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A Navy presentation on recruiting Millenials called MySpace Kids an “Alien Life Force.” Perhaps it was stories like the two-year-old girl who became a member of Mensa, the woman visiting her own heart at an exhibition, the labor unions protesting IBM in Second Life, or the Artificial Intelligence cited for unlicensed practice of law that prompted the characterization.

Megan Meier’s tragic suicide after a MySpace hoax drew the most Internet outrage, prompting some to consider criminalizing misrepresentation online.

It was a great year for humanity in space, as 21 years after the Challenger accident took the life of Christa McAuliffe, teacher Barbara Morgan made it to space at 55 years of age. Stephen Hawking got to experience Zero-Gravity at 65 years of age on a Boeing 727. Star Trek’s Scotty’s ashes touched space, while Sulu got an Asteroid named for him.

Lisa Nowak NASA File Photo

My favorite space story of the year was Lisa Nowak’s kidnapping attempt of a rival lover. While the average person couldn’t get past the police report’s mention that she wore diapers to make the cross-country drive without stopping, the real story here was of a spectacular over-achiever having a complete mental breakdown. Nowak’s e-mails, which NASA posted online, revealed the busy life of uber-professionals that was also somewhat ordinary. It was comforting to know that someone like Lisa Nowak, who represents the best of the best of the best, can be driven to dramatic, irrational acts for love.

There’s something timeless about that, symbolized by archeologists discovery of a Couple locked in 5,000 year old embrace.

Kurt Vonnegut Photo by Ryan Somma

This year we said good bye to the Princeton Lab of ESP , to the delight of many scientists who felt the institution was a waste of time on “pseudoscience.” Alex the Grey Parrot, hero of the animal world for his amazing cognitive powers, passed away at 31. Don Herbert, aka “Mr Wizard”
passed away at 89, he was a grumpier version of Bill Nye.

We also lost Kurt Vonnegut at 84, World War II Veteran, Science Fiction author, President of the American Humanist Association, lifetime member of the ACLU, and all around great humanist.

“So it goes.”