Unidentified Quotes

“In my book, though, they should have changed Unidentified Flying Objects to Mysterious Otherworldly Flying Objects—or MOFOs. This name was more accurate after all. And I’d give my last dollar to hear TV reporters using the new acronym.”
― Douglas E. Richards, Unidentified

“Again, things were taking a turn for the absurd. An alien had just told me I might live for thousands of years. The only problem was, I’d almost been killed on multiple occasions in the past seventy-two hours.”
― Douglas E. Richards, Unidentified

“Neurons and galaxies were both assembled together in a complex web, spread out in long filaments and nodes that linked them up. Additional analysis revealed that the distribution of the neuronal network in the brain and the distribution of matter in the cosmic web were eerily similar.”
― Douglas E. Richards, Unidentified

“was a tale as old as time. Boy meets girl. Boy purchases girl to protect him. Boy and girl fall in love. Boy prays that girl won’t let him die horribly as he puts his UFO-questing nose where various parties don’t want it to be.”
― Douglas E. Richards, Unidentified

“A famous poem I had quoted in a novel came to mind: “And how can a man die better, Than facing fearful odds, For the ashes of his fathers, And the temples of his Gods?” How, indeed?”
― Douglas E. Richards, Unidentified

“If I wasn’t my own harshest critic, I might start feeling important about now.” Nick smiled. “Then I’m glad I didn’t tell you we plan to give you tech that changes water into wine,” he said with a twinkle in his eye.”
― Douglas E. Richards, Unidentified

“Mainly due to social media,” replied Brad. “It’s the most divisive technology the world has ever seen. It’s polarizing and promotes our worst tendencies. Mistrust, tribalism, zealotry. And it fosters and aids in the mobilization of those intent on violence. We’ve been working on ways to eliminate social media for years, but short of killing the internet—which would cripple the world—we haven’t come up with any solutions. So we just have to continue battling the violence it inspires.”
― Douglas E. Richards, Unidentified

“The Tasman Sea covers about a million square miles, located more or less between Australia and New Zealand. And east of Tasmania, which is a large island with over a thousand smaller islands around it. But we aren’t on any of these.”
― Douglas E. Richards, Unidentified

“It has to do with the number of possible four-dimensional positions a quantum particle can take between two locations. As your own mathematicians have learned, some infinities are larger than others.”
― Douglas E. Richards, Unidentified

“Ignoring the vast difference in scale, the authors had found the structures were remarkably similar. Neurons and galaxies were both assembled together in a complex web, spread out in long filaments and nodes that linked them up. Additional analysis revealed that the distribution of the neuronal network in the brain and the distribution of matter in the cosmic web were eerily similar.”
― Douglas E. Richards, Unidentified

“A number of scientists thought the universe could be conscious, and I had even read a paper that had investigated similarities between the human brain, with its hundred billion neurons, and the cosmos, with its hundred billion or more galaxies.”
― Douglas E. Richards, Unidentified

“I turned to Nari. “But getting back to the big picture,” I continued, “without your intervention, the odds we’d unleash some kind of WMD on ourselves were basically a hundred percent, right? So what are the odds now, given that we do have your help?” “Still fairly high,” admitted the alien. “About eighteen percent.” “Why?” “Mainly due to social media,” replied Brad. “It’s the most divisive technology the world has ever seen. It’s polarizing and promotes our worst tendencies. Mistrust, tribalism, zealotry. And it fosters and aids in the mobilization of those intent on violence. We’ve been working on ways to eliminate social media for years, but short of killing the internet—which would cripple the world—we haven’t come up with any solutions. So we just have to continue battling the violence it inspires.”
― Douglas E. Richards, Unidentified

“Looks were nice in the beginning, but intelligence, stimulating conversation, empathy, loyalty, humility, and chemistry were the key for a relationship to go to the next level.”
― Douglas E. Richards, Unidentified

“It was a tale as old as time. Boy meets girl. Boy purchases girl to protect him. Boy and girl fall in love. Boy prays that girl won’t let him die horribly as he puts his UFO-questing nose where various parties don’t want it to be.”
― Douglas E. Richards, Unidentified

“Would extraordinarily advanced alien beings really traverse this unimaginable gulf just to blast patterns in our cornfields, mutilate our cows, and probe our anuses? Surely they’d have better things to do.”
― Douglas E. Richards, Unidentified

