Any alien species that is aware of our satellites is so technically superior to us they wouldn’t bother. The James Webb Telecope is our best, but we still aren’t certain we’ve named all the planets in our own solar system.

I enjoy having my mind changed by well-written, well-reasoned posts from people who are informed. Thank you.

I didn’t say you said I was American. I just said that if we can dismiss a point by claiming a worse example we might as well all stop posting.

I didn’t mention the USA. I’m not American. If any idea can be dismissed by suggesting a worse example then we might as well all stop posting.

Ukraine should do what they want and what’s best for them. The rest of us should fully support Ukraine. Their lives are worth more than our guns. For as long as their government can field troops we make sure they are equipped and trained. It’s supremely arrogant of us to suggest how these people should or shouldn’t conduct any peace agreement with Russia outside their request for our thoughts. They will run out of soldiers long before we run out of guns.

But…

The rest of us should continue to isolate Russia. Not a single sanction is lifted, and we continue to isolate them harshly, even after they claim peace with Ukraine. More sanctions. More restrictions. No invitations to world events. More seizure of Russian assets. Entire sections/ministries of our governments created to deal with Russia and their ilk. More security against Russian actions and their corrupting money in other countries. Russia is a cancer that works against us all, we need to treat it as such. Even when Putin is dead in his bunker from old age we show no mercy for the kleptocracy Russia is. No easement without Russia peacefully returning all occupied land to Georgia (in Abkhazia and South Ossetia), Moldova (in Transnistria), and Ukraine (in Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia) AND full, transparent, overseen democratic election process, and then very very slowly. We relentlessly isolate them more and more.

Countries are like organic cells. We need to isolate and starve the bad cells or else they infect those around them.

Don’t let the Pigeon drive the fucking bus.

I know you’ve read the warning thousands of times, but the Pigeon could have a mouse, and he is sneaky as fuck, so… you know what? Fuck this shit man. I’m not being paid to be some bus station security guard. Fuck you bus driver man. Hey Pigeon, I say you should live your dream. I’m not stopping you. Go drive the fuck out of that bus. Some rando bus driver telling my kid to do his job for him? Fuck that. Don’t let people take advantage of you - that’s what we should be telling our kids. This world is going to hell.

Dune, but both are excellent.

Here are some of my subjective rankings:

Foundation is the front runner of “Epic” sci-fi, by far. It’s relatively easy to follow. Some of the individual stories are memorable, and a few are less memorable when compared to the others. Foundation is my favourite sci-fi series of all time.

Dune is epic when compared to any series apart from Foundation. The earlier books are more memorable, but the later books are still excellent. I prefer the more nuanced political plots in Dune compared to Foundation.

Hyperion is more about some top-tier stories that spill over in to epicness. Some of these stories are more memorable to me than the individual stories in Foundation and Dune. Political intrigue is developed later and isn’t as central to the overall plots.

Whichever you pick you win.