11 June 2013

Birthdays
Shia LeBeouf b. 1986
Peter Dinklage b. 1969

This year, the picture slot goes to Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister. Will I play fair and go with a picture of Mr. LeBeouf next year?

Aw, hellz no, as we say in Oakland. Unless research finds a really cute girl who shares a birthday with these two worthies, next June 11 will be a different picture of Tyrion.

Many happy returns to both.

In the year 2000!

Prediction: By the end of this century mankind will have explored this solar system, and the first ship intended to reach the nearest star will be a-building.

Predictor: Robert A. Heinlein in his set of predictions from 1950

Reality: I've said this before, it will be said again. You will have to pry the idea of interstellar space travel from the cold, dead hands of the Hard SF crowd.

Hard SF was supposed to take real science into account. But here's some real science. We can't go faster than the speed of light. Getting to even a measurable fraction of the speed of light would mean a ship that is hard to steer or slow down and needs some kind of infallible protection from collision with even tiny objects. Solve all those problems and it still takes at least years to get to the nearest star - probably more like centuries - with no promise that there is anything of value there.

Hey! Ghost of Ridiculous Bob! Is that hard science easy enough for ya?

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Our regularly scheduled Wednesday programming is interrupted by an exact date. June 12, 1983, an exciting prediction from the mind of Irwin Allen!

 Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!