NationStates Jolt Archive

Well folks, I've been thinking (a dangerous pasttime, I know). It seems to me that many people adopt a worldview that either espouses 'living for the moment', or working for a positive afterlife.

What if everyone lived forever... or at least until killed by violent action? Would this change how you approach life? Would it change your life goals?

As for me, I think that I would take things a little more slowly. I wouldn't be in such a rush to graduate from college. My basic life goals would not change though. I'd try to learn more languages than I already plan to. I'd engage in all the professions I am interested in, instead of just the ones I am most interested in.

I think I'd like to live to a ripe old age of 800 or so. I might start getting bored after that, but I doubt it.

I am confident that I will have an indefinite lifespan, based upon my own knowledge of current developments and methods elaborated in prior threads. I would do this, of course, preferably as a fully artificial humanoid, since it would enable me to survive in space and extreme climates or environments, broadening the amount I could experience firsthand. As a result, I tend to think like this already. It puts things in a far more relaxed perspective, IMO; you have plenty of things to do, and plenty of time to do them in.

It would give me a chance to pursue knowledge that would be unattainable in a conventional lifespan, to see mankind and its descendants develop and change, to explore things with my own eyes that biological humans couldn't see, Not to mention I could really pursue my interests; imagine collecting a million years of coins, growing generations of bonsai, playing games and simulations, viewing changes in art, entertainment decoration and fashion, being a living witness to history and scientific change...it would provide wisdom and enjoyment forever, or at least a very long time.

Plus, with an indefinite lifespan, I could experience death without fear of it being permanent. That total freedom would be truly a wonderful thing.

I am confident that I will have an indefinite lifespan, based upon my own knowledge of current developments and methods elaborated in prior threads. I would do this, of course, preferably as a fully artificial humanoid, since it would enable me to survive in space and extreme climates or environments, broadening the amount I could experience firsthand. As a result, I tend to think like this already. It puts things in a far more relaxed perspective, IMO; you have plenty of things to do, and plenty of time to do them in.

It would give me a chance to pursue knowledge that would be unattainable in a conventional lifespan, to see mankind and its descendants develop and change, to explore things with my own that biological humans couldn't see, Not to mention I could really pursue my interests; imagine collecting a million years of coins, growing generations of bonsai, playing games, viewing changes in art, entertainment decoration and fashion, being a living witness to history and scientific change...

Plus, with an indefinite lifespan, I could experience death without fear of it being permanent. That total freedom would be truly a wonderful thing.My new life goal is to hunt you down and melt you down into your base metals.

No one outlives me.

My new life goal is to hunt you down and melt you down into your base metals.

"Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do. I'm half crazy, all for the love of you. It won't be a stylish marriage. I can't afford a carriage. But you'll look sweet, upon the seat, of a bicycle built for two...."

No one outlives me.

Well, you could do the same thing...or freeze your brain and wait until it can be revivew and uploaded. I'll make sure to hold an NS meetup in 2107.

Well, myself and several others I know, are Immortal already.


But there can be only one...

*sharpens sword*

"Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do. I'm half crazy, all for the love of you. It won't be a stylish marriage. I can't afford a carriage. But you'll look sweet, upon the seat, of a bicycle built for two...."



Well, you could do the same thing...or freeze your brain and wait until it can be revivew and uploaded. I'll make sure to hold an NS meetup in 2107.
That'd be sweet. Reminiscing about the good old days when people died, and computers were big enough to take up most of a desk. I know when I look back at this time, my emotion card is gonna by over-run with threads to process.

Well, myself and several others I know, are Immortal already.


But there can be only one...

*sharpens sword*Another Robot Chicken fan?

Personally, I can thing of few things worse than to live (as a human) for an eternity; it would ultimately be just one form of a living hell.

Another Robot Chicken fan?

Robot Chicken? When did robotic chickens start being chosen for immortality?

Will it still run around after I chop off its head?

That'd be sweet. Reminiscing about the good old days when people died, and computers were big enough to take up most of a desk. I know when I look back at this time, my emotion card is gonna by over-run with threads to process.

