quarantine 'em

Gradually realising that in 17776, yeah, Steely Dan probably is still together

17776 is in the general neighbourhood of a point which I think about sometimes: the romance and tragedy of deep space probes

Ironically it's not the probes themselves in the story which got me thinking about this again. It's the light bulb

The probes in the story are just people, having conversations. The bulb, however, like the REAL probes, is inanimate. That's crucial

Deep space probes represent the width of the physical footprint which humans have left on the universe. They are our high-water mark

They are (from one particular angle), uncontestably, the most significant thing humans have ever done

There are of course many ways to gauge and compare the significance of human activities. But "distance from home" can't not be one of them