In a message dated 99-04-19 01:54:35 EDT, Emlyn.ORegan@actew.com.au (O'Regan, Emlyn) wrote:
> Anyone got good ideas on Pointless Passtimes for Transhumans, or what a
> dyson sphere entity does when he/she feels like a nice cup of tea?
Historical simulations, especially creating the most accurate possible recreations of historically significant people. I imagine a "hobby" that would be fabulously expensive in computational terms in which the historical circumstances of the birth and development of specific historical figures is simulated in as much detail as possible, in an attempt to "grow" personalities that mimic as closely as possible the real personalities of specific individuals about whom a lot of biographical detail exists. These individuals would of course be only rough approximations of the originals, but success could be measured in terms of how closely the "output" of such individuals matched the historical record.
I have an idea for an SF novel in which a Power decides to recreate Mary Shelley in this way, and then, of course, falls in love with her . . . "The Matrix" meets "Frankenstein" meets "Time after Time"
Greg Burch <GBurch1@aol.com>----<gburch@lockeliddell.com> Attorney ::: Vice President, Extropy Institute ::: Wilderness Guide http://users.aol.com/gburch1 -or- http://members.aol.com/gburch1 "Civilization is protest against nature; progress requires us to take control of evolution." -- Thomas Huxley