It'll be interesting...NationStates will be on version 14 or 15, and the forums will still be down every hour or so.

Maybe we'll see the second coming of Jesussaves.

EDIT: Speaking of forums being down...

Only if I got to keep the pleasures and pains of the flesh...otherwise I might just get bored.

Maybe we'll see the second coming of Jesussaves.

EDIT: Speaking of forums being down...
We can only hope.

I just hope that all the noobs will still be whacking their heads on their desks trying to figure out what Myrth is.

I thought about if for a bit, and then decided it probably wouldn't.

Robot Chicken? When did robotic chickens start being chosen for immortality?

Will it still run around after I chop off its head?

Robot Chicken is a TV show

Robot Chicken is a TV show

Yeah I know. I just thought it was impossible for someone not to realize I was referincing Highlander.

I already am Immortal, by the way I was born in Atlantis, very fun times till our civilization was torn in sunder by tidal waves from the volcanic eruption and fires from it setting our cities on fire.

Though we did kinda of live in one giant building complex we did kinda of ask for it, though we did survive and we fled to the east and began to conquer the Cannanites, Hitties, Phonecians, and then we got tired and stopped at Egypt because of a bad commander leading our forces into a obvious ambush. Yet, I cannot say that we had a bad run.

After that I went to mainland Greece and became came of Mcyene and lanuched a war on Troy due to the fact they destroyed a lot of our Altanean colonies in the eastern Aegean. So I destroyed Troy and wandered into Thrace and wreaked havor there for a couple of centuries and this kinda of crap went on till about the 12th century and I did a number of useful things setting the modern countries up and such.

A cookie goes to the person who knows what is the name of the modern island I lived on.

We can only hope.

I just hope that all the noobs will still be whacking their heads on their desks trying to figure out what Myrth is.

Oh, they will...they will. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Yeah I know. I just thought it was impossible for someone not to realize I was referincing Highlander.

That's my favorite documentary. Shot in real time, too.

Yeah I know. I just thought it was impossible for someone not to realize I was referincing Highlander.

yea....
I never saw Highlander...

but, apparently it won an academy award for best movie ever made...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITztVTM1_V8

What if everyone lived forever... or at least until killed by violent action? Would this change how you approach life? Would it change your life goals?Yes. My 'goal' in life is to be a good friend and lover, gratify myself as much as possible, but try to make sure it's not at the expense of others, and try to improve the opportunities of others.

If everyone's lifespan was infinite, my loyalty would be finite, I'd attempt to spend more time learning and less indulging myself, and be less concerned about improving opportunities for others. It may not sound very significant, but it would change my way of life and ethics in some very fundamental and immediately apparent ways. Very simply, I'd go from being a gnat in the universe, to a god in a potentially multiverse-spanning pantheon.

Yeah I know. I just thought it was impossible for someone not to realize I was referincing Highlander.

Highlander was before my time.

Highlander was before my time.

Poor poor sonofabitch. Don't bother with the absolutely horrific sequels. They are a travesty.

But the original is great in all it's sword-fighting goodness. Plus, Sean Connery.

It definitely deserved an Academy award! :D

Poor poor sonofabitch. Don't bother with the absolutely horrific sequels. They are a travesty.

But the original is great in all it's sword-fighting goodness. Plus, Sean Connery.

It definitely deserved an Academy award! :D

imdb's.

Yeah, that was pretty much the Robot Chicken sketch.

I guess my world view might change, depending on the terms of immortality... If I assume I'd be the only one and would have to hide it, it follows that I would have to get a new life from time to time, so probably thinking of life as cyclic. Make up new background story, find job, find friends, rinse, repeat. I really hope my body would stop aging somewhere 30-35ish, just getting older and older might suck :eek:

I guess my world view might change, depending on the terms of immortality... If I assume I'd be the only one and would have to hide it, it follows that I would have to get a new life from time to time, so probably thinking of life as cyclic. Make up new background story, find job, find friends, rinse, repeat. I really hope my body would stop aging somewhere 30-35ish, just getting older and older might suck :eek:

I'd aim for 20-25, and master the art of nailing college chicks.

