Flying Selfie
October 31, 2014
“The future is not some place we are going to, but one we are creating. The paths are not found, but made, and the activity of making them changes both the maker and the destination.”
~ John H. Schaar
Flying saucers are real and NASA is launching them.
On June 28th, NASA’s Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator project (LDSD) conducted its first test flight of technologies that will one day be used to land massive, heavy objects on the surface of Mars. Nicknamed NASA’s “Flying Saucer”, the LDSD is a 20ft (6 m) diameter dish that is partially inflatable and carried to the upper stratosphere with the help of a gigantic balloon and a rocket.
If present-day scientists on Earth are creating objects called “Flying Saucers”, maybe the creatures we refer to as “Aliens” are not visitors from another planet after all.
The image of an outer-space Alien that is most common today is the one often referred to as a “Grey”. A large head with huge, dark eyes and a tiny mouth and nose is attached to a whisper-thin body with long arms, hands and fingers. What if these so-called “Aliens” are actually visitors from Earth’s future?
After hundreds of years of staring into smartphones, tablets or whatever the equivalent future technologies are, and relating only to their devices and not to each other or the physical world around them, Earth’s inhabitants could possibly have evolved into thin, gray beings with no need for mouths to speak, noses to smell or bodies capable of physically mingling.
It is quite possible that future Earthlings have found that life without physical human interaction is empty and unfulfilling, and they are traveling back to our time, in order to change (what is to them) the past for the benefit of their present happiness – to somehow interfere with the invention and proliferation of technologies that discourage human relationships and physical experience.
Earlier this morning, I was watching West Wing Week on YouTube. The end of this week’s edition showed a woman walking while staring intently into her smartphone, her thumbs moving rapidly back and forth across its surface. The President of the United States walked right by her and said hello. She was so involved in her phone that she missed this once-in-a-lifetime moment. She can always see it later on YouTube, I suppose.
The clip was supposed to be humorous, but I found it a bit sad. Today, people seem more concerned with filming and watching important moments than they are with living and experiencing them. Epictetus, a Greek philosopher (c. 50-120) said:
“If one oversteps the bounds of moderation, the greatest pleasures cease to please.”
I am hoping that Earth’s current inhabitants can learn to enjoy the benefits of our technology, without losing the beauty of our humanity.
Turn off the tablet and put down the phone. Choose to talk rather than text. Don’t see the world through Instagram; go for a walk and see it in person. Create a memory instead of a photo. Be more concerned with how you live, than how you look online.
Make the future a better place. Enjoy the here and now.
~~~~~~~~~
A photo of Caramel Apple Crostata would not do it justice. Bake one yourself. Your taste buds will thank you.
Caramel Apple Crostata
Using a pre-made, unbaked pie crust and store-bought caramels makes this recipe super-easy, but still delicious. Use good-quality caramels for the best results. I used Trader Joe’s Fleur de Sel Caramels (about 13 of them, or half the container).
3 tablespoons organic sugar
Scant 1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
Scant 1/8 teaspoon of ground allspice
1 pre-made unbaked pie crust (thawed, if frozen)
2 large gala apples
2 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small cubes
5 oz of caramel candies, unwrapped (about 3/4 cup)
Preheat oven to 400°F
In a small bowl, combine sugar and spices. Set aside.
Unfold pie crust onto a baking sheet (preferably lined with parchment paper). Use a rolling pin to roll out slightly to a diameter of about 11 inches.
Sprinkle one third of the sugar mixture across the surface of the crust.
Peel, core and slice apples into 1/8-inch-thick slices. Place slices in a spiral pattern from center of crust outward, leaving a 1-inch border. Dot apples with butter pieces.
Fold border of crust in and over edge of filling, pleating as you go to form a circle shape (no need to make it perfect; a crostata is supposed to be rustic-looking).
Sprinkle the remaining sugar mixture over the apples and edge of crust.
Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until crust is golden brown. Slide off of baking sheet and let cool on a rack for 20 minutes.
Make caramel topping:
Place unwrapped caramel candies in a small, heavy saucepan with a scant tablespoon of water. Stir over medium-low heat until smooth. Let sit a minute or two before drizzling. Drizzle caramel topping to cover center (apple part) of crostata.
Serve warm or chilled. For a super decadent version, add some vanilla ice cream on the side.
Serves 8
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