I don't know about you, but when I heard Australian researchers found a solar system that might contain an Earth-like planet, my mind raced with questions:

How far behind us are they? Has the ``Friends'' haircut hit yet? Do they know about the miracle of Atkins? Is it still impossible to get seats to ``The Producers''? Does the phrase ``tall skinny latte'' mean anything to anyone? What about the name ``Richard Hatch''?

Can you talk nights and weekends free?

``Why are you assuming they're behind us?'' a friend asked when I wondered aloud if they were still wearing pashminas and drinking Chablis. ``Maybe they're ahead.''

Here I was feeling sorry for a planet full of residents still listening to Tony Orlando and Dawn, choking down salads made of iceberg lettuce and beefsteak tomatoes, and parading around in shoulder pads, when in fact the people on the planet orbiting HD 70642 might be even more highly evolved than those who summer on Nantucket and watch the fireworks from David Mugar's rooftop.

Who knows how much of a head start they're enjoying. Maybe they've had a do-not-call list for years, or already know who Carrie's going to end up with on ``Sex and the City.''

Maybe the TiVo penetration is close to 95 percent, and almost no one has to watch commercials. And the tooth-whitening treatments last a lifetime, and the plague of spam has been eradicated.

Researchers with the Anglo-Australian Telescope in New South Wales, Australia, reported that the newly discovered system is 90 light years away - I'm not sure what that is in people years, or American Airlines years - but if they have access to the Internet, and have sprung for online subscriptions to Us Weekly, I'm guessing they are very sick of Ashton and Demi.

And there may be other similiarities. Maybe Hillary Clinton's memoir is exceeding expectations there, too, and none of the Democrats have managed to distinguish themselves, and everyone's still trying to find the next ``Seinfeld.''

Or maybe, our long-lost twin is some kind of Shangri-La, where Botox injections are covered by insurance, and the Framingham Heart Study has discovered exercise is bad for your health.

``Can you imagine if it was really great over there?'' I said to a friend. She has a baby at home, and hasn't been able to travel much. ``If it's wonderful I don't want to know about it,'' she said. ``What good will it do me if I can't go?''

I think she went on about how hard it is to travel with an infant - particularly to a location 90 light years away, and who even knows if you can go direct - but I didn't hear her.

I was too busy wondering if the ``Starpoints'' I've earned at various Starwood Hotels could be put toward a stay at some lovely HD 70642 resort.