Engineers are dangerous because they’re obsessed by facts and you can’t divert them or buy them off. — Charles Sheffield

“D’you know what homeostasis is?”

“I used to, before I rotted my brain with politics.”

I’d make a case for saying anything that propagates itself in an intentional way qualifies to be thought of as alive.

It is not clear to me whether the insouciance of youth will be the doom of humanity or its salvation. I prefer to think the latter, but I have my doubts.