It started with a brief Twitter exchange between two famous Canadians, Star Trek actor William Shatner and ISS Expedition 35 Commander Chris Hadfield:
@williamshatner Yes, Standard Orbit, Captain. And we’re detecting signs of life on the surface.
— Chris Hadfield (@Cmdr_Hadfield) January 3, 2013
I spontaneously expressed my amazement at this “Life in the Future” moment as a well-timed Twitter @mention which appeared early in the stream of conversation:
An astronaut in space @cmdr_hadfield just sent a status message to a guy who portrayed a starship captain @williamshatner LIFE IN THE FUTURE
— brownpau (@brownpau) January 3, 2013
This afforded me some minor fame as journalists took notice of the two Canadian celebrities bantering about space on the Internet, and the red-shirted kibitzer in the first reply slot. So far I’ve popped up on Universe Today, HuffPost Canada, CBC News, and The Today Show (last link found via MetaTalk). A well-timed Twitter @mention can get you places.
CANADA MUST BE SO PROUD
— brownpau (@brownpau) January 3, 2013