At the risk of sounding overly-redundant, I have to bring up the 'Pluto' thing, again. Our good friend, keeping silent vigil in the outer reaches of the solar system, has, once again, been dumped on by the astronomical community.
In an attempt to reinforce their recent decision to strip Pluto of its planetary status, the International Astronomical Union has grouped it with other small solar-system bodies with well-known orbital paths. In other words, asteroids.
Yes, friends, Pluto has a new name and that name is '134340'.
It just doesn't roll off the toungue, does it? What of Charon, Hydra, and Nix? 134340 I, II, and III, respectively. Geeze, let's kick them while they're down.
It's late, I'm tired, and I'm getting very weary of piddly bickering over absolutely nothing. People are protesting in the streets (or, at least, the University campuses) over this farce. I can't say as I blame them. I've written stories about Pluto. I get sentimental over the little iceball.
Throughout the centuries, it has been the goal of humankind, in general, to make things much more complicated than they need to be. Something as simple as camping used to be a tent and a campfire. Nowadays, I see thirty-foot RVs pull into campgrounds and never disgorge their passengers except when connecting the water and electricity. Changing fluids in a car used to involve unscrewing a bolt, draining the fluid, and putting more fluid in. Now, it involves fifteen to thirty separate steps. Taking music along for a walk used to involve a transistor radio, then a walkman, and now, an MP3 player with desktop computer and internet support and supply.
Give it a rest. Besides, 'Pluto' is easier to remember.
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