Earth, Can You Spare a City?

In lieu of a regular post for the moment, I am providing a link to the Old-Timey Paperback Book Covers Flickr Pool. I just uploaded a whole bunch of old sci-fi covers.

“Sometimes I think our advanced technology and great wealth is only a fig leaf for our pathetic primitiveness. Lately I have been thinking that a lot.” - Stewart Nusbaumer

Sigh. We aren't out there among the stars, solving the mysteries of the universe. Instead, we are learning the hard way about the entropic nature of our little corner of space.

NASA REGULATES CONTACTS WITH THE PUBLIC

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration adopted a new policy this week to regulate contacts with the general public. The policy seems intended in part to insulate the agency from unscripted and unapproved interactions with the public.

Instead of responding directly to public inquiries, NASA employees are instructed to forward such inquiries to an authorized public affairs representative.

“Effective immediately, if you receive an e-mail from a member of the public, promptly forward it to the designated e-mail address for your Center,” the NASA message stated.

And then forget about it.

“You will not receive a reply that the e-mail has been successfully accepted, nor will you receive a copy of the response.”
The new policy, which also addresses messages that are sent to NASA by mistake, is needed “to ensure a responsive public communications program and enhance public perception of NASA,” the message states. [via The Memory Hole]

Technorati Tags: flickr, NASA, Science Fiction