If I assume I'd be the only one and would have to hide it, it follows that I would have to get a new life from time to time, so probably thinking of life as cyclic. Make up new background story, find job, find friends, rinse, repeat:

Simulated reality. I imagine you could run different simulated lives, doing different things with different mechanics; one life, you could live in Ancient Rome, the next in the Dune universe, the next in Ankh-Morpork, and so on.

Of course, that would be different than living multiple lives IRL, but it could have a lot of potential for coolness.

I'd aim for 20-25, and master the art of nailing college chicks.

I wanted to say 25 at first, but at some point you might want to have a position of influence on the mortals. That might be difficult if you looked too young. Other than that, yeah... The prospect of getting endless opportunities to try would definitely change me =)

I wanted to say 25 at first, but at some point you might want to have a position of influence on the mortals. That might be difficult if you looked too young. Other than that, yeah... The prospect of getting endless opportunities to try would definitely change me =)
I'd be fine with people being pissed at me for having more intimate knowledge in their field while looking twenty years younger.

Life is meant to be lived only once. Live each day as if it were your last.

Yeah I know. I just thought it was impossible for someone not to realize I was referincing Highlander.

It is just highly improbable as it won the Academy Award. For what you ask? The Best Movie Ever Made.

Just because there can be only one doesn't mean we can't form temporary alliances until we take down Vetalia.

*Joins the cause*

Actually it'd annoy me a lot because then I have to deal with these morons for even longer :(. If I had to live to 800, I'd have to say that I'd do a lot of bad things to people I don't like at all. Although I couldn't imagine a "life" prison sentence with that lifespan. :: shudders ::

I already am Immortal, by the way I was born in Atlantis, very fun times till our civilization was torn in sunder by tidal waves from the volcanic eruption and fires from it setting our cities on fire.

Though we did kinda of live in one giant building complex we did kinda of ask for it, though we did survive and we fled to the east and began to conquer the Cannanites, Hitties, Phonecians, and then we got tired and stopped at Egypt because of a bad commander leading our forces into a obvious ambush. Yet, I cannot say that we had a bad run.

After that I went to mainland Greece and became came of Mcyene and lanuched a war on Troy due to the fact they destroyed a lot of our Altanean colonies in the eastern Aegean. So I destroyed Troy and wandered into Thrace and wreaked havor there for a couple of centuries and this kinda of crap went on till about the 12th century and I did a number of useful things setting the modern countries up and such.

A cookie goes to the person who knows what is the name of the modern island I lived on.

Pompeii?

Pompeii?Nope, I said an island.

Seriously though, back on topic. Would it? My long term goals would definitely change to figuring out some way of annihilating the Andromeda galaxy so that it doesn't collide with the Milky Way in about 10 thousand years and helping along the genetic engineering of the human race to survive the death of the 'Y' chromosome long before it happens.

Oh, and in addition to both these lofty goals I would work on colonizing other planets so that our race cannot be wiped out in a single move of retardation.

If I was immortal, my goals would be to get kicked out of a casino for winning too much and become a world famous celebrity by sticking my face in front of cameras while correspondents are giving their live shots.

My biggest goal would be to win the lottery by playing with only one ticket each time while choosing my numbers in consecutive order.

I am confident that I will have an indefinite lifespan, based upon my own knowledge of current developments and methods elaborated in prior threads. I would do this, of course, preferably as a fully artificial humanoid, since it would enable me to survive in space and extreme climates or environments, broadening the amount I could experience firsthand. As a result, I tend to think like this already. It puts things in a far more relaxed perspective, IMO; you have plenty of things to do, and plenty of time to do them in.

