John Muther - Space Race

The Lisps played with John Muther twice in Milwaukee this year. Both times it was a joy. His songwriting is crafted so brilliantly. And he manages to talk about all the things I'm interested in just the way that seems to make sense. When I first heard is song Space Race, I was a believer.



Lyrics:

As kids, on our hands and knees

Around the warm glow of the radio,

We wondered if the space men will wear sweaters.

Will they still eat food?

Will all food be pills?

Will they still tie their shoes?

Ray gun. Velcro.

Time moves too slow.

Rockets. Space camp.

Air locks. Mars man.

I'll take a shower of dust; I'll take a moon bath.

We need a thruster boost; we gotta go fast!

We have a duty to ourselves and our solar system

To spread our society.

We can show the other planets how to kill all the mosquitos,

And prevent each cloudy day.

Bug bomb. Smart bomb.

A bomb. H bomb.

Box top. Moon base.

Free prize. Space race.

We put our backs against the floor. We put our knees up on the couch.

We put our backs against the floor. We put our knees up on the couch.

Brushes steel. Plastic.

High sheen. High tech.

Longing for the

Wood floor. Wood stove.

Warm bed. Wool clothes.

John Muther's Website

The Universe is a Small Hat

Other universes can get intoxicating, but ours is the one we are stuck with.
Many universes had to be tested to arrive at this one.
The specific qualities which ensure the possibility of life are unique and hard earned.
Multiple universes had to be tried on, stretched, re-purposed, folded, printed, rolled, curled, expanded, and imploded in order to know precisely which kind of universe could establish intelligence.

So feel lucky.
You are special.

The universe is a small hat worn by an enormous reserve of energetic potential.
It is one of trillions of accessories that completes the outfit of a primordial froth.

You are in a bubble.

You are a tiny bubble in a tiny bubble in an enormous foam of eternal consequence. It is no small thing that you can witness the edges of your own known universe.
You are everywhere right now.
Changes at one insignificant point can affect distant parts of the universe.
Your wave function extends into every known and unknown crevice of creation.
This is "Spooky action at a distance," and it is everything we have.
Try to appreciate it.

The fact of your existence has the same the likelihood of a laser telescope being assembled out of a pile of sand and a brisk wind. You are a small feat. You are deeply improbable.

Perhaps that is why so many of us are unhappy. Our sheer improbability is in a constant struggle against entropy. From day one we are forced to resist the Universe's desire to pull us apart and return us to non-existence.

It's hard to be an organized assembly of particles.


(Let's try to assemble a small neutron star out of metal parts.
That's the best way to keep ourselves afloat.)