The thing that concerns me about the elf practice meme is that it implies that the simple act of being an elf is so unaccustomed to elves that they have to take classes in order to do it properly. Being an elf must be just a continuous existential crisis.
right, unlike humans
Where does one attend human class?
Tag: humans are weird
This past night, I heard a soft whining and scratching at my door and I opened them, thinking it would probably be my dog, asking to be let in. There was nothing there and after waiting for a minute or two and softly calling out for him, I closed the door and went back to bed (my head is right next to the door so I can open them without getting up). This repeated twice more during the night and finally, I got up to collect whichever of my dog was making the ruckus and get them to sleep in my room without waking me every half an hour, only to realize that they weren’t home. I’ve been home alone this whole time. They went with my aunt to a sleepover the previous evening. After checking every room in the apartment, every closet, every cupboard, even behind doors, I ran back to bed in a hurry and tucked myself in, feeling a bit frightened about the whole experience and trying to convince myself I dreamt the whole thing. Only, it felt so real that it left me wondering about one thing.
Who was at my door?
Most likely? No one and nothing. Your sleepy brain was probably playing tricks on itself (I mean, come on, it’s a 3lb ball of jello trying to run a complex biological machine and supercomputer, and it has to do it all with less electricity than it takes to work a lightbulb; weird shit is just gonna happen).
So, it’s entirely possible that it was just a hypnagogic hallucination. Hallucinations don’t have to be visual and, especially with auditory hallucinations, it’s often difficult to determine if what you’re experiencing is real or not because your brain will lie to itself. It will pretend it heard something and then go “well I heard it, it must be real!” so it processes the imagined stimulus as if it were real, resulting in a hallucination.
Edge-of-sleep hallucinations are super common, pretty much everyone has had it happen to them at least once, because your brain is in the middle of moving from being awake into being asleep/starting to dream. So sometimes some of the “almost dreaming” leaks into the still-awake parts of your brain and you see/hear weird shit that isn’t there.
Probably, but I’d like to believe it was a ghost doggo trying to get me to play with him better than the likely truth.
Puppernormal Activity
More Humans are Weird
Because this hash tag is SO FUN and thought-provoking.
GENDER:
No one can keep up with humans and gender. There are no easy signs to tell who is what, not clothing, not body morphology, not how they paint themselves or their grooming or vestigal hair. The humans themselves argue about how many genders there are. Eventually they quit trying and refer to all humans as ‘they’. Most humans are fine with that, even compliment them on their support (?) and progressive views (??). A few humans are offended, but are shouted down by their other humans. The other beings of the galaxy officially give up.SEX:
Some humans want to have sex all the time. Others barely can stand to be touched at all, even casually. Some will have sex with their own gender, which does not produce offspring and is confusing to many. Some will have sex only with certain people, some will have sex with anyone. SOME will have sex with other species, occasionally challenging their own safety and everyone else’s. None of this is considered strange. Anyone saying it is strange is again shouted down and shamed into silence. The other beings of the galaxy officially give up.CATS:
Humans adopt small predators as pets and kiss their “widdle faces” and giggle over their clawed toes (???) and fuss and are thrilled when the predators sleep with them (isn’t that UNSAFE? IT IS FULL OF POINTY BITS) and often sport scratches and bite marks inflicted when the animal was ‘playing’.
“When were these ‘cats’ domesticated?”
“Oh, we never really domesticated them. We just let them move into the house with us. Aren’t they CUUUUUTE? Come here, baby.” -kissy noises-
The other beings of the galaxy again give up.RELIGION:
Wars fought. Millions – probably billions, through history – killed. Crew members huffy with each other. Various holidays celebrated, none of which make sense, some of them celebrating events that are physically impossible and could not have happened. All for something that can’t be proved.
The other beings of the galaxy would think this was all an elaborate prank if it wasn’t for the body count.GERMS:
Humans get INFECTED and act as if it is a personal affront, and cuss about it. They confine themselves to quarters so they don’t infect the rest of the crew – very kind, in that respect – and otherwise wrap themselves in bedding and bitch about it for three days while doing their work by remote – “It’s fine, just a cold.” followed by horrifying noises they call ‘coughing’ and ‘sneezing’ – and HOW. HOW DO THEY EVEN.
