What do you like best about space?

Ha!, what else, it is infinite and (symphonic+choral music striking up in th bground) the proper destination of the human species.

More seriously: I never really got over that moment when you are a kid and you look up and you really 'grok', for a second, what Sagan meant when he said Biiiiillllions and Biiiilllliiions. Its like really 'getting' the cantor diagonalization proof about orders of infinity, it really sort of knocks you back in a way that changes how you think in a really permenant and non-trivial way- but unlike the Math, you can 'get' it as a child just looking at the sky, and that makes it all the more powerful and formative. I think anyone who is a space buff had this moment before they were 12. In fact, I'll lay dime to dollar odds on it.

"So you are Robert's brother?"
Yep. Thats what he tells me. He has been pushing me to visit this site for, oh, many years now... This and MSNBC space. I used to chat and post a lot back in the late '80's/early 90's, but the 'internet' experience became pretty run down pretty quickly as soon as the wackos figured how to push the buttons on the computer, at least IMHO. I had given up hope for intelligent discussion that did not devolve to 'you suck, no, you suck!'.

"Don't think that will get you any special treatment around here"

Ha! I expect no quarter.

"Just ask you brother how much we rag on him LOL. Kidding of course. "

Ummmmm. Well, as far as I see, he is about one of the only other non-wacko liberals 'round these parts. I'm sure he gets lots of hell. Knowing Rob, I'm sure he dishes 3.14 times what he gets, very loudly... And I'm sure Rob and I will probably end up in at least one really loud, drawn out debate if I continue to show up here.

Davin