From: John Marlow (johnmarlow@gmx.net)
Date: Wed Feb 21 2001 - 01:11:39 MST
**See below.
On 20 Feb 2001, at 23:28, Spike Jones wrote:
>
> You spoke with "Steve Gould". Steven Jay Gould. You *spoke*
> to him? Personally?
**Yah; Stephen--but writes his name "Steve" and doesn't carry
business cards. ("I keep thinking I should have some printed up.")
Briefly; we were both in San Francisco and he had a talk to attend.
Decidedly eccentric mannerisms and speech in person--but it sure
doesn't show up in the writing!
>
> I'm unwooooorthy! I suck!
>
**I couldn't speak to that.
;)
> Really? You know Gould? Im a huge fan of his. John I fear Ive
> treated you with insufficient respect. {8^D
**Well, I "know" him now. As to the insufficient respect; on THIS
list that's hard to take personally...
>
> > Spike: Had an interesting chat with a NASA dude the other night.
> > Turns out NASA personnel were in fact openly discussing the
> > feasibility of sending quad amps on extended missions to other worlds-
> > -Mars in particular.
>
> Ja, well I would think they need 2 good arms at least, and these can be
> carried with little penalty, unlike legs...
> Nowthen, if our home were to be a 2 meter radius sphere, a
> person of my height, 185 cm, the quarters would effectively
> have only one floor: a flat surface with another flat surface 187
> cm above that, since there is tremendous psychological advantage
> to being able to stand up straight. {Trust me on this one, for
> I lived in Seattle during the summer of 1983 in a "structure" in
> which I could not stand up straight. Long story.} A 185
> cm person, who might actually stretch a couple cm in the
> 0.38G, would find it close quarters indeed...
**Heh. The guy I was talking to is 6'7.
Notice Im not suggesting *amputating*
> operable legs, but rather choosing a volunteer who
> already lacks these lower appendages.
**Yah; they were talking of using people already quads. "They don't
need them anyway, why not lop them off?" was his comment. (And he
doesn't look like a funny guy, trust me.)
>
> > I told him someone
> > (you) had suggested bringing new humans in test tubes.
>
> Or a thermos bottle, yes.
>
> > But of course that's not exactly feasible just now either.
>
> Exactly why not? If we had a female version of Troyer,
> could she not thaw and implant a frozen embryo, if
> the subsurface farm works out? Such technology has been with
> us for years actually. What did you see as the show
> stopper? spike
**Oh, saaay--the 18 year mission duration before you have someone
halfway competent to do anything useful which requires
mobility/dexterity...
**Quads wouldn't work anyway, in my opinion; the minute something
went wrong which required mobility/dexterity--they die and the
mission fails.
jm
John Marlow
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