After giving it a great deal of thought, I’m going to suggest to Linette that she use her tattoo coupon to have the image from Carl Sagan’s Pioneer 10 plaque transferred to the back of her neck.

While we’re on the subject of things that have been jettisoned into space, does anyone know where I could obtain digital recordings of the “Sounds of Earth” clips that were included on the Voyager spacecraft? I’d also be interested to know, in case there are any space buffs in the audience, how the sounds included on that record were decided upon. Some, like “baby” and “surf,” seem fairly obvious, but I’m curious how the sound of “herding sheep” got included. (Was the Sheep Herders Union incredibly strong in 1977?) And how did “laughter” make it on, but not “crying”? And what kind of sounds do “mud pots” emit?