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From: Robert Patterson <rpatterson@PROMUS.com>
Subject: RE: (whorl) disposable robots and the talus
Date: Wed, 5 May 1999 09:56:18
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Greg, about Michael's post:
hey Michael, about your last post:
>the very concept of a seedship strikes me as so flawed . . . even the
>notion of a robotic terraforming flotilla (which is a near cousin) is based
>upon the premise that robots are disposable slaves! "Thanks for the
>planet, Tinman--now go rust someplace else, you are staining the
>lawn."
Another point is that if humans are ever going to inhabit other planets,
with or without current biospheres, those planets will almost certainly
require some level of terraforming. While I find the probability-based
arguments for the existence of biospheres on other planets to be fairly
plausible, I see no reason to expect that their life-chemistry will be in
any way compatible with ours. I just re-read Vernor Vinge's
_A_Fire_Upon_the_Deep_, and while it is a great book, he seems rather naive
in assuming that everyone can eat everyone else and not die.
Of course, if we discover some nice e.t. delicacies on Europa, all bets are
off.
R.
--
Robert Patterson
http://home.midsouth.rr.com/rpatterson
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<P><FONT SIZE=3D2>Greg, about Michael's post:</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>hey Michael, about your last post:</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>>the very concept of a seedship strikes me as so =
flawed . . . even the</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>>notion of a robotic terraforming flotilla (which =
is a near cousin) is based</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>>upon the premise that robots are disposable =
slaves! "Thanks for the</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>>planet, Tinman--now go rust someplace else, you =
are staining the</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>>lawn."</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2>Another point is that if humans are ever going to =
inhabit other planets, with or without current biospheres, those =
planets will almost certainly require some level of terraforming. While =
I find the probability-based arguments for the existence of biospheres =
on other planets to be fairly plausible, I see no reason to expect that =
their life-chemistry will be in any way compatible with ours. I just =
re-read Vernor Vinge's _A_Fire_Upon_the_Deep_, and while it is a great =
book, he seems rather naive in assuming that everyone can eat everyone =
else and not die.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2>Of course, if we discover some nice e.t. delicacies =
on Europa, all bets are off.</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2>R.</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2>--</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>Robert Patterson</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2><A HREF=3D"http://home.midsouth.rr.com/rpatterson" =
TARGET=3D"_blank">http://home.midsouth.rr.com/rpatterson</A></FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2> </FONT>
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