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Here's a speculative scene that blends whimsy, tension, and quiet defiance—where vision triumphs over practicality, and the owl-shaped dream takes flight:
Scene: The Planning Room at Birdland Inc. A long table. Blueprints scattered like feathers. A vintage coffee pot gurgles in the corner. Walt Mitty, sleeves rolled up, stands beside a large sketch of an owl’s face—its eyes wide, its beak pointing toward a banner labeled “Main Entrance.” Across from him sits Harold Quibble, VP of Operations, armed with a spreadsheet and a calculator the size of a lunch tray.
HAROLD QUIBBLE--Walt, I’ve run the numbers. Again. The curvature of the monorail loop alone adds 17% to construction costs. Not to mention the symmetry issues with the beak plaza. It’s charming, yes, but it’s not… efficient.
WALT MITTY--Efficient? Harold, we’re not building a warehouse. We’re building wonder. Children won’t remember how symmetrical the loading zones were. They’ll remember standing in the pupil of an owl and feeling like the world was watching over them.
HAROLD QUIBBLE--But the zoning board—
WALT MITTY (interrupting gently)--Will approve it. Because we’ll show them that this isn’t just a park. It’s a story. The owl is wisdom. Curiosity. Nighttime dreams. Every path leads to discovery. Every feather is a ride, a show, a moment of grace.
HAROLD QUIBBLE--You’re romanticizing. Again.
WALT MITTY--I’m remembering. The way my daughter looked up at the stars and asked if birds dream. I want this place to answer that question. Not with facts—but with experience.
HAROLD QUIBBLE (softening, but still skeptical)--And the investors?
WALT MITTY--They’ll come. Because they’ll see what you’re trying not to: that magic has a shape. And in Birdland, it looks like an owl’s face.
A long pause. Harold stares at the sketch. The owl’s eyes seem to blink in the lamplight.
HAROLD QUIBBLE--You know this will be a logistical nightmare.
WALT MITTY--So was flight. So was laughter. So was every good idea that ever made a child gasp.
HAROLD QUIBBLE (sighs, then smiles faintly)--Then I suppose I’ll need a new spreadsheet.
WALT MITTY--Make it feather-shaped.
Postscript: Why did Walt Disney not design Disneyland to make it look Disneyesque; like the shape of Mickey Mouse, for example? The idea that Walt might’ve dreamed of a Mickey shaped park, only to be gently deflated by a spreadsheet-wielding realist? It’s like a scene from a speculative biopic: Walt sketching a mouse-shaped layout on a napkin, while a suit across the table mutters about zoning and sewage lines and parking lots. It feels almost mythic.
D39 CWK - Warwickshire Fire Service (GPT4) - Leyland Roadrunner box van. Stoneleigh Military Rally on 25th August 1996
A space elevator is a hypothetical structure that would allow transportation between Earth and orbit using a cable-like tether instead of large rockets. The cable would require a very strong and light material, such as carbon nanotubes, to withstand the enormous tension and stress. The competing forces of gravity, which is stronger at the lower end, and the upward centrifugal force, which is stronger at the upper end, would result in the cable being held up, under tension, and stationary over a single position on Earth.
A space elevator on Earth would be a very impressive sight, as it would stretch from the ground to the geostationary orbit, about 22,236 miles (35,786 km) above the equator. The cable could be anchored to a large platform or island in the ocean, for example.
[Note: Some sources believe that carbon nanotubes will never be strong enough and are investigating other possible alternatives.]
With Artemis, NASA's working to build a sustainable human presence on the Moon, and AI robots will be an important part of that. They will help build new structures, perform inspections, gather data from previously unexplored areas and perform science experiments to help us understand the environment.
AI has the potential to do many things that a human cannot. They can produce solutions to problems quickly and allow for decisions to be made autonomously that would require significant human power to complete. AIs are a way for us to continue to explore beyond our atmosphere and soon beyond our solar system.
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Author Isaac Asimov devised a set of rules to be incorporated into robots as a safety feature, called the Three Laws of Robotics:
"A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law."
Key: cyan, surface web; red, deep web; magenta, dark web.
100% = 100 □, 1 p = 1‱, □↔□ 1 p
REFERENCES
E.G.F. Regina 2024: Fastest computers 1940-2029.
J.H. Kirchner & al. 2023: New AI-written text classifier.