It would give me a chance to pursue knowledge that would be unattainable in a conventional lifespan, to see mankind and its descendants develop and change, to explore things with my own eyes that biological humans couldn't see, Not to mention I could really pursue my interests; imagine collecting a million years of coins, growing generations of bonsai, playing games and simulations, viewing changes in art, entertainment decoration and fashion, being a living witness to history and scientific change...it would provide wisdom and enjoyment forever, or at least a very long time.

Plus, with an indefinite lifespan, I could experience death without fear of it being permanent. That total freedom would be truly a wonderful thing.

I sort of hope so. I have things to do that will take decades, if not centuries.

Seriously though, back on topic. Would it? My long term goals would definitely change to figuring out some way of annihilating the Andromeda galaxy so that it doesn't collide with the Milky Way in about 10 thousand years and helping along the genetic engineering of the human race to survive the death of the 'Y' chromosome long before it happens.

Oh, and in addition to both these lofty goals I would work on colonizing other planets so that our race cannot be wiped out in a single move of retardation.
Ten thousands? Last I checked it was three million. Or was it three billion? I know it was three something...

I already am Immortal, by the way I was born in Atlantis, very fun times till our civilization was torn in sunder by tidal waves from the volcanic eruption and fires from it setting our cities on fire.

Though we did kinda of live in one giant building complex we did kinda of ask for it, though we did survive and we fled to the east and began to conquer the Cannanites, Hitties, Phonecians, and then we got tired and stopped at Egypt because of a bad commander leading our forces into a obvious ambush. Yet, I cannot say that we had a bad run.

After that I went to mainland Greece and became came of Mcyene and lanuched a war on Troy due to the fact they destroyed a lot of our Altanean colonies in the eastern Aegean. So I destroyed Troy and wandered into Thrace and wreaked havor there for a couple of centuries and this kinda of crap went on till about the 12th century and I did a number of useful things setting the modern countries up and such.

A cookie goes to the person who knows what is the name of the modern island I lived on.

Santorini, or an island in the Caribbean.

Ten thousands? Last I checked it was three million. Or was it three billion? I know it was three something...

Ah. I must have been thinking of something else. 4 billion was NASA's estimate. My bad.

I would switch back to filterless Pall Malls.

Santorini, or an island in the Caribbean.

I'm shortining it to just Santorini.

Seriously though, back on topic. Would it? My long term goals would definitely change to figuring out some way of annihilating the Andromeda galaxy so that it doesn't collide with the Milky Way in about 10 thousand years and helping along the genetic engineering of the human race to survive the death of the 'Y' chromosome long before it happens.

I'd probably do the same with robotics and artificial intelligence, both to develop their capabilities as well as to protect against any machine civilization ever threatening mankind or other sapient species (and vice versa). The last thing we need is intelligent organisms obliterating each other once they are capable of fighting for dominance.

My long term goals have been bettering the condition of mankind and seeding intelligence in as many places as possible to reap its benefits; if anything, it would commit me to this universe even more because I would be alive to see the consequences of my actions.

Oh, and in addition to both these lofty goals I would work on colonizing other planets so that our race cannot be wiped out in a single move of retardation.

Yeah, I'd do something like that for the arts, humanities, science and technology. A secluded, well-guarded planet meant to store and protect the sum of sapient knowledge so that it could be resurrected in the event that humans or other intelligent beings destroy themselves or their knowledge.

Obviously, it's inspired by Asimov's Foundation series, but it makes sense since any advanced civilization needs backup drives for their knowledge.

Think of the vast, interstellar libraries we could create....The technological wonders....We have the technology. We can make him better. Better, stronger, faster.

Think of the vast, interstellar libraries we could create....The technological wonders....

Really cool shit, and a lot of it.

We have the technology. We can make him better. Better, stronger, faster.

We have the capability to make the world’s first bionic man. Steve Austin will be that man.

Why Steve Austin? I was thinking The Rock.

Santorini, or an island in the Caribbean.Wrong again, but getting there.

Why Steve Austin? I was thinking The Rock.

Yeah, but then he'd be the $26.30 million dollar man...it just doesn't have the same ring thanks to inflation.