The other beings of the galaxy, for whom infection is always life-threatening, boggle from a safe distance. With respirators on.ALPHA PREDATOR…?
They come from a death planet, these naked apes with no armor, no fangs, no speed. They have the ability to conquer the galaxy, if they only agreed with each other long enough that it was their goal. Instead they poke their noses into other death worlds, ‘exploring’, they call it, adopting horrifying creatures and making friends with other predatory beings, brewing poisonous beverages from whatever they can scrounge, which they then drink for fun. The rest of the galaxy is relieved. If humans had an attention span, they would truly be in trouble.No one wants to know what a ‘shark’ is. Humans seem to be afraid of them, and if it frightens the humans, the rest of the galaxy is, to a being, terrified.
Let’s say that you’re right.
Let’s say, just for the sake of argument,
that ancient humans were utilitarian social darwinists;
that anyone sick, anyone injured, anyone disabled,
anyone who couldn’t support themself was left to die.Who invented canes?
If anyone who fell behind was left behind,
then how did my cripple forebears
who held themselves up with broken branches
survive to teach future generations how?Who invented surgery?
What sadistic ancient motherfucker
looked at another person in perfect health,
and decided to cut them open
and take something out of them?How did humanity survive?
Babies can’t even stand for their first 11 months.
Who gathered food for the breastfeeding parent,
and by extension the child who could do nothing
except consume resources they couldn’t repay?Now let’s say that you’re wrong.
Once again, for the sake of argument,
let’s say humans have always helped each other.
Suddenly, everything makes perfect sense
and you are just an asshole.// c.f.l. – 20170417 //
Hopping on the ‘humans are weird’ train again, I just realized that there’s probably one universally recognized group of sentients that would love humans, and they are the scientists. I remember reading another article commenting on how movie representations of scientists generally being grumpy about known science being contradicted is actually inaccurate, since the core tenant of pretty much every science out there is to ask questions, run tests, and make discoveries. Scientists, when you get right down to it, are basically a bunch of people who really want to know stuff and understand it and examine every aspect of it, and get excited when all this results in even more exciting new questions!
And humans? By golly, do we want to do stuff! Explore your death planet that you’ve been curious about for years, but were physically incapable of setting foot on? Hell yes, this is either going to be an adventure or a really cool vacation, we will totally let you fund us to go explore something no one else has ever seen before!
You wanna figure out how the hell we work? What a coincidence, so do we, let’s just get a few ground rules down and then we’ll introduce you to the medical professionals, the psychologists, and the anthropologists, we can have a big old chat on just what makes humans tick!
We broke, like, six billion safety regulations and overturned a few fundamental beliefs on how the universe works, and yet somehow we’re still alive and thriving? There are a handful of underpaid space doctorate holders tossing off their space fast food aprons, because their time has come and they are about to be so relevant to the scientific community, and it’s beautiful!!!
And then, of course, our scientists meet their scientists, and shit gets real.
humans are complex, so why do we rule that out for aliens?
aliens could feel like us. they could touch, hear, see like us. aliens could even look like us. it’s possible we look like them. we could be exactly like them except they birth through their mouths, excrete waste through nostirls, or have extraordinary regeneration abilities.
and they could touch through the air instead physically. they could hear at frequencies only dogs could hear, have quadruple the amount of color receptors, be giants, be miniature. they could be all of that but also have our noses on a gelatin body or glass veins.
we always think of aliens as being grotesque; beings so far beyond what we expect that often times we may think of them as monsters. you don’t always think of them as possibly being just like us, or us like them. you don’t always think if we have a multitude of similarities or very few at all.
aliens, much like humans, can be quite complex.
Beyond the veil
So, this is an idea I’ve been kicking around for awhile. It’s probably the start of something larger, so I thought I’d kick it out and see if it has any legs.
The old woman sat low before the flickering flames, her heavy robes hid her thin frame. Bright eyes wreathed in wrinkled flesh lined by long days of sun. Her voice was low and strong as she spoke, young eager ears open and listening close.
