The Artemis II space-craft will circle the Moon and see its "dark side" -- including areas never seen before by humans. I'm curious what we might find there.
My guess is a restaurant so good that aliens have kept its existence a secret to prevent the place from becoming too popular.
When we're young we experiment with alternate selves, looking for one that fits.
I once donned a carapace of bad-boy bravado (shown above). It felt ridiculous and I quickly abandoned it. But we don't learn without making mistakes.
I've discovered it's fun to circle back to our youth and explore things we enjoyed then in greater depth. Like re-watching old TV shows or reading books by favorite authors.
When I was a teenager I read a few Kurt Vonnegut novels. He was very popular then. I liked "Cat's Cradle", "Slaughterhouse Five" and a few others. But Vonnegut was exceptionally prolific: he wrote fourteen novels, three short-story collections, five plays and five non-fiction books. There's a lot in his literary oeuvre I haven't touched.
I'm heading over there now. Any suggestions? Did you like any of his books?
Words are like cars: they work better when you use them. And, like cars, they can transport us to new destinations.
My fleet of words are driving me to noetic insights. And I'm learning which parkway exits to take for that knowledge.
Most of my life my equable demeanor concealed a roiling cauldron of fiery emotion. Now, however, as I approach a new town called Serenity, I'm surprised to find beatific smiles on my face that I didn't put there. Mind you, I'm not complaining, just surprised.
A basic problem, it seems, is that humans develop perceptual and conceptual ruts in our thinking as we grow into adulthood. Children don't have this problem: they still view the world with open eyes, unhindered by expectation. But the self we create growing up conquers our consciousness. It hides as much reality from us as it allows to pass through. Adult brains "see" what they expect, not what actually is. This is why most people find it urgent to quickly label and put things in known boxes. Reflexive "non-thinking" diminishes our understanding and our discourse.
I'm learning that it's possible to reduce mental blindness by removing ego from our consciousness. Ironic certainly to hear this from a literally-blind person but the point is true. We can open our minds with various techniques, the most salient of which is becoming aware of our limitations.
Ludwig van Beethoven died on this day (March 26th) almost two centuries ago. His funeral attracted 18,000 mourners who treated him like a king.
Beethoven endured a life of excruciating pain and yet persevered. He chose to live for the opportunity to create music of sublime beauty. A music expert says, "Beethoven is the composer of the human soul. He is our composer."
The original Star Trek series was broadcast 60 years ago (1966-69). William Shatner, who plays Capt. James T. Kirk, turned 95 years old this week and is still alive. On Monday Shatner tweeted (on X) about the show:
"Star Trek exists in more than one world. It exists in the fantasy of science fiction - weird and wonderful things that play unimaginable possibilities of exploration and human endeavor.... [I]t also exists in...the exploration that human beings have made since the dawn of time...physically, mentally and morally. It’s that aspect of Star Trek that I’ve always loved, to look at something physically that doesn’t exist now...but...tackle[s] the eternal human questions: the agonies, the ecstasies. Star Trek should exist for a long time to come based on those truths."
During the past five weeks I re-watched all 79 episodes (spread over three seasons). I've completed my analysis, Captain, and here is the report.
According to my calculations the most emotionally moving episode is "Amok Time" (S2, Ep.30). The funniest episode is "A Piece of the Action" (S2, Ep. 46). And the scariest episode is "Cat's Paw" (S2, Ep. 36).
This report concludes there is intelligent life on the Starship Enterprise. I recommend beaming up for an enjoyable visit. Spock out.
Captain's Log, Star-Date 3018.2
After beaming down to the planet's surface with a landing party my crew and I embarked on my five-week mission to bravely explore new worlds. Specifically, we visited "Star Trek: The Original Series" [TOS].
Initially broadcast on Earth television in the 1960s, TOS was poorly handled by network executives (life-forms possessing inferior intelligence). Before VCRs, DVDs and other recording devices, CBS executives scheduled the show at late hours on weeknights where it was unlikely to attract an audience. This misjudgment resulted in low ratings, truncated growth and ultimately cancellation after only three seasons. Fortunately, the series was re-run a decade later (in syndication) at earlier hours (dinner-time) where enthusiastic young fans embraced the show. That fan-base grew into a powerful force and the show's reputation developed at accelerated pace.
My current report on the series is encouraging. The planet's inhabitants, while often engaged in flagrant over-acting, created intriguing characters with emotional depth. Ironically most in a Vulcan whose emotions are restrained. My sensor readings confirm sufficient data here to sustain life for numerous spin-offs including 13 television shows, 14 movies, innumerable conferences and avid fan-fiction. Kirk to Enterprise: there is enough here to build a cultural empire.
TOS writing broke new ground: its setting in a fantasy world (sci-fi) allowed it to explore themes forbidden on normal TV. Subjects like racism and oppression were probed. At the same time some retrograde views (especially on women) persisted.
Mr. Spock: "What we've just seen is not real."
Captain Kirk: "All the same, let's be prepared. Ready phasers and keep your eyes open."
