[extropy-chat] Super Size - This?

[Olga Bourlin]

"Asteroid 2004 MN4 was no false alarm. Instead, it has provided the best 
evidence yet that a catastrophic encounter with a rogue visitor from space 
is not only possible but probably inevitable.

It also demonstrated the tenacity of the small band of professionals and 
amateurs who track potential impact asteroids, and highlighted the 
shortcomings of an international system that pays scant attention to their 
work.

"I used to say the total number of people interested in this was no more 
than one shift at a McDonald's restaurant," said David Morrison, an 
astronomer at NASA's Ames Research Center and a student of near-Earth 
objects for nearly three decades. "Now it's maybe two shifts.":

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002236985_asteroid10.html