

So, if you see nothing but stupidity around you these days—and I don’t mean just in your favorite media (including social media)—it’s good to keep this reminder in mind.

It means that sentient beings and intelligent civilizations continue to exist elsewhere—and I don’t mean we need to look in other star systems beyond Earth. Continue reading “The Universe is a pretty big place, she said”

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The six stages in a product’s life

To preempt complaints about the title (with shouts of “Boo! False advertising!”), I should probably include an alternate title or subtitle this early: An Allegory for Historical Materialism and Modern Political Economy. Or maybe this: Science Fiction: Utopian and Scientific.

But let me get straight to the point and answer my own question: What are the six stages in a product’s life? I can think of six. There may be more if you add regional variations, or less if you see enough commonalities. But I’ll stick with six:

Scene from 2001 Space Odyssey: big ape meets monolith.
Scene from 2001 Space Odyssey: big ape meets monolith.

Continue reading “The six stages in a product’s life”