The shape of things to come, in the cosmos, always adds perspective to life on earth. Our time here, when measured against the unimaginable eons of the universe, seems like straws in the wind.

Today there was another terror attack in Paris and I suspect that, in addition to the sadness of loved-ones, freedom of one kind or another is the loser. More security and surveillance means a loss of anonymity and the freedom to express, without being monitored. Self-censorship becomes a factor - 'what can I say and how can I say it?'

So in looking forward to a time beyond humanity, one can find solace in the sheer length of the perspectives, far beyond the end of life on earth, of the earth itself, of this period of stellar illumination and the looming creative darkness beyond that.

The original of the chart below is found at : http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20140105-timeline-of-the-far-future