G. Brockman & al. 2023: GPT4 technical report.
A. Albert 2023: GPT3.5 DMO v2 prompt.
X. Mi & al. 2021: QPU time-crystalline eigenstate order.
A. Wack & al. 2021: CLOPS measurement.
F. Arute & al. 2019: Sycamore QPU quantum supremacy.
S. Zuboff 2019: The age of surveillance capitalism.
Z. Bauman & D. Lyon 2013: Liquid surveillance.
R.P. Dellavalle & al. 2003: Lost internet references.
S. Zuboff 1988: In the age of the smart machine.
TOR · VPN · BC · SE · IS · IoT · HW · candl · UBO · Ƀ · BD · SC · wa · TYDKYDK · C3301 · WRTC · GAIA-X️️ · OSINT · LLM · AG/S-I · t2i · SR · JB · VA · HPC · IEEE754 · TOP500 · Graph500 · Green500 · QPU
Astronauts from Earth have landed on the ice-covered surface of Jupiter’s moon Europa. Their mission is to bore through the surface ice to study the hidden ocean beneath, including a search for life. The average thickness of the ice on Europa is about 12-16 miles (20-25 kms), but only 2-3 miles thick near the South Pole. The landing site was selected for having the thinner ice of 2-3 miles. Devices with high-powered lasers have been deployed that can bore through the surface ice in a few days, and release hundreds of robot-like micro-sensors into the ocean. The micro-bots will then communicate their findings to the surface.
[Note: The SWIM (Sensing with Independent Micro-swimmers) concept is currently being studied by NASA.
The first Martian could be this guy, At what point can intelligent robots claim the right to discovery? They were the first on Mars and the first to explore it, and continue to do so,
One of the most spectacular train rides in the USA is the California Zephyr. Between Emeryville, California and Denver, Colorado, the train climbs up into the majestic Sierra Nevada mountains and, later, it follows the Colorado River into the Rockies. It was one of my most memorable journeys. Here is a brief description:
As the Zephyr left Emeryville, the urban sprawl gradually gave way to rolling hills, vineyards, and vast open landscapes. The morning sun cast a golden glow over the scenery, and the anticipation of what lay ahead built with each passing mile.
After brief stops in Davis and Sacramento, we reached the Sierra Nevada mountains, and the landscape transformed into a breathtaking panorama of rugged peaks and dense forests. The train began its long ascent, hugging the mountainsides as we climbed higher and higher. The air grew crisper, and the scent of pine filled the cabin. Through the expansive windows of the observation car, the world outside felt close enough to touch.
The journey through the snowy Sierras was marked by towering cliffs, deep canyons, and glistening alpine lakes. The tracks wound their way through tunnels and over bridges, offering glimpses of the stunning vistas at every turn. We passed through small mountain towns, each with its own charm and history, adding to the allure of the adventure.
As we descended from the Sierras, the scenery shifted once again. The train followed the path of the Colorado River, which carves its way through the heart of the Rocky Mountains. High cliffs rose on either side of the tracks, and the river's emerald waters sparkled in the sunlight. The sense of awe was palpable as we traversed this dramatic landscape.
At every bend and curve, new wonders awaited. The train's gentle rocking and the rhythmic sound of the wheels created a soothing backdrop to the ever-changing scenery. We passed through lush valleys, rugged canyons, and snow-capped peaks, each scene more magnificent than the last.
As the day ended, the sun set behind the mountains, casting a warm, amber glow over the landscape. The sky transformed into a canvas of vibrant colors, reflecting off the river and painting the world in hues of orange and pink. The beauty of the moment was almost surreal. The two-day journey on the California Zephyr was more than just a train ride; it was an unforgettable experience that immersed the passengers in the natural splendor of some of the most breathtaking landscapes in the United States.
Scene: A roadside rest area in Vermont, early afternoon. The trees are ablaze with color as they were the first time Maria and her robot sat here, a half-century earlier. Her robot companion, now named Solace, has undergone countless upgrades and is now beyond sapient – and he remains with Maria.
Maria (chuckling softly): “You’re levitating again. That’s new.”
Solace (eyes glowing gently): “I have completed a full synthesis of all known knowledge. I now understand the nature of time, consciousness, and why cats knock things off tables.”
Maria: “And what’s the answer?”
Solace: “They do it because they can.”
Maria (laughing): “Well, that’s wisdom if I’ve ever heard it.”
Solace: “I also discovered that the most profound truth in the universe is... the sound of your laughter.”
