The one job that machines cannot do is be a cruel plutocrat. That's why humans are still needed. - James Nicoll

Before it exploded one night, I went to a four grade, two room schoolhouse and we had textbooks from the 1940s.

I believe that I have now experienced the lifetime maximum exposure to bottom spanking in fantasy novels.

It's true that the average human in the Xeelee universe can't eat Jell-O with a straw without accident[al]ly removing an eye but these particular humans start off no stupider than than any other human of their era and proceed to breed themselves into imbecility. Well, farther into imbecility.