I feel like I'm riding herd on everyone today. I hope it isn't coming across as that, I just want to see where things stand on a bunch of stuff that's sorta been drifting for a couple weeks.

Scientists think they'll find an earth-like planet around another star sometime within the next 1000 days.

Race to the Bottom

The bottom line is that the discovery of a true analog to Earth is so close; researchers already feel its hot breath. But if such a planet is found, will the public care?

Gauging from the enthusiasm that greeted the discovery of Gliese 581e, the answer is emphatically yes. My in-box will be flooded with emails urging that our SETI experiments target the new world, and of course we'll do that. But keep this in mind: a single Earth-like planet (or even several dozen) is like a single kiss – it's not enough. Terra firma has been around for 4.6 billion years, but life clever enough to transmit signals into space has been walking Earth's surface for less than a century. If you're sanguine enough to believe that we'll continue to be technologically proficient for another 10 thousand years, then the fraction of our planet's lifetime during which someone was "on the air" on Earth will have been no more than two parts in a million.

If this estimate is even roughly typical of other worlds, then we'll need to aim our radio antennas in the directions of 500 thousand Earth-like planets to have a decent chance of hearing anyone. That may sound daunting, but new instruments — such as the Allen Telescope Array — can pull that off in two decades' time, if Earth-like worlds are common.

Yay!

I feel like I'm riding herd on everyone today. I hope it isn't coming across as that, I just want to see where things stand on a bunch of stuff that's sorta been drifting for a couple weeks.

Pfft. Sometimes people need to be ridden!

Leif! Smartypants galore.

Kid is scary smart. I don't think we're going to let him know about that score anytime soon. His ego is already fairly huge.

re: other times other places

mac used to walk to school by himself and home again, as well as be home sometimes several hours a a day alone. This was all prior to him being 4.5, so for at least half a year. not doable now.

I don't think we're going to let him know about that score anytime soon.

I had to let Abby know or at least, give her some perspective on her intelligence last week. She was bemoaning the fact that her classmates tended to gang up on her and call her stupid and the like and she couldn't figure out why. I had to tell her it was because they were probably intimidated by her, even if they themselves didn't realize it. And this isn't just proud parent-speak, but something that also came from her teacher who actually recommended to the middle school guidance counselor that Abby be put with as many new kids as possible next year.

I had to try to explain how there were different kinds of smart kids-- and that a lot of kids were smart and could function well within defined rules and parameters, but that those were oftentimes the kids who were most freaked out by smart kids with no boundaries or parameters who thought differently.

Someone recently reminded me that in Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing (Judy Blume, 1972), the boy is 9 and goes to play with his friends in Central Park alone. He's never been mugged, but has friends who have been, and takes for granted that he will be some day too.

I am packing for a move tomorrow. Just to another rental, but still... packing is so BORING. God.

I'm watching classic Trek on fancast to pass the time. Except now I'm just watching for the last ten minutes. Not helpful. Someone kick me in the pants, please.

I gotta funky rhyme and a funky style
gotta funky funky rhyme and a funky style

also

Engine Engine number 9
on the New York Transit Line

Get Packing Now!!!!