The Big Bang: Warp Speed, Aliens, and Posterity

I've harbored the conviction of a universe without bounds for as long as I can remember.  On the first day of this class, one of the characteristics of the physical universe that I contributed to our opening discussion was its infiniteness.  Well, a chapter of physics and a little comprehension can sure change a liberal arts major's convictions in a very small amount of time.  Not only did I find the material in chapter 30 incredibly compelling, but I felt as if long held secrets were finally being revealed.  I've never been a huge Star Trek fan, but suddenly it all began to make sense.  This is the kind of stuff Trekkies get excited about.  These predictions and equations are why shuttles are launched all the time.  Those possibilities are what makes those episodes of The Outer Limits -- you know, the ones with an astronaut leaving earth at the age of thirty, returning in five years, and discovering fifty or more have passed on earth -- so chillingly possible. 

"Fire the photons!  And ready the engine for warp speed!"  Now I know what unimaginably advanced concept William Shatner was propagating.  Time dilation and speed-of-light travel have become even more amazing to me over the last three days.
After reading the text, the lecture made all the more sense as well.  The prospect of a universe expanding and contracting on a chronological time table measured in the hundreds of billions encourages a more thoughtful and serious contemplation of the possibility of extra-terrestrials (man was arrogant enough to think himself the center of the universe centuries ago, and perhaps man will realize to a larger degree how arrogant it is to think the earth the only planet capable of supporting life – that’s happening already, isn’t it?), advancements looming in both the near and far future, and a kind of envious curiosity on the capabilities of the society my great great x 10some ridiculously large # grandchild will live in perhaps one hundred billion years from now. 

I’m excited about science in a way I’ve never been before, right now.