“In the days of old, the ancient times, the source of myth and wonder, it is said that magic came upon the primordial world and filled the life it found there. Magic reshaped it, sustained it, and nurtured it. Magic gave rise to the races, the elves and fey, the giants and the dwarves. All things lived in harmony and peace… Except for one. Isn’t there always one? This race, Magic did not affect in the same way it did the other creatures. No one knows why, but magic became twisted within mankind. They became dark and corrupt with power. Using magic to fight with not only their own kind, but seemingly with nature itself. The blasted lands, and great deserts, are still the scarred legacy mankind left behind. Yes, left behind. It took the united front of all the races to drive them away, sending them into exile beyond the veil. They were left to die, starved of life giving magic. To the magical realm, mankind was long dead. Mythical monsters used to scare their young into obedience.”
The fire popped at a dramatically appropriate time, sending a flurry of sparks into the air. She lowered her voice adding a serious knowing tone. “Mankind was not so easily disposed.”
“With magic drained from humanity, many did indeed wither and die. Some learned to feed upon the residual magic within their brethren and survive for a time, remembered as creatures and villans of human lore. A few, the ones considered weak or unskilled in the use of magical arts, outcasts that had once been shunned, did not find the loss of magic so tragic. They adapted. They survived. It was not as quick, nor was it as effortless, but the meek did indeed inherit the earth. They were not the largest, strongest, or the fastest creature in this world, but they were the most vicious and tenacious. First they found stones they could work through effort into honed edges. Fire could be called forth by chemical reactions instead of beseeching a spirt of flame. Countless generations passed, building upon the grimoire of learned ability. Science bloomed. They slowly picked apart the fabric of their new world, finding the reactions and interactions that held it together, creating their own form of magic available freely for all to wield.”
She stood, charms jingling loosely, “Neither world was ready for the day the barrier fell, and both realms were reunited.”
Clanking, roaring beasts of cold iron pushed their way through the forest. Heavy tracks crushing flora into the soft ground as it passed. A curious fairy, mere inches tall, flitted down close. She reached out a tiny hand, foolishly pressing it against the surface. A quick snapping hiss sounded, her desiccated body dropping to the ground. Every mote of magic that had once animated her had been drawn away instantly. Reaching a clearing, the transport stopped, and shut down the engine. The plume of dark exhaust ceased fouling the pure air. The soldiers disembarked from their vessel, and began making a camp there in the forest.
Wide terrified eyes watched them work. These creatures filled them with dread, and seemed to exude a miasma of death from every pore of their bodies.
“Wireless communications are practically useless here. There is something interfering.” He shook the small box in his hand. “We’ll probably have to set up repeaters every few hundred feet, or just lay a hardline.” He looked back at the path the APV had pressed through the woods. “Hardline might be faster…” He thought a moment, “Maybe bounce a laser around if the weather stays, and line of sight isn’t an issue. The canopy doesn’t look too tall.”
“Talking to yourself again Eiffel?” The larger man was carrying a heavy crate from their conveyance.
“The drones will have to be preprogrammed, there’s no way R.O. Is going to work.” Eiffel said, looking up from his handheld equipment. He continued to poke at its surface, making notes.
“So it’s going to be a bitch to work here is what you are saying?”
“Until we figure out how to compensate for the interference, there will be some issues Roberts. Maybe we can find a clearer bandwidth to use, or some active distortion filters… there’s some kind of pervasive radiation.”
“Did I hear the ‘R’ word?” Came the higher pitched feminine voice of their biologist, her arms filled with sample boxes and a portable microscope.
“Yes you did.” Eiffel responded, “But I don’t think it’s the cancer kind. So far its seems to only be interacting with our devices.”
“I’ll be the one that decides if its dangerous.” She said, considering if they needed dosimeter badges. She’d check with her equipment first, then decide. “The oxygen content here is high. 28%. So watch your flammables, it will take less to set them off. There’s no sign of any industrial contaminants, CO2 levels are also pre-industrial. I’ll need to take samples back to check for isotope levels.”
“So you’re sayin we have a clean new world here Roche?” Roberts said, stacking the last crate.
“Its at least not as fucked up as ours.” She said, approaching a tree.
“We’re probably not going to run into a big city, or catch anything on TV for sure.” Eiffel said.
“And try not to put anything in your mouth. The air near the gate was pathogen free, but we don’t know anything about the soil, or vegetation.” Roche said.
“Or the locals.” Roberts intoned, raising a weapon to the willowy figure which had emerged from the woods.
