Two goals benefit from a shared approach: we need new methods for calculations in collider physics and gravitational wave physics, and we want to explain mysterious properties of the perturbative expansion of supersymmetric theories. Symbol alphabets are a powerful tool to address both of these, one I have used to compute scattering amplitudes up to seven loops. However, a full understanding will require generalizing the notion of a symbol alphabet, including calculations with a surprising connection to Calabi-Yau manifolds.