From: Tomaz Kristan (kristan@scientist.com)
Date: Sun Apr 30 2006 - 02:49:20 MDT
> IMO, the list of optimistic failures (moon
> bases, etc.) is much longer than the pessimistic failures (DeForest missing
> the impact of TV). But perhaps we should just agree to disagree here.
For what on Earth, do you want to torture a few Lunonavts in a permanent Moon base? Isn't already enough to have this ISS station in the orbit for no good reason, except money loosing?
I rather have a GSM in my pocket, than an uncontrollable AI in the orbit around Jupiter. The negative list of un achievements of the past consist of two parts. One is the list of impossibilities, the other is the list of "too expensive for now" or "too silly anyway".
Don't you think, that a flying car is a silly thing, unless it is silent and automated? Too expensive for now, if made the right way, silly otherwise. We haven't contacted our cosmic brothers either, and I am glad we didn't.
And sorry, you can't have a world from a "optimistic" SF book from 1960. In reality, humans have other priorities than a 3D TV.
The point is, that the negative list is not long at all, considering what is possible and what isn't. What do we really want and what we are just saying we want, but nobody really cares. As for the Moonbase, for example.
The positive list of achievements is impressive. More and more atoms are placed where we want them, with the ever increasing precision. What is the only thing really matters. Can't act like a spoiled child, wanting a toy which costs a fortune, worth nothing. Moonbase and such.
- Thomas
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