Equation

He sketched out an agenda, topics he thought might be worth discussing over the next three days.

When he looked at the list of discussion topics, he realized that if he organized them in the form of an equation, he had come up with a formula that would calculate the number of detectable civilizations in the Milky Way galaxy, and he just wrote down his meeting agenda in the form of an equation, just put it on the chalkboard, and that kicked off everything.

That equation would come to be known as the Drake Equation, and it single-handedly shaped the trajectory of efforts to search for life beyond our own planet.

The Drake Equation, it's actually conceptually quite simple, and I think that's why it's been so enduring, is because it's a framework that you can use to answer any really big, tough-to-answer question.

Because it, it breaks down that great big unknown into a series of manageable steps.

It's an estimation of just how many civilizations might be out there.

Which we call N.

So if you just read out the equation, it's N equals seven variables multiplied.

I was having a Subway sandwich at the mall, and I was drawing, and he started talking to me, and he goes, "You know, it sounds like you're trying to describe a unified field theory, but you're doing it with layman terms." He goes, "You have no idea how strange that is." I didn't have the vocabulary to describe it, and when you try to talk to somebody who's a scientist, they've been taught this very structured way, but it's not how the universe naturally does it, even though you can arrive at the same equations.

equations.So you went back to school to learn standardized physics and math, and now you've developed quantum information holography to explain what's unseeable to most of us.

So what's behind the curtain, the unexplainable? Maybe we can start with consciousness.

You know, where or what is it coming from?

But at no point did she say that.

At no point did she bring gender into the equation.

said you a good drummer you gonna play the drums which was odd because I was in the band you know I've taught band and a lot of parents are like my girl cannot play the drums not knowing that being the only girl you actually stand out more so my mom like when I would do talent shows as a youngster she would play piano for me while I was singing the greatest love of all and The Fantasia song, I can see it in the stars across the sky.

I was doing all of that winning talent shows and my mother was right there with me.