Frederick! I'm glad you liked the column, but this is an unusually jumbled response from you. I'm not sure exactly where you jump from pronouns to ultra terrestrials—quite a jump!—but let's take them one at a time.

I decided to add my preferred pronouns to my sign-off out of respect for other-gendered people of all stripes. For goodness sake, I am a trans woman myself so it is the least I can do to support my community, even though I rarely get misgendered these days (nor does it bother me when I am). I recently read a book "A Half-Build Garden" set 60 years hence and as a cultural thing, often when you entered a house or conference etc. you would find a basket with pins that indicate your preferred pronoun. You are, of course, free to choose to wear one or not. I like this idea because it removes the need to awkwardly announce it with words when you are introduced.

I like the untraterrestial hypotheses, though I don't believe a word of it. I read one of Jacques Vallee's books and he is very convincing as a sincere scientist. My very favorite but completely wrong hypothesis is the Aquatic Ape theory, which suggests that man is descended from an ocean-dwelling dolphin-like predecessor rather than ape progenitors on the savannah. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquatic_ape_hypothesis