From: The Low Willow (phoenix@ugcs.caltech.edu)
Date: Mon Feb 10 1997 - 15:08:11 MST
On Feb 10, 12:12pm, Anders Sandberg wrote:
} The next step is to make it clear where to go in the center. As Greg Bear
} eloquently describes in his novels, the center is a huge place with room
} for much wonder. You might want to set up some lighthouse or other sign
} to make beings gather.
My idea had been that there's always someone who likes organizing these
things, so they can race ahead to the Far Edge and start organizing.
Build a Dyson radio[1] to get everyone's attention, and possibly shunt
some stars around[2] to make a weird place to be. I figured you'd leave
a megayear so that everyone else can mosey over. Possibly more time if
the organizers are doing something fancy. One idea I'd had was a
Kemplerer rosette of stars, each with a habitable planet, each with a
new intelligent species on it. This would be a party for the Powers who
really feel godlike and superior.
Or I suppose there'd be one -- or more? -- Meepoints near the center,
and various parties cropping up elsewhere. I'd like to be the first to
suggest spamming of the 21cm band as a future problem.
[1] A Dyson sphere powering a radio, of course. Robin claimed (in a
different conversation) that this could be intergalactically visible,
unless he was talking about a galaxy-powered radio.
[2] I think gravity-tethered solar sails should work. Huge sails at the
height where they're supported by radiation, and inflecting most of the
light back around (not at) the star. Photons go one way, something has
to go the other, and if the sails can be kept stable over the star, both
star and sail should slowly glide off.
Merry part,
-xx- Damien R. Sullivan X-) <*> http://www.ugcs.caltech.edu/~phoenix
...people with a moebius strip of a mind...
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Fri Nov 01 2002 - 14:44:09 MST