Yeah, I'd do something like that for the arts, humanities, science and technology. A secluded, well-guarded planet meant to store and protect the sum of sapient knowledge so that it could be resurrected in the event that humans or other intelligent beings destroy themselves or their knowledge.

Obviously, it's inspired by Asimov's Foundation series, but it makes sense since any advanced civilization needs backup drives for their knowledge.

If you're going to do that I'd suggest a planetoid versus a full on planet, and have it mobile so it doesn't run into eventual destruction by virtue of an exploding star somewhere.

I wonder...what would happen at the end of the universe? Could we survive such a thing, even as immortals? What would occur afterwards? Would a new universe be born? Could we survive THAT?

Well, people have gone a lot more scifi than this, and looked quite a bit further into the future than I had anticipated.

People have caught on to two major things I was thinking of. How would immortality (for everyone, not just you) affect crime? How would immortality, or at least longevity, affect our response to slow moving catastrophes like global warming, or much later, the collision of two galaxies.

By the way, I'm not sure that two galaxies would really be a problem. You people realize that most of the galaxy is space, right? I think it's probably pretty unlikely that anything important to us would smash into something else.

Yeah, but then he'd be the $26.30 million dollar man...it just doesn't have the same ring thanks to inflation.

How about a relatively new UFC fighter? They're pretty cheap compared. ;)

If you're going to do that I'd suggest a planetoid versus a full on planet, and have it mobile so it doesn't run into eventual destruction by virtue of an exploding star somewhere.

It depends on size and power needs, mainly. I'd personally prefer the mobility of a planetoid, but some planets have the advantage of abundant energy resources, which I'd need to make sure all those things are functional. A computer without power can't share the knowledge stored within, after all.

Unless it's a quantum gravity computer, but that's something else entirely...

I wonder...what would happen at the end of the universe? Could we survive such a thing, even as immortals? What would occur afterwards? Would a new universe be born? Could we survive THAT?

Good question. I've always felt we are most likely just going to leave this universe through one way or another, or create a new one to inhabit once this one reaches its final fate. I would say creating a new universe and going there would be easier than trying to escape this one to another one.

Now, it's also possible we might find a way to contain or somehow affect entropy, making a final death of the universe either greatly prolonged or actually halt it.

It depends on size and power needs, mainly. I'd personally prefer the mobility of a planetoid, but some planets have the advantage of abundant energy resources, which I'd need to make sure all those things are functional. A computer without power can't share the knowledge stored within, after all.

Unless it's a quantum gravity computer, but that's something else entirely...

If we have the ability to create a mobile planatoid, I don't think power generation is going to be a problem. What might be is maintaining an atmosphere and climate in deep space, unless we're just going for something more like a freaking gigantic station versus something resembling an actual planet.


Good question. I've always felt we are most likely just going to leave this universe through one way or another, or create a new one to inhabit once this one reaches its final fate. I would say creating a new universe and going there would be easier than trying to escape this one to another one.

Now, it's also possible we might find a way to contain or somehow affect entropy, making a final death of the universe either greatly prolonged or actually halt it.
That's a deliciously ludicrous statement...so far beyond our science...but yet, I would presume that would be the best course of action...either halting the destruction of our own or creating a new one.

Which would be easier? I know, that's a horrible question we couldn't possibly answer, but it must be asked.

If we have the ability to create a mobile planatoid, I don't think power generation is going to be a problem. What might be is maintaining an atmosphere and climate in deep space, unless we're just going for something more like a freaking gigantic station versus something resembling an actual planet.

I'd probably generate an atmosphere for visitors the planet, but for the safety of mankind I'd probably avoid making it too hospitable to organic lifeforms and keep it mostly artificial or barren; the last thing we need is to use it to restore civilization and accidentally unleash an alien plague that kills off the remaining humans.

That's a deliciously ludicrous statement...so far beyond our science...but yet, I would presume that would be the best course of action...either halting the destruction of our own or creating a new one.

The start of heat death is at least 100 trillion years from now, so I'm not too worried about the problem as of 2007. Now, someday, if I'm living in 99,000,000,002,007 I might start to worry, but not right now.

