Of all the animals of prey, man is the only sociable one.
Every one of us preys upon his neighbour, and yet we herd together.
The Beggar's Opera: John Gay

Thursday, 14 September 2023

On Fermi’s paradox

 I can’t be the only who thought of this...

Meanwhile, the natural forces on planet Vogsphere brought forth […] elegant gazelle-like creatures with silken coats and dewy eyes which the Vogons would catch and sit on. They were no use as transport because their backs would snap instantly, but the Vogons sat on them anyway.
Douglas Adams: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy 

...when I read this: 

People taking selfies with ponies at a tourist hotspot caused a new-born foal to fall to its death from a cliff.

Never mind splitting the atom; I’m inclined to believe that, Adams’ fictional creation notwithstanding, we are completely alone in the universe because no civilisation could ever survive its equivalent of the smartphone and social media.

2 comments:

  1. Tis pity it wasn't Yosemite and therefore a bison or a brown bear . . .

    ReplyDelete
  2. Your comment led me to numerous accounts of American tourists throwing themselves wholeheartedly into the ‘selfies with dangerous animals’ thing...

    https://nationalpost.com/news/yellowstone-tourists-approaching-animals

    Truly human stupidity knows no bounds!

    ReplyDelete

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