  The discovery of the present accelerated expansion of space changed
everything regarding cosmology and life's ultimate prospects. Both the
optimistic scenarios of an ever (but decelerated) expanding universe and of a
collapsing universe seem to be no longer available. The final future looks
deadly dark. However, the fate of the universe and intelligence depends
crucially on the nature of the still mysterious dark energy which drives the
accelerated expansion. Depending on its - perhaps time-dependent - equation of
state, there is a confusing number of different models now, popularly called
Big Rip, Big Whimper, Big Decay, Big Crunch, Big Brunch, Big Splat, etc. This
paper briefly reviews possibilities and problems. It also argues that even if
our universe is finally doomed, perhaps that doesn't matter ultimately because
there might be some kind of eternal recurrence. - Key words: Cosmology,
Universe, Dark Energy, Cosmological Constant, Quintessence, Phantom Energy,
Inflation, Quantum Gravity, Far Future, Life, Intelligence