I'd probably generate an atmosphere for visitors the planet, but for the safety of mankind I'd probably avoid making it too hospitable to organic lifeforms and keep it mostly artificial or barren; the last thing we need is to use it to restore civilization and accidentally unleash an alien plague that kills off the remaining humans.

Well presumeably this would simply be an archive, right? It would have to have at least some contact with whatever other human settlements there are in the galaxy in order to acquire more information for the archive.


The start of heat death is at least 100 trillion years from now, so I'm not too worried.
Neither am I, but it was still worth a question.

Oh, here's another question: could we eventually use wormholes to travel between planets, say, a la Stargate? Would it be possible to eliminate the gravitational effects of a wormhole or would such a feat not be possible? I would think a Stargate network might be extremely useful for human colonies across the universe, especially when it comes, again, to your archival planetoid idea.

Well presumeably this would simply be an archive, right? It would have to have at least some contact with whatever other human settlements there are in the galaxy in order to acquire more information for the archive.

An archive/research facility. Ideally, we'd store and update gathered information as well as examine it to see if there are any new things that can be discovered by examining trends and patterns in the data.

So yes, human contact would be required, but given the distance and/or desire to keep it as secret as possible, there probably wouldn't be too much direct contact. It would be at a massively high security clearance and probably heavily guarded to prevent infiltration. Of course, it would make sense to have multiple ones just in case, linked together to form a network (in other words, a universal version of the 1960's ARPANET).


Neither am I, but it was still worth a question.

True, but unfortunately we can't really answer it because it's so far out there.

Oh, here's another question: could we eventually use wormholes to travel between planets, say, a la Stargate? Would it be possible to eliminate the gravitational effects of a wormhole or would such a feat not be possible? I would think a Stargate network might be extremely useful for human colonies across the universe, especially when it comes, again, to your archival planetoid idea.

I do recall reading that it is possible to create stable, traversable wormholes as a way of achieving effectively FTL travel. However, it would require an ability to open these wormholes, which would require an understanding of how to control and generate exotic matter and possibly string theory.

However, it is entirely possible when those conditions are known. This kind of travel would be FTL and would allow very rapid communication between distant areas.

I would have a little more hope of seeing something better than the present society emerge.

Beyond that, not really.

Oh, here's another question: could we eventually use wormholes to travel between planets, say, a la Stargate? Would it be possible to eliminate the gravitational effects of a wormhole or would such a feat not be possible? I would think a Stargate network might be extremely useful for human colonies across the universe, especially when it comes, again, to your archival planetoid idea.

While my theory of everything doesn't preclude the possibility of using wormholes to travel, by being immortal you don't really require it. Also, when you can bypass the acceleration dimension by boosting your gravitational constant, travel in exclusively the velocity, position, and time dimensions becomes possible, so instantaneous travel without wormholes is still available.

I'm actually kind of opposed to the planetoid. If it somehow gains sentience, and is free to roam about the universe, it could be like that guy from Superman.....Brainiac? So I'd rather it was on a planet....Doesn't even have to have an atmosphere, as that would degrade from signal quality and have greater corrosion than you would get from space itself.

An archive/research facility. Ideally, we'd store and update gathered information as well as examine it to see if there are any new things that can be discovered by examining trends and patterns in the data.

So yes, human contact would be required, but given the distance and/or desire to keep it as secret as possible, there probably wouldn't be too much direct contact. It would be at a massively high security clearance and probably heavily guarded to prevent infiltration. Of course, it would make sense to have multiple ones just in case, linked together to form a network (in other words, a universal version of the 1960's ARPANET).
Hmm...would there be a civilian version of sorts, one the average human citizen could access, or would that be contained in whatever archives might exist on human colonies?



I do recall reading that it is possible to create stable, traversable wormholes as a way of achieving effectively FTL travel. However, it would require an ability to open these wormholes, which would require an understanding of how to control and generate exotic matter and possibly string theory.