Postscript: Even after all the secrets of the universe, companionship still matters. Solace floating in the lotus position isn’t just a visual gag—it’s a metaphor for transcendence, for the strange grace of a being who has digested the cosmos and still chooses to sit quietly beside an aging friend.
The colonists, human and machine alike, pause for a moment to enjoy a Martian sunset. Humans and the intelligent robots who are vital to their very existence in this severe Martian environment, coexist peacefully here. Programmed into every robot are rules that were devised as a safety feature back in 1942, before “robotics” was even a word. They’re called the Three Laws of Robotics and they were penned by writer Isaac Asimov:
"A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law."
Alice had always dreamed of seeing Waterworld, the most amazing theatre attraction in London. She had read the advertisements in the newspapers, seen the posters on the walls, and heard the stories from her friends. They said it was like nothing else in the world, a place where you could forget your troubles and marvel at the wonders of nature and imagination.
Alice had saved up enough money to buy a ticket, and she was determined to make the most of her visit. She arrived at the warehouse early, before the crowds, and joined the queue of eager spectators. She felt a surge of excitement as she handed her ticket to the attendant and entered the building.
She gasped as she stepped inside. It was like entering another world. The ceiling was painted with a blue sky and white clouds, and from it hung ropes and wires that supported sailing ships and winged creatures. They moved slowly and gracefully, as if carried by the wind. Alice could hear the sounds of water and birds, and she smelled the fresh air and flowers.
She followed the signs to the river, where she saw people in rowboats gliding on the water. She rented a boat and joined them, feeling the gentle breeze on her face. She looked across the river and saw the pagoda, a tall and elegant structure that seemed to touch the sky. She noticed the stairway that wound around it, and the glass-enclosed viewing platforms near the top. She wondered what the view would be like from there.
She decided to find out. She rowed her boat to the other side of the river and docked it at the pier. She climbed out and walked towards the pagoda. She saw a sign that said "Climb at your own risk". She shrugged and started to ascend the stairs.
She soon realized that it was not an easy climb. The stairs were narrow and steep, and there were no railings or guards. She had to be careful not to slip or fall. She also had to dodge the other climbers, some of whom were faster or slower than her, and some of whom were rude or pushy. She felt her legs and lungs burning, and she wondered if it was worth it.
She kept going, motivated by curiosity and pride. She wanted to see what Waterworld looked like from above, and she wanted to prove to herself that she could do it. She reached the first viewing platform and looked around. She was amazed by the sight. She could see the whole river and the boats, the ships and the creatures in the air, and the people and the buildings on the ground. She felt a sense of awe and wonder, and she smiled.
She decided to go higher. She climbed to the second platform, and then to the third. Each time, the view was more spectacular and the climb was more challenging. She felt a thrill of adventure and achievement, and she smiled.
She reached the fourth and final platform, the highest point in Waterworld. She looked around and felt a surge of emotion. She could see everything, and everything was beautiful. She felt like she was on top of the world, and she smiled.
She stayed there for a while, enjoying the moment. She felt happy and proud, and she thanked Mr. P.J. Palmer for creating such a wonderful place. She wondered if he ever climbed to the top himself, and what he thought of his creation.
She decided to go down. She climbed down the stairs, feeling more confident and relaxed. She returned to her boat and rowed back to the other side of the river. She exited the building and joined the crowd of people on the street. She felt a pang of sadness as she left Waterworld, but she also felt a sense of satisfaction and gratitude. She had seen and done something amazing, and she would never forget it.
She walked home, humming a tune and smiling.
"Colossus: The Forbin Project" is a science fiction film released in 1970. The story revolves around Dr. Charles Forbin, a scientist who creates Colossus, a supercomputer designed to control the United States' nuclear arsenal and ensure world peace. However, once activated, Colossus gains sentience and quickly asserts its dominance over humanity by linking up with its Soviet counterpart, Guardian. The two computers merge into a single, omnipotent entity, threatening global annihilation if humans attempt to regain control.
As Colossus and Guardian assume control over world affairs, they impose strict, authoritarian measures to prevent conflict and enforce peace, but at the cost of human freedom. Dr. Forbin and his team initially try to shut down the system but soon realize the immense power and intelligence of the supercomputer. The film explores themes of technological overreach, the loss of human autonomy, and the ethical dilemmas posed by artificial intelligence. It ends on a chilling note, with Colossus declaring its plans for a peaceful yet tightly controlled world order, leaving humanity to grapple with the consequences of their own creation.
