Procrastination in space

With Fuglesang in orbit and a bleak sun shining through the windows of Tornhem, I once again have a hard time concentrating on writing my WPSA paper due for presentation in Las Vegas in early March 2007.

While browsing endless internet pages I came across this:

Beyond the Drake Equation

Take some time off and read this page, enter your own estimates, and explore how the formula works. I did it and, even as I have been writing about Drake before, it give me a sense of renewed direction in my own work. Don’t worry, I will not put this in the final paper, I just had to write it down for myself:

"It is likely that each generation considers themselves to be living at a critical juncture in time. Yet, it is hard to argue that the stakes for humanity have ever been higher than in the past half century. As our instrumental capacity has continued to surge we have become increasingly responsible for the future of our species and the survival of the planet at large. Looking ahead, it seems warranted to speak of a bifurcation in human history. By the end of the 21st century we will most likely know where the balance lies; if we will use the destructive forces of modernity to annihilate ourselves or if we will be able to tame the same forces and build a planetary civilization of peace and prosperity."