Her hands were open and empty, in what she hoped would be seen as a gesture of non threat. These beings were unlike any she had ever encountered. They were so like many races she did know, but were wrong somehow. Heavy like the dwarves, but almost as tall as her own elves. What frightened her the most however, was not their appearance. They were the only creatures she’d ever seen which had absolutely no light within them at all. She couldn’t even say they were filled with darkness, darkness would at least be something. They were like shells of living nothingness. There was only one thing she could think of they might have been.. She prayed to her Goddess that she was wrong, even as she uttered the words in common tongue.
“Tuatha dé AAdomm?”
I remember first learning that you can cry from any emotion, that emotions are chemical levels in your brain and your body is constantly trying to maintain equilibrium. so if one emotion sky rockets, that chemical becomes flagged and signals the tear duct to open as an exit to release that emotion packaged neatly within a tear. Everything made sense after learning that. That sudden stability of your emotions after crying. How crying is often accompanied by the inability to feel any other emotion in that precise moment. And it is especially beautiful knowing that it is even possible to experience so much beauty or love or happiness that your body literally can’t hold on to all of it. So what I’ve learned is that crying signifies that you are feeling as much as humanely possible and that is living to the fullest extent. So keep feeling and cry often and as much as needed
SHIT WHAT
Also let yourself cry. It really is a biochemical release valve to dump out all the chemicals that make you feel stuff.
I honestly think one reason men in western culture have so many problems is that we don’t let them cry, and literally their brains get stuffed with all this crap that doesn’t have a release valve. Men, please cry. You’ll feel better. It’s ok. You are not lesser for taking care of your health.
This is why tears from different emotions look different under an electron microscope. They’re literally made up of different things.
Happy tears are structurally different than sad tears than angry tears than overwhelmed tears etc.
Humans are Eldritch Horrors: Biomechanical Technology
Okay so this is a long one, be warned.
I’ve been on a binge between Wikipedia and YouTube, looking up extremophiles, protists, and “intelligent” slime molds that have potential for biomechanical applications.
Imagine if you would, that this biotechnological trend is picked up as a norm for humanity as a whole. Biological material is not suited for every application, true. But graphene, being made purely of carbon, can be integrated into both biological and technological systems. Certain multicellular and monocellular organisms can metabolize heavy metals. Slime molds and human neurons can be surprisingly efficient computers.
Imagine sea sponges designed by humans to build skeletons out of iron, cadmium, or a gold-titanium alloy instead of calcium. Imagine stomatolites building shells for massive spaceships out of the “waste” materials from mining processes. Imagine spacesuits made out of chitin and a bioglass reminiscent of that which tardigrades produce. Instead of air tanks, whole miniature biomes that produce oxygen at a rapid rate when fed biomass.
Essentially, the Engineers from Prometheus. Or like, 99% of H.R. Giger’s work.
Now imagine throwing black hole reactors, Alcubierre/EM/Fold/Quantum drives, mass accelerators (for weapons or other uses) and quantum computing thrown in a big ol’ mixing bowl with biomechanical fuckery. And no horror show biomechanical stuff, but like sleek, fine lighting, no jagged edges, no skulls and pure horror, no wet and nasty slimy shite (aside from the slime molds and several production processes…), but like, upstanding and respectable stuff, beautiful sleek lines mixed in with angles that are a bit too perfect…
Then introduce this to aliens who adopted a purely technological path.
—————- —————- —————-
Xyrhum had seen nothing like it before. About [500 kilometers] away from the jump-entry point of this system, straight off the prow of his corvette, was a [10km] long construct. It was a sleek structure that conjoined its long, near perfectly-straight pair of “prongs” in a semicircle at one end. It bowed out near the semicircular end and was riddled with ridges and bumps and grooves all along its sleek and organic body lines. It emitted a rumble that could be felt more than heard, even inside a ship of this size this far away.
Xyrhum tapped his feelers on the armrest of his chair, the armor at the tips of his appendages making near-deafening clacks and taps in the utter silence of the bridge.
“Pilot, perform a wide maneuver around the structure. Advance no further than [350 kilometers] from it. Do not get too close. Operations, engage stealth.”
“Aye, commander,” replied both officers.
Xyrhum turned to his communications officer, who was staring at him in a mix of anticipation and apprehension. “Communications, perform a passive scan of the structure.”
He turned to the co-pilot. “Retract any hardpoints besides the scanner.”
The communications officer piped up.
