[ExI] video which changed my perspective

[spike at rainier66.com]

…> On Behalf Of Will Steinberg via extropy-chat
Subject: Re: [ExI] video which changed my perspective

 

>If you like this video you'd probably like the drugs Sagan took to help him think like this ;)

 

Will, I am pretty sure Sagan wasn’t stoned when he made that video.

 

I live near enough to San Francisco to see what has happened to the place since they decided they won’t try to stop junkies from doing their thing there.  Now one does not take one’s own vehicle in there unless you enjoy having it plundered.  The subway station and the bus station, along with the usual places have homeless junkies shambling about, sleeping for a while but always waking to a grinding hunger for more of whatever it was which put them there to start with.  

 

I understand there are plenty of functional addicts, however we don’t see them.  We see the dysfunctional addicts.  I see vastly insufficient payoff for the visible risk in any of it.  I have a great time without it, without any of it including alcohol.  I have a lot of fun inside this head, more than I deserve.  I will not risk that to see if there is still more fun with some kind of chemical additive.

 

But speaking of chemical-free fun and Sagan…

 

Back about 10 years ago, SETI was bouncing around trying to find a place to have our meetings, which were excellent.  They were very generally about SETI but other astronomy topics were covered with excellent guest speakers.  The venue was over on the Microsloth’s Silicon Valley campus.  As I was going in, I noticed Jill Tarter was coming in behind me.  I knew who she was, but had never met her face to face.  I was trying to get up the nerve to introduce myself.  We went up the stairs toward the auditorium.  Realizing it was my last chance, I turned to her and said “Dr. Tarter, I really liked your acting in that movie.”  She looked puzzled, taking the bait.  I said “You are that actress who played the lead role in Jody Foster’s autobiography.”  Well, it worked.  She was laughing at my silliness right when we walked into the auditorium together.  So now all these SETIers think that I am big buddies with Jill Tarter, when in reality she doesn’t know me from Adam’s off ox.

 

Will, I have fun in this head without chemicals.

 

spike

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Sun, Mar 27, 2022 at 1:45 PM spike jones via extropy-chat <extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org <mailto:extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org> > wrote:

 

I saw this on videotape when I was in college 40 years ago.  It rocked my world.  Still does:

 

(138) Carl Sagan's Pale Blue Dot OFFICIAL - YouTube <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GO5FwsblpT8> 

 

spike

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