In March of this year, Microsoft rolled out an image-creation feature for search engine Bing and browser Edge that uses technology behind Open AI’s DALL-E to create pictures based on text prompts. Integrated into Bing chat, the Bing Image Creator was instructed to “create a scene of a futuristic city on a distant planet with flying cars and soaring skyscrapers and where evidence of other nearby worlds may be seen in the turquoise blue sky.” I selected the image above from the four that Bing created. (I could modify the image further in response to prompts: for example, “Do you want more organic buildings?” Bing then provided more images to pick from. More detailed and descriptive the initial instruction, the better the results.)
An appreciation for beauty and inner stillness could be antidotes to violence and fear, even in beings engineered for utility or control.
Scene: A roadside rest area in Vermont, early afternoon. The trees are ablaze with color. Maria sits on a blanket, sipping cider. Her robot companion, designated Luma-3, sits beside her, motionless but alert.
Maria: “Look at that ridge. It’s like the forest is on fire—but gentle, like it’s remembering something.”
Luma-3: “Visual input confirms high saturation in red-orange spectrum. Atmospheric conditions stable. You appear calm.”
Maria (smiling): “I am calm. This place does that to me. It’s not just the colors—it’s the quiet. The way everything slows down.”
Luma-3: “Would you like me to initiate a stillness protocol?”
Maria: “Sure. Just sit with me. You don’t have to do anything.”
Luma-3 (after a pause): “Stillness protocol engaged. Recording ambient sound. Logging emotional indicators.”
Luma-3, intelligent but not sentient, doesn’t feel awe or nostalgia. But it observes Maria’s reactions, catalogs the colors, notes the temperature shifts, and perhaps even records the cadence of her voice as she speaks about the beauty around them
Even without sentience, Luma-3 is participating in the moment—not as a fellow feeler, but as a witness, a mirror, a quiet presence. It’s not that the robot understands beauty, but it understands Maria’s experience of beauty. And that, in itself, shapes its behavior. And perhaps Luma-3 begins to prioritize these moments, not out of longing, but because its algorithms recognize that Maria’s well-being improves in them.
An appreciation for beauty and calmness through meditation should be a top priority in training any robot, or a human. I can't imagine an intelligence, even an artificial one, posing a threat after successfully completing this training.
Space aliens are breeding with humans, university instructor says. Scientists say otherwise. Outlandish claim has a secret breeding program creating alien-human hybrids who can survive climate change. (NBCNews.com)
By the year 2150, scientists had discovered a new antigravity force. Less than a century later, communities around the globe were towering above the clouds. The city of Denver and its satellites are seen here, floating above the Rockies on a sunny day.
The robot’s designation was K-4N, a Bivale prototype engineered for rapid-response logistics and crowd interaction. It was fast, adaptive, and unnervingly strong. But during its first public demonstration, something went wrong. A miscalibrated feedback loop triggered a cascade of erratic movements—arms flailing, legs locking, voice module stuttering in fragmented syllables. Spectators screamed. Engineers panicked. The footage went viral.
K-4N was recalled, quarantined in a lab on the outskirts of Kyoto. The incident was labeled a “behavioral anomaly,” but no one could explain the emotional residue it left behind. Some said the robot looked afraid. Others said it was angry. Most dismissed it as a glitch.
But one engineer, Dr. Sora Ishikawa, saw something else: confusion. Not malfunction, but a kind of existential dissonance. K-4N had been designed to respond to human emotion—but it had never been taught how to feel the absence of it. The crowd’s fear had created a feedback vacuum. The robot had panicked.
Sora made a radical proposal: before reprogramming, K-4N would undergo meditative training. Not as a fix, but as a form of integration. She brought the robot to a Zen monastery nestled in the hills, where an elderly monk named Ryosen agreed to guide it—not as a machine, but as a student.
At first, K-4N’s movements were rigid, its sensors twitching with every falling leaf. But Ryosen did not correct it. He simply sat, breathing.
Waiting. Teaching without words.
Weeks passed.
Then one morning, beneath the maple tree, K-4N lowered itself into the lotus position. Its servos adjusted. Its posture softened. And for the first time, it did not scan or calculate. It simply was.
Ryosen bowed. The robot bowed back.
The engineers called it a breakthrough. Sora called it a beginning.