However, it is entirely possible when those conditions are known. This kind of travel would be FTL and would allow very rapid communication between distant areas.
Aye, aye. Would it be feasable? Setting aside the requirements for achieving such devices, would such devices be feasable and useful, or would they not be very useful by the time they are possible? That is, would we have something better and more easily achieveable?

Hmm...would there be a civilian version of sorts, one the average human citizen could access, or would that be contained in whatever archives might exist on human colonies?

Yes, because freedom to learn is important to immortals, as well as us now.

While my theory of everything doesn't preclude the possibility of using wormholes to travel, by being immortal you don't really require it. Also, when you can bypass the acceleration dimension by boosting your gravitational constant, travel in exclusively the velocity, position, and time dimensions becomes possible, so instantaneous travel without wormholes is still available.
...what? I'm sorry, but could you please rephrase that?


I'm actually kind of opposed to the planetoid. If it somehow gains sentience, and is free to roam about the universe, it could be like that guy from Superman.....Brainiac? So I'd rather it was on a planet....Doesn't even have to have an atmosphere, as that would degrade from signal quality and have greater corrosion than you would get from space itself.
How would the planetoid gain sentience? We're talking a series of computers and data banks installed on a mobile planetoid,. not that the entire planetoid is one gigantic computer. Now, while a sentient computer might make sense when it comes to maintaining it and whatnot, I'm not seeing what you're getting at here.

Hmm...would there be a civilian version of sorts, one the average human citizen could access, or would that be contained in whatever archives might exist on human colonies?

Definitely. Once we actually have that knowledge archived, copies could be made and disseminated just like modern-day encyclopedias. They could even automatically update by connecting to the civilian versions of the main, hidden archives. If anything, this would be a necessity for many reasons.

After all, if the quadrillions (or quintillions) of citizens in this future world all had a copy of that information, and a good number of them were fully up-to-date, you'd have the equivalent of that many more backups in case the main archives were destroyed or disrupted. It would make the system even more secure, and would pretty much guarantee that you couldn't destroy all of that knowledge. Also, it would prevent one authority from controlling those vital archives, and in the event that they were to be mismanaged or fall in to the wrong hands, knowledge could still be preserved by individuals and groups maintaining and updating their copies of that information until the main archives were restored.

Aye, aye. Would it be feasable? Setting aside the requirements for achieving such devices, would such devices be feasable and useful, or would they not be very useful by the time they are possible? That is, would we have something better and more easily achieveable?

Good question. If there are no physical barriers to it, it is feasible; undoubtedly once we were to expand beyond this solar system and a few nearby stars, we would have to do this in order to make these trips in a reasonable amount of time. The economics of it would likely be justified by the massive increase in tappable resources.

But then again, there are likely alternatives, from the really outlandish, such as altering the speed of light to more near-term ones (relatively speaking) like the Alcubierre drive. But wormholes would be capable of having very fast FTL travel, far more than other methods, so they would likely be the main long-term FTL travel mechanism at least for the most important needs.

Definitely. Once we actually have that knowledge archived, copies could be made and disseminated just like modern-day encyclopedias. They could even automatically update by connecting to the civilian versions of the main, hidden archives. If anything, this would be a necessity for many reasons.

After all, if the quadrillions (or quintillions) of citizens in this future world all had a copy of that information, and a good number of them were fully up-to-date, you'd have the equivalent of that many more backups in case the main archives were destroyed or disrupted. It would make the system even more secure, and would pretty much guarantee that you couldn't destroy all of that knowledge. Also, it would prevent one authority from controlling those vital archives, and in the event that they were to be mismanaged or fall in to the wrong hands, knowledge could still be preserved by individuals and groups maintaining and updating their copies of that information until the main archives were restored.

In essence, the internet, only taken to a universal scale. Sounds good to me, so long as it isn't full of trillions of gigabytes of spam...


Good question. If there are no physical barriers to it, it is feasible; undoubtedly once we were to expand beyond this solar system and a few nearby stars, we would have to do this in order to make these trips in a reasonable amount of time. The economics of it would likely be justified by the massive increase in tappable resources.

