A friendly reminder that you are a scourge on the universe. Do it a favor and disappear. This public service message brought to you by: Voluntary Ext… - Dennis E. Taylor

At one time, we thought that the way life came together was almost completely random, only needing an energy gradient to get going. But as we’ve moved into the information age, we’ve come to realize that life is more about information than energy. Fire has most of the characteristics of life. It eats, it grows, it reproduces. But fire retains no information. It doesn’t learn; it doesn’t adapt. The five millionth fire started by lightning will behave just like the first. But the five hundredth bacterial division will not be like the first one, especially if there is environmental pressure. That’s DNA. And RNA. That’s life. …

We took a minute to enjoy the joke — belly laughs are one of the best things about being sentient, and you should never miss a chance for one.

it was considerably better than my current defensive armament, which consisted of harsh words and heavy disapproval. Probably not effective against Klingons.