Carey and I have been coming to Walt Disney World for almost twenty years.   Except for times when it was closed, we have always gone on Spaceship Earth, the large geosphere at EPCOT, which transports its riders  through time in the context of the history of communication.    In the last two years, the attraction has gone through a major change and  refurbishment.   Although I miss some of the former scenes, I love the addition of mathematics and the fields it made possible, including communications from space and the dawn of the computer age.   I particularly love the scenes of the large computer rooms with blinking lights and rows upon rows of tape drives, as they bring back fond memories of when I worked for the University Computer Center at the University of Southern California.   (No that is not me in the mini skirt and boots.)

At the end of the ride, the passengers are asked to choose their future.   They are asked a series of questions, and then a far distant future is built for them, where space travel is a means of everyday commuting and automation removes many of the hassles of everyday life.   Although we laugh everytime we sere our faces superimposed on this fanciful future, I come off the ride wondering how best to plan my own future during the brief time I have with my fellow passengers on “Spaceship Earth.”