“Sir, the construct… It knows we’re here. I’m picking up a tight-beamed signal emanating from the… whatever it is.”
“So, our stealth drives mean nothing,” quipped the commander. “Drop stealth.”
“Dropping stealth.”
“For all intents and purposes, this appears to be a First Contact situation. Prepare the data packet, and begin the ‘friendly contact’ signal. Start with the [Algebraic] equa-”
The ship lurched forward suddenly, cutting off the commander and accelerating at an uncomfortable speed towards the construct.
“Pilot, we have breached the [350km] mark and are accelerating at an unsafe speed toward the construct. Desist this instant!”
At that, the pilot raised his arms from the console. “This is not my doing, commander. The forward engines are at zero acceleration. Inertia dampeners are trying to fight but are overcome.”
“So, these aliens want a more face-to-face first contact.”
“It would seem so.”
“Communications, any changes on the construct? Has it deployed anything our active scanners can detect?”
“Several portions of its surface have shifted. There are numerous structures raising from its hull, but I detect no radiological spikes. If those are weapons, I’d imagine this to be more a threat display than anything else.”
“No chances. Raise shields to maximum.”
“Aye.”
Just as the shields arced to life and covered the ship in a shimmering protective shell, a flash pulsed from the side of the construct, and the ship went dark.
“Report!” Exclaimed the commander, as he began drifting out of his seat.
“Engines and main reactor have spun to zero,” reported the Ensign. “Weapons and scanners offline. We’re drifting without a gun, sir.”
“Damn. Life support?”
“Compromised, but active. Backup reactor coming online. We’ll have full life support, gravity, and lights in [30 seconds] and counting.”
A slow, purplish ghostly wave drifted through the bridge. It passed over every nook and cranny in the room, and tingled every atom in the commander’s body as it passed over him.
“What in the hundred hells was that?”
“Unsure, sir. Hazard a guess, I think we were scanned.”
The ship continued to move toward the construct without spin or deviation. A tractor beam…?
A smaller construct broke off of the hull of the larger ship. It drifted away for a good [minute], seemingly inactive. It suddenly pulsed to life, bright bluish-white lines dancing into activity along its fine and sleek oblong shape. Along its horizontal equator, a line of light traced from the aft end to the fore and culminated in a point of light at the nose. The point of light then moved as the new construct maneuvered to be edge- on with the commander’s craft. The point of light slid along an invisible tract and aligned itself with the craft.
“It’s looking at us,” piped up the communications officer.
At that, the smaller craft deployed long, thick arms from its bottom, unfolding them in what appeared to be a threat display. It swung its aft around with no visible propulsion as it dissapeared above the commander’s ship. Moments later, the ship shook and shuddered. Clanging sounds and depressurization alarms could be heard throughout the ship.
“What’s happening? Ensign, report!”
“Multiple depressurizations in non-critical areas. Crew quarters, medbay, and bridge are secure. We have been captured by the alien vessel… and we’re moving again.”
“Sir, scans for biological activity have… returned. This… ship… whatever it is… it’s hardly mechanical at all.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, that this structure is alive. I’m reading intense biological activity. The outside of the ship is a heavy-metal composite in a carbon-based organic lattice.”
“Living ships? Tractor beams? Emissionless propulsion? Gravitic signatures? What next?” the commander mumbled under his breath.
Everyone was silent as the smaller craft guided the commander’s ship through several [hundred meters] of white-lit oval-shaped corridor. From the port and starboard viewports, he could see a menagerie of other creatures fast at work in the corridors of the vessel. There were strange four-legged things scurrying about and hefting containers of sorts in the low gravity. There were tall bipedal hulks with bowed legs walking along the gangways of the corridor and staring at the ship intensely. They appeared to be aiming at the vessel. Protruding from the floor and ceiling of the corridor were circular domes with spindly appendages jutting out of one side. They tracked the ship’s every movement with a glaring red eye. Turrets?
The ship began to slow as it drifted toward a flat circular platform. Three figures stood in a room separated from the platform with a thick plate of glass, flanked by two of the large bipeds seen moments ago. The craft that had latched on to the commander’s vessel guided his ship forward into a cradle of armlike appendages. A blue field of arcing electricity shot out from the panels above and held the ship steady as the arms enclosed around it. The cradle that held the ship descended from the ceiling and brought the ship to rest on the floor of the platform. Several tendrils rose from the floor and embedded themselves in the ship’s hull.
