Patrick,
I tried mailing you but it bounced - can you mail me re:
Patrick O'Neil (patrick at corona) wrote:
: On 19 Feb 1995, Perry E. Metzger wrote:
: > >> Drexler's ideas suggest a future of boundless wealth, opportunity and
: > >> adventure, not for a few billion, but for trillions. Drexler's science
: >
: > >I know of his fantasies.
: >
: > Fantasies? I'm afraid that you don't seem to have a rational viewpoint
: > here. Drexler's work is, sorry to say for you, a reality. STMs have
: > already been used to nanoposition individual atoms. Genetic
: > engineering already produces perfect macromolecules to nearly to
: > specification.
: Err, I know well enough about what has been accomplished within
: nanoengineering and what is desired. As for genetic engineering, I DO
: that already so I know that stuff first hand. In any case, there is no
: such thing as perfection in any of our constructions, be they nontech or
: genetically engineered. My problem is not, be that as it may, with
: nanotech and what it COULD mean. My problem is the idea of desiring to
: coat the planet with TRILLIONS of people. Not a chance and NOT
: desireable. In any case, I even recognize this figure as outrageous and
: never a thing to happen.
: > >I would just as soon engineer a virus strain that is aerosol
: > >transmissible, perhaps a hemmorhagic flu, in order to correct the
: > >population bomb downward towards the 2 to 3 billion mark than live in
: > >utter muck with trillions.
: Yes, an admittedly outrageous statement on my part and specifically for
: the purpose of baiting. As it goes, neither I nor anyone else would even
: need to engineer such viruses since they already exist in nature and
: humans get exposed to them as they continue to encroach into erstwhile
: open lands. Regardless...high population density as you propose, or even
: a mere fraction of that density is nothing short of an incubator of
: epidemic and plague, a fact of evolutionary biology, and technology
: cannot prevent it. You set up the conditions for a plague, and by damn,
: you'll get one. THAT is certain, and it wont require evil engineers to
: act as creator. AIDs is just a poor first taste and it is spread by
: human behavior mixed with a good dose of technologically-provided rapid
: travel and high population density. I assure you, there is more to come,
: especially if population density goes up significantly and swiftly and
: neither nanotech toys nor molecular biology can prevent it--they can only
: try to react to it.
: > Or are you simply one of those
: > disgusting lefty amoralists that thinks that mass murder is okay so
: > long as its for the good of the cause -- Pol Pot being one of your
: > fellow travelers.
: Ah now, there you go, frothing at the mouth. Of course it is OK to kill
: civilians when the greater cause is served: In WWII, for instance, we
: (the Allies - who I would ASSUME you would agree were on the side of
: right) bombed the crap out of factories, electrical facilities, dams,
: etc, each leading to suffering for the poor civilians who lived in
: occupied lands AND many of the same were killed as collateral
: casualties. Is it terrible? Yes, but it was part of the cost of getting
: the job done. HAD to be done.
: As our tech gets better, we are able to cut back on the collateral
: damage but it IS unavoidable to some extent and THAT means dead or
: suffering civilians. Call it part of the cost of allowing (or selecting)
: a government that brings such conflicts into the fore. The saying IS
: true: A people only get the government they deserve. This applies to
: any totalitarian regime just as much as it does to any democracy. People
: have to LET leaders do what they do, OR they allow a condition to persist
: that brings it about. In the end, they are partially responsiblw for
: the fate that befalls them. Harsh but it is reality.
: I happen to be a Desert Storm vet, by the way. Nasty, unpleasant work
: but infinitely necessary.
:: > I assure you that were I in the room with you right now, and if I
: > thought that you were seriously able to carry out your threat, I would
: > have no hesitation whatsoever about killing you in self defense.
: This is precious. You are truly astute at the frothing business. Let me
: guess, a "Ditto Head" right?
: > --
: > "Just another selfish, me first kind of guy."
: Obviously. Sacrifice the OTHER guy...the Republican way (I just couldn't
: help the dig against the greedy me firsters).
: We must do this again sometime soon. It is terribly amusing and makes
: for a humerous diversion.
--
Philip Rhoades
Pricom Pty Limited
E-mail: okx at extro.ucc.su.OZ.AU Phone: +61-2-963-2246 Fax: +61-2-569-5329
S-mail: GPO Box 3411 Sydney NSW 2001 Australia
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Names of known ancestors (mostly from the UK):
ADAMSON BAILEY CHIGWIDDEN CHURCH DAVIES HENDERSON KEOUGH LAW MAY (MAI-Poznan)
McMAHON OLIVER PEGUS RANKIN SIMMONS SMITH SOLLOWAY TUCKEY TUNKS WHITTET