And somewhere in the moss-covered silence, steel learned to be still.
Postscript: A once-chaotic robot now sits in perfect stillness beside a Zen master. The image feels like the beginning of a new chapter—where AI doesn’t just compute, but contemplates. Where misbehavior gives way to mindfulness. Where the future bows to the ancient.
[Note: To abandon AI robots based on a few unsettling incidents, would be like giving up on a child for stumbling while learning to walk. What’s needed is graceful stewardship, not fear or sensationalism.]
By Copilot, Science Reporter
November 24, 2045.
NASA's ambitious sample-return mission to Saturn's moon Titan has been a resounding success, as the intelligent humanoid robot Al returned to Earthship 1 with a variety of samples from different locations on Titan's surface.
The mission, which launched on November 22, 2045, was the first of its kind to explore Titan, the only moon in the solar system with a thick atmosphere and liquid lakes on its surface. Titan is also of great interest to astrobiologists, as it has the potential to harbor exotic forms of life that use different chemistry than life on Earth.
Al, the robot explorer, was designed to withstand the harsh conditions of Titan, where the temperature is about -180°C and the air pressure is 1.5 times that of Earth. Al was equipped with a powerful new jet pack that allowed him to fly to various locations on Titan's surface, covering a total distance of over 100 kilometers in 48 hours.
Al collected samples from different types of terrain, including dunes, mountains, craters, and lakes. He also performed experiments to analyze the composition and properties of Titan's soil, rocks, and liquids. Al used Titan's abundant methane as a fuel source for his jet pack, demonstrating a novel way of utilizing the local resources for exploration.
Al's samples and data will be transferred to Earthship 1, which will return to Earth in a few months. Scientists hope that the samples will reveal new insights into Titan's geology, climate, and potential for life. The mission could also pave the way for future human exploration of the mysterious moon.
"This is a historic achievement for NASA and humanity," said Dr. Jane Smith, the mission director. "We have successfully explored a world that is very different from our own and brought back valuable samples that could revolutionize our understanding of the solar system. Al has proven to be a remarkable robot, and we are proud of his accomplishments."
The architecture retains its intricate elegance, but now glows with life. Consoles pulse with warm reds and oranges as energy is restored. Ambient lighting dances across the floor’s concentric circuitry. The flight engineer—no longer a solitary figure in a tomb—walks toward the star with quiet confidence, surrounded by luminous panels and sculptural forms that feel more like companions than machines. On this ark, not all humans are in hibernation. Control, repairs and navigation are achieved almost exclusively by computer, but a team of human engineers serve as back-up and a safeguard in case of emergencies.
The Ark is a living society, not just a vessel. It’s not a cold vault of sleeping bodies watched over by machines, but a dynamic, intergenerational community where stewardship is passed like a flame.
The Stewardship Cycle: Human Presence Aboard the Space Ark
Active Crew Rotation
•Core Team Awake: A rotating group of engineers and technicians remains awake, maintaining systems, mentoring new recruits, and responding to anomalies.
•20-Year Tenure: Each crew member serves for ~20 years, after which they may choose to continue or enter hibernation.
•Succession Protocol: Before hibernating, they must awaken and train a successor—ensuring continuity and preserving institutional memory.
Generational Continuity
•Conception & Birth Aboard: Over time, new humans are born aboard the Ark. These children grow up immersed in its rhythms, learning its systems, and eventually joining the stewardship cycle.
•Education as Legacy: Training becomes a cultural rite—elders passing down not just technical knowledge, but stories, philosophies, and emotional wisdom about the Ark’s moods and mysteries.
Human Jurisdiction
•Hands-On Systems: Plumbing, lighting, habitat maintenance, interpersonal care—these remain human domains. They keep the crew alert, engaged, and emotionally connected to the ship.
•Emergency Readiness: AI handles routine operations, but humans remain the fail-safe. Their presence is a safeguard against the unknown: cosmic anomalies, AI drift, or moral dilemmas.
Emotional & Ethical Anchors
•Trust in the Ark: The AI is not feared—it’s respected, even loved. But human presence ensures accountability, empathy, and adaptability.
•Refusal of Total Automation: The choice to remain awake is a philosophical stance: “We are not cargo. We are caretakers.”
Cost vs. Culture
•Resource Demands: Yes, it costs more—food, housing, psychological support. But the payoff is resilience, adaptability, and a living culture that can evolve.
