Comments on: Making Aliens 1: Why Go at All? http://www.starshipnivan.com/blog/?p=24 New Words, New Worlds Tue, 07 Sep 2010 22:49:17 -0700 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: bigdan201 http://www.starshipnivan.com/blog/?p=24&cpage=1#comment-52491 bigdan201 Wed, 06 Jan 2010 19:10:35 +0000 http://www.starshipnivan.com/blog/?p=24#comment-52491 It's me from centauri-dreams. I agree that civilization has outgrown the earth in many ways. This planet used to be huge relative to your societies, to the point that people in different continents had little to no contact with each other. Now, with money and a passport, you can go almost anywhere within 24 hours. Colonizing other planets will be the best insurance for our species, especially if we get to other stars. The limitation of c/speed-of-light will ensure that globalism wont be an issue when we get more globes. It’s me from centauri-dreams.

I agree that civilization has outgrown the earth in many ways. This planet used to be huge relative to your societies, to the point that people in different continents had little to no contact with each other. Now, with money and a passport, you can go almost anywhere within 24 hours.

Colonizing other planets will be the best insurance for our species, especially if we get to other stars. The limitation of c/speed-of-light will ensure that globalism wont be an issue when we get more globes.

]]> By: TransAlchemy http://www.starshipnivan.com/blog/?p=24&cpage=1#comment-38886 TransAlchemy Wed, 03 Jun 2009 17:08:59 +0000 http://www.starshipnivan.com/blog/?p=24#comment-38886 Im glad you mentioned the evolution of our sun into a red giant, people need to get out of there head that earth is eternal. The end of the world does exist somewhere down the ripple of time, and to ensure our survival we would have to get off this rock. To perplex this matter even more in the last couple of years we have had to adjust the age of the universe and the age or our sun to conform to new data. This to me only enforces the obvious fact that we have yet to figure it out. Another example of this is the constant models that have been coming out of NASA over solar cycle 24 which by far has taken solar physicist off guard this go around by behaving in a manner that hasn't been recorded in nearly 100 years. So considering the unpredictable nature with all things extraterrestrial it should be evident that a solution to increasing our changes of making it lies in the stars. On the other hand one thing that I find rather interesting though is the need to even make a case for space exploration. It just seems so logical that we must explore ways to get off this planet no matter how costly. Im glad you mentioned the evolution of our sun into a red giant, people need to get out of there head that earth is eternal. The end of the world does exist somewhere down the ripple of time, and to ensure our survival we would have to get off this rock.

To perplex this matter even more in the last couple of years we have had to adjust the age of the universe and the age or our sun to conform to new data. This to me only enforces the obvious fact that we have yet to figure it out. Another example of this is the constant models that have been coming out of NASA over solar cycle 24 which by far has taken solar physicist off guard this go around by behaving in a manner that hasn’t been recorded in nearly 100 years.

So considering the unpredictable nature with all things extraterrestrial it should be evident that a solution to increasing our changes of making it lies in the stars.

On the other hand one thing that I find rather interesting though is the need to even make a case for space exploration. It just seems so logical that we must explore ways to get off this planet no matter how costly.

]]> By: Athena http://www.starshipnivan.com/blog/?p=24&cpage=1#comment-36 Athena Wed, 07 Mar 2007 20:49:22 +0000 http://www.starshipnivan.com/blog/?p=24#comment-36 I'm happy you found it thought-provoking! I have been mulling over these issues for years, as a biologist who is in love with space exploration. Humans are not really made for space travel, yet there is something about it that tugs powerfully at our hearts and our minds. Too, there is no question that over-reliance on technology can lead to atrophy of inventivess and imagination (a counter-intuitive outcome, given the intelligence that created the technology in the first place). I’m happy you found it thought-provoking! I have been mulling over these issues for years, as a biologist who is in love with space exploration. Humans are not really made for space travel, yet there is something about it that tugs powerfully at our hearts and our minds.

Too, there is no question that over-reliance on technology can lead to atrophy of inventivess and imagination (a counter-intuitive outcome, given the intelligence that created the technology in the first place).

]]> By: intrigued_scribe http://www.starshipnivan.com/blog/?p=24&cpage=1#comment-34 intrigued_scribe Wed, 07 Mar 2007 17:50:46 +0000 http://www.starshipnivan.com/blog/?p=24#comment-34 Wonderfully written, interesting essay. :) It does a brilliant job of bringing to mind the concepts and necessary questions that many overlook--or deliberately disregard, in order to avoid giving up comforting illusions--particularly the issue of technology as a tool to overcome one's environment. Specifically, it serves as an effective reminder that a civilization can come to rely too much on its technology (most of all when the matter of journeying to and colonizing other worlds comes into play) and become enslaved by it. Excellent, thought provoking stuff. Wonderfully written, interesting essay. :) It does a brilliant job of bringing to mind the concepts and necessary questions that many overlook–or deliberately disregard, in order to avoid giving up comforting illusions–particularly the issue of technology as a tool to overcome one’s environment. Specifically, it serves as an effective reminder that a civilization can come to rely too much on its technology (most of all when the matter of journeying to and colonizing other worlds comes into play) and become enslaved by it. Excellent, thought provoking stuff.

]]> By: Athena http://www.starshipnivan.com/blog/?p=24&cpage=1#comment-31 Athena Sun, 04 Mar 2007 03:03:45 +0000 http://www.starshipnivan.com/blog/?p=24#comment-31 I'm glad you enjoyed the essay and even happier that it raised questions. I think the FTL default mode in SF allows old-fashioned swashbuckling plots. You cannot have space opera without it. Sublight travel brings forward the time dilation aspect, which can be a plot point in itself, especially in terms of human interactions. I’m glad you enjoyed the essay and even happier that it raised questions. I think the FTL default mode in SF allows old-fashioned swashbuckling plots. You cannot have space opera without it. Sublight travel brings forward the time dilation aspect, which can be a plot point in itself, especially in terms of human interactions.

]]> By: rocketscientist http://www.starshipnivan.com/blog/?p=24&cpage=1#comment-30 rocketscientist Sun, 04 Mar 2007 02:37:38 +0000 http://www.starshipnivan.com/blog/?p=24#comment-30 Excellent essay. It raises some truly vital questions. And it gives raise to some interesting ideas for fiction. Many moons ago I read a James Blish novel dealing with sub-light travel. I wasn't the best book, but it's a fertile concept. Funny that faster than light speeds are such a given in scfi these days. Excellent essay. It raises some truly vital questions. And it gives raise to some interesting ideas for fiction. Many moons ago I read a James Blish novel dealing with sub-light travel. I wasn’t the best book, but it’s a fertile concept. Funny that faster than light speeds are such a given in scfi these days.

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