There are people who would love to spend their last ten years, or five years, or whatever it is, on the surface of Mars.

Yes, the money could be better spent on Earth. But would it? Since when has money saved by government redlining been spent on education and cancer research? It is always squandered. Let's squander some on Mars. Let's go out and play.

Here is the secret to surviving one of these [airplane] crashes: Be male. In a 1970 Civil Aeromedical institute study of three crashes involving emergency evacuations, the most prominent factor influencing survival was gender (followed closely by proximity to exit). Adult males were by far the most likely to get out alive. Why? Presumably because they pushed everyone else out of the way.

It is the mind that speaks a woman's heart, not the vaginal walls.

Worry lives a long way from rational thought."---Self

The writing is always the easy part, provided I can get the good material. It's the getting of the good material that's a challenge.

The human head is of the same approximate size and weight as a roaster chicken. I have never before had occasion to make the comparison, for never before today have I seen a head in a roasting pan.