<HTML><HEAD></HEAD>
<BODY dir=ltr>
<DIV dir=ltr>
<DIV style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR: #000000; FONT-SIZE: 12pt">
<DIV><FONT size=4>Dear all</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>This has nothing to directly with GG, but he is a tiny part of
the story so please hear me out.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>You probably know that the NASA Voyager spacecrafts contain a
Golden Record on which sights and sounds from Earth are stored, among them a
Bach recording by Glenn Gould. If you remember “32” you can see the spacecrafts
being launched, accompanied to Die Kunst der Fuge while the end credits are
rolling.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Now according to NASA Voyager I is about to leave the
Heliosphere (the realm where solar winds can still be measured) according to a
recent press release and will enter Interstellar Space soon. It will be the
first spacecraft to achieve this, followed by its companion:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><A title=http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/news/new_region.html
href="http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/news/new_region.html"><FONT
size=4>http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/news/new_region.html</FONT></A></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Now put on some Bach (for his music is infinite) and think
about this for a minute: One Astronomical Unit (AU) is about the distance
Earth-Sun. Voyager has crossed around 120 AU by now. The next physical object
(probably the Oort Cloud, if it exists) is just some 1000-3000 AU away, followed
by the next star system at 270 000 AU. Still think it’s a long walk home from
the local pub ?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Yet this should not depress you, au contraire ! GG’s music is
almost in Interstellar Space and somehow this gives me comfort.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4>Pat</FONT></DIV></DIV></DIV></BODY></HTML>