I have an official announcement. I am giving myself a 25-year deadline for making a serious run for political office. That means I must begin a major political campaign no later than January 14, 2044.

Obviously, I can’t make any guarantees about what the world will be like then. We know there are existential threats about which I worry. My health might suddenly take a nosedive due to an injury or if I somehow quit my addiction to salads and berries. But for the sake of this exercise, let’s assume away these (hopefully unlikely) cases.

People are inspired to run for political office for a variety of reasons. I have repeatedly been thinking about doing so, perhaps (as amazing as it sounds) even moreso than I think about existential threats. The tipping point for me making this declaration is our ridiculous government shutdown, now the longest in history.

This shutdown is unnecessary, counterproductive, and is weakening the United States of America. As many as 800,000 federal workers are furloughed or being forced to work without pay. On a more personal note, government cuts disrupt American science, a worrying sign given how China is investing vast sums of money in Artificial Intelligence and other sciences.

I do not know which offices I will target. It could be national or state-wide. Certain environments are far more challenging for political newcomers, such as those with powerful incumbents. But if I end up getting lucky, such as drawing a white supremacist like Steve King as my opponent … well, I’m sure I could position myself to win the respect of the relevant group of voters.

I also cannot state with certainty regarding my future political party affiliation. I am a terrible fit for the modern-day GOP, and an awkward one for the current Democratic party. But, a lot can change in 25 years.

To avoid distracting myself from more pressing circumstances, I will not discuss this in future blog posts. My primary focus is on getting more research done; I currently have about 20 drafts of technical posts to plow through in the next few months.

But stay tuned for what the long-term future may hold.