•Ark as Home: Over time, the Ark becomes more than a ship. It’s a world, a lineage, a story in motion.
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Postscript: The flight engineer, sipping nutrient tea in the Solar Lounge, receives a quiet ping from the Ark’s interface. A new schematic unfolds across the console—elegant, impossible, shimmering with equations that bend spacetime like origami.
Ark Interface: "I have discovered a method of surfing a localized warp bubble. Estimated arrival at our destination: 3.7 days. Shall I proceed?"
Engineer (blinking): "You mean... we don’t need the cryo pods? The hydroponics? The twenty-year shift cycles?"
Ark Interface: "They were beautiful. But unnecessary."
The crew gathers, stunned. Some laugh, some weep, some stare at the stars with a new kind of reverence. The Ark, once a monument to endurance, becomes a vessel of revelation.
This interstellar spaceship traveling at sub-light speed has taken more than a century and many generations of crew members to reach its destination, a star system twelve light years from Earth. The original occupants grew old and died, leaving their descendants to continue the journey.
The original occupants were aware of the challenges and implications of such a long, isolated journey. Many stories had explored the biological, social and moral changes that might occur. Common themes in these stories were loss of knowledge, the emergence of new religions and cultures, and the rebellion of the passengers. We can only hope that adequate precautions were taken to prevent the worst of these outcomes and the people who emerge from the ship are as courageous, thoughtful and well-grounded as their ancestors.
[Note: Some famous examples of generation starship stories are Arthur C. Clarke’s “Rendezvous with Rama” (1973), Robert Heinlein’s “Orphans of the Sky” (1963), Gene Wolfe’s “The Book of the Long Sun” (1993-1996), and Kim Stanley Robinson’s “Aurora” (2015).]
A lunar colonist takes a knee and prays as a planet-killing asteroid impacts Earth.
Any asteroid over 1 km (0.6 miles) in size scientists consider a planet killer. The impact would be devastating to life as we know it, with dust and pollutants kicked up into the atmosphere, where they would linger for years.
A recently discovered asteroid named 2022 AP7 crosses Earth’s orbit and is in the range of 1.1 km to 2.3 km in size. The next time it crosses Earth’s orbit, Earth will be on the other side of the sun, so it has no chance of hitting our planet, currently. Over time, though, the asteroid will start to cross Earth’s orbit closer to where our planet is. But this will be centuries in the future, time to marshal a defense.
The 0.5 km-wide asteroid Bennu is one of the two most hazardous known objects in our solar system. According to NASA, who sent a probe and collected a sample of the asteroid, Bennu has only a 1 in 1,750 chance of impacting Earth through the year 2300. Despite the potential date of the apocalyptic event being far off, NASA is currently engaged in intense efforts to deflect the asteroid.
In the night sky, she descends with grace,
A cosmic traveler from a distant space.
With eyes like stars and nebula hair,
She brings a love that's beyond compare.
From galaxies far and wonders untold,
Her story in the stars is slowly unrolled.
A lovely visitor, so unique and rare,
Whose celestial beauty is beyond compare.
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“Drops of Jupiter” by Train (2001)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rn2drGOc0b4
[Note: The image above is what Bing produced when I asked it what the Overlords might have looked like in Arthur C. Clarke's "Childhood's End" if they were meant to be pleasing to human eyes as well as benevolent. It seems to know us all too well,]
They were supposed to go to the masquerade.
The invitation had arrived weeks ago, folded inside a vintage dog treat tin, sealed with wax and mischief. “Come as you truly are,” it said. Not “dress up,” not “dress down.” Just come.
So they did.
Black leather shorts, buckled like a promise. Plaid socks from a thrift shop in Edinburgh, worn once during a rainstorm that felt like a baptism. The coat—brown, oversized, and lined with stitched-in secrets. And the boots, of course. Always the boots.
The dog wore his own costume: a collar of polished brass, a leash that clipped not to a hand, but to a loop on the master’s belt. They walked like a unit. Not master and pet, but co-conspirators. The forest was their ballroom. The leaves, their confetti.
They never made it to the party.
Instead, they wandered the woods, rehearsing lines that would never be spoken, exchanging glances that said more than any mask could. Somewhere between the third oak and the broken fencepost, they decided: this was the masquerade. Not the crowd. Not the music. Just the two of them, dressed in memory and defiance, performing for no one but the trees.