Suddenly, the ship’s system sprang to life. The docking runtime ran through its paces and the docking hatch opened. A thick hollow tube, ringed with grasping appendages, extended from the wall and affixed itself to the docking hatch. With a thud and a hiss, pressure was restored in the ship.
“Welcome to Gilgamesh,” said the computer.
“How does the computer know the name of the vessel?”
“It was hacked,” said the Ensign. “None of the officers or myself can control the ship. We’re locked out.”
The emergency lights on the floor came to life and led to the airlock.
A voice crackled from the communications panel, causing the communications officer, who was already on edge, to leave the bridge in a nervous wreck.
The center of the five figures in the room adjacent to the ship stepped forward, and began to speak in fluent Union Standard.
“We apologize for the forceful… apprehension… of your vessel. We hope this transgression can be forgiven. However, you entered our space withojt consent and refused to answer any of our hails. The transgression aside, we have been eager to meet an alien race for some time, and did not want to lose out on such an enriching opportunity. We did not expect them to be so… rudimentary, however.”
The commander rise from his chair and stepped to the forward window of the bridge, and met gaze with the figure. “Who are you? How can you speak our language?”
I am a member of the human race. We utilized complex mathematical algorithms to decrypt your computer, and merely gutted a cantelope to get the berries of your language.“
“Gutted… A what?”
“Did that not make sense?”
“…not at all.”
“Ah. It is not a perfect system, mind you. We hope to resolve this.”
“Your peaceful intentions aside, while appreciated, do not excuse your actions. You realize that by seizing a military scouting vessel, hacking it, and taking information without consent, you have not only broken several rules of first contact etiquette, but have committed acts worthy of declaration of war?”
“Humanity does not seek war with anyone. We have outgrown such petty practices. However, and we remind you, you had entered our space, unannounced, in an armed vessel, which warranted a rather forceful response from us. We seem to have stepped on each other’s toes. I do not advise escalation.”
“Or?”
At that, an arm unfolded from the wall and aimed a spindly protrusion at the ship. The protrusion began to glow blue as the air began to ripple from heat.
The ship-board AI chirped to life; “Warning: radiological signature detected.”
“That,” the Human quipped.
“Very well.”
“Please, come aboard. We welcome you peacefully. We wish to discuss many things with you, as well as terms of reparation and harmonious relations.”
The crew departed the ship and crossed through the boarding tube. The air was surprisingly dry and warm.
They entered the room through an airlock of iris-style doors, unfolding with a slight cracking and the sound of sliding stone. The three figures, standing at a whopping [2.5m], stood in the center of the room, flanked by their [5m] behemoths.
The center figure departed the group, flowing robes rippling as it waltzed effortlessly toward him. It stopped at a close, yet respectful distance of [6m].
Suddenly, the plates that composed its cranium shifted and split, hissing out a steamy gust of air as it opened and neatly folded away. What it revealed was the true face of the human; a round head, with pinkish-gray soft skin, nearly hairless and featureless. On either side was a flesh protrusion, full of ridges and bumps, angled forward. Atop its head was a tuft of… hair? It had a rather flat face with a gentle ridge above its pair of forward-set predatory eyes and a protrusion in the center of it all with two holes. Beneath that was a horizontal slit composed of two fleshy lobes. The lobes peeled back to reveal a set of bony protrusions.
“I am Heyatha, the commander of this frigate. It is my honor to greet you, Commander Xyrhum, on behalf of humanity. There is so much for us both to learn from this meeting.”
Submission by the amazing @bartwelchii
Honestly I can’t wait for millennials in space, because old memes like “Kilroy was here” in every corner of the Solar system because we have so many stories to share, and so many selfies with Earth because “Smile, everyone!” Will never get old, and snapchats from the space station because we’ve been here so long, but we still want to show everyone our average afternoon up here, and we’re new enough for this to not be old, and old enough to not take it for granted, and maybe we won’t have screwed it up yet, and it’ll be like the gold rush, but less slavery and scurvy, and instead of panning for gold, we’ll be panning stardust for water because we’re Dirtlings and the cosmos dwarf us, and there could be so much life in them there hills, and no power in the ‘verse can stop us from boldly going, and when are we refunding NASA?
just moving along like everyone else 