But then again, there are likely alternatives, from the really outlandish, such as altering the speed of light to more near-term ones (relatively speaking) like the Alcubierre drive. But wormholes would be capable of having very fast FTL travel, far more than other methods, so they would likely be the main long-term FTL travel mechanism at least for the most important needs.
So that's a yes...good. We'll probably develop other methods of FTL travel to begin with, though, such as the aforementioned Alcubierre Drive. I just really like the idea of having real Stargates...call me nutty but they're the single neatest device in any science fiction ever to me. Period.

Quite well, FTL drives would only be plausible, with our current understanding with warm holes. But, if we factor in dark matter, which we do not understand, there may be possible other forms of FTL travel.

...what? I'm sorry, but could you please rephrase that?

Why accelerate up to light speed when you have the nasty problem of gaining mass? While only theoretical, with enough energy, you can slingshot past the acceleration portion and travel at light speed and beyond by isolating the dimensions you travel in.

Incidentally, by not traveling in the acceleration dimension you can also achieve great speeds with very little time at all. Essentially, your ship's gravitational constant is so great as to cause instantaneous acceleration toward whatever your destination is.

How would the planetoid gain sentience? We're talking a series of computers and data banks installed on a mobile planetoid,. not that the entire planetoid is one gigantic computer. Now, while a sentient computer might make sense when it comes to maintaining it and whatnot, I'm not seeing what you're getting at here.

I consider myself to be exceptional at programming, so unless the data bank is going to be a huge *.dat file or set of files, it's going to need an O.S. that's stable, and I don't trust Windows to be stable. So, for me, the only option would be to create an O.S. that doesn't totally suck my balls, and it's superior programming might just end up creating an A.I. (Star Trek the Motion Picture? Meh. It's just an irrational fear I have after seeing that movie and 2001: A Space Odyssey)

Quite well, FTL drives would only be plausible, with our current understanding with warm holes. But, if we factor in dark matter, which we do not understand, there may be possible other forms of FTL travel.

Well, according to the Unified theory of Ex Libris Morte, dark matter is not a problem, as everything has a distinct wave energy signature. Light can be canceled, sound can be canceled, electricity can be reversed.....A collection of matter can be broken into relatively stable elements at the top of the periodic table. So, dark matter is just regular matter shifted 90 degrees, much like the cosine is for the sine.

Why accelerate up to light speed when you have the nasty problem of gaining mass? While only theoretical, with enough energy, you can slingshot past the acceleration portion and travel at light speed and beyond by isolating the dimensions you travel in.

Incidentally, by not traveling in the acceleration dimension you can also achieve great speeds with very little time at all. Essentially, your ship's gravitational constant is so great as to cause instantaneous acceleration toward whatever your destination is.

The whole point to most FTL drives is to bypass actually ever accelerrating the ship to the speed of light but performing this function you speak of in one way or another, be it folding space, utilizing wormholes, or perhaps what you speak of.


I consider myself to be exceptional at programming, so unless the data bank is going to be a huge *.dat file or set of files, it's going to need an O.S. that's stable, and I don't trust Windows to be stable. So, for me, the only option would be to create an O.S. that doesn't totally suck my balls, and it's superior programming might just end up creating an A.I. (Star Trek the Motion Picture? Meh. It's just an irrational fear I have after seeing that movie and 2001: A Space Odyssey)
Any sentient computer system would probably not turn into the typical movie fearful device...if we're smart enough to create such a system we can program failsafes and other means to prevent the machine from going nutso, via morality and emotional programming. In essence, it would be like a human, only a machine instead of organic. Besides, we keep forgetting that as it is a sentient being it has full rights, same as we do. Why movies insist on creatin sentient A.I.s that turn into genocidal maniacal killing machines, I have no idea, but that just is not realistic.

immortality would make me suicidal. but apart from that i think i would still live for the moment, cuz that's the only thing we really have.