“When I first began writing novels the greatest threat to America and the world appeared to be fundamentalist Islamic terrorists intent on waging a Holy War to establish a Caliphate. So these tended to be my villains. I dutifully took care to explain each time that radicalized Jihadists vowing to wipe all non-Muslims from the face of the Earth and create rivers of blood in the streets didn’t represent the vast majority of peace-loving Muslims. Since there were only small pockets of Jihadists, and over a billion Muslims, nothing could be more obvious. Still, in today’s world, one needed to state this explicitly. But then I began researching the leadership of China, and I was astonished by what I found. I had always thought the country was largely harmless. A promising market for American goods, and a wonderful supplier to American consumers. But the more I researched, the more clear and ominous their endgame became. It wasn’t as if it wasn’t all there to find, in their own words. Still, their reputation within the US tended to be excellent. China was ten times the threat of Russia, yet many Americans thought just the opposite.”
― Douglas E. Richards, Unidentified

“So let me direct you to patent number two. This is entitled, ‘Electromagnetic Field Generator and Method to Generate an Electromagnetic Field.’ “And the purpose of this invention?” I asked. “Basically, to deflect asteroids and to use as a force field against military attacks.” I allowed a shallow smile to crawl across my face. “Again, I wouldn’t blame anyone for thinking I was making this up. But let me quote from the patent itself. ‘It is a feature of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for generating an impenetrable defensive shield.’ “Impenetrable defensive shield?” I said incredulously. “Impenetrable is a mighty strong word to put in an actual patent that’s been issued by the actual US Patent and Trademark Office, isn’t it? And for those of you with interest, this patent’s number is US10135366B2.  I’ll”
― Douglas E. Richards, Unidentified

“I’ll focus on two of these patents, both issued in 2018,” I said to Mark Russell’s audience. “The first is entitled, Craft Using an Inertial Mass Reduction Device. This one involves an aerospace-underwater craft of incredible speed and maneuverability. A vehicle capable of flying just as well in space, air, or water without leaving a heat signature. “Sound familiar? If you’re thinking this patent has to have come from the reverse engineering of an alien craft, you aren’t alone.” I paused for effect as I put the title pages of both patents on the screen. “The how of it all is quite interesting, taking me back to my grad school days. The invention involves the creation of a quantum vacuum around a vehicle using a dense, spinning, electromagnetic energy field. Such a quantum vacuum would repel matter that would otherwise impede the craft, greatly reducing the ship’s inertia, decreasing resistance, and leading to extreme speeds.” I smiled. “Let me read you a sentence from the actual, issued patent. I’m a science fiction writer, and even I wouldn’t have been crazy enough to write a sentence this bold. Here it is: this invention would also enable us to ‘engineer the fabric of our reality at the most fundamental level.’ “That’s in the actual patent. Really! You can find the patent and read it for yourself. All you have to do is Google its official USPTA number, which is US10144532B2.”
― Douglas E. Richards, Unidentified

“Contrary to fiction, you can’t hypnotize someone to commit armed robbery, or jump off a building, against their will. A person can only be hypnotized to do something they would already be willing to do otherwise. Same with this. We can strengthen a tendency, put a thought into your sleeping head, but it can’t contradict how you feel consciously.”
― Douglas E. Richards, Unidentified

“So”
― Douglas E. Richards, Unidentified

“Well, you know what they say: everything seems to take longer when you’re crammed inside a footlocker.”
― Douglas E. Richards, Unidentified

“Bulging biceps?” she repeated with a broad grin. “Wow. Your imagination is even more potent than I thought.”
― Douglas E. Richards, Unidentified

“Hell, I was pretty sure I still loved her, even though I now hated her also.”
― Douglas E. Richards, Unidentified

“Mark Zuckerberg is an optimist, whereas Elon Musk and Bill Gates are very much the opposite, as was the late Stephen Hawking.”
― Douglas E. Richards, Unidentified

“If births continued and deaths were severely curtailed, overpopulation would soon cause devastating effects.”
― Douglas E. Richards, Unidentified

“Befriending a lion on its home turf was one thing, allowing it to roam free in Manhattan was quite another.”
― Douglas E. Richards, Unidentified

“she whispered through the pain,”
― Douglas E. Richards, Unidentified

“Open Says Me”
― Douglas E. Richards, Unidentified

“It’s a false flag operation, and they’ve been successful.”
― Douglas E. Richards, Unidentified

“Great,” I said, rolling my eyes. “We’ll get the chance to know what it feels like to be an ear of corn as a thick cloud of locusts approach.”
― Douglas E. Richards, Unidentified