On Mon, Mar 3, 2008 at 11:32 AM, Dave Land <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > On Feb 29, 2008, at 1:29 PM, Wayne Eddy wrote: > > > I am new to the list, but a long time fan of the ...... what do you > > call > > the Killer B's, now that you have inducted Vernor Vinge? > > Some just pronounce his name "Bernor Binge" to avoid confusion.
Depending on what part of South or Central America you're from, that is how it is actually pronounced :-) > > It seems to me any colonisation of space will be doomed while it is > > dependent on any more than token amounts of equipment manufactured on > > earth, and that with current technology it would take hundreds or > > perhaps thousands of missions to Mars say, before there would be much > > chance of building the infrastructure to bootstrap an independent > > technological civilization. But a small scientific colony is possible with modern technology. It wouldn't be self-sufficient or necessarily self-sustaining, but it is not outside the reach of today's tech. It would be stupidly expensive at this point, but if Bill Gates decided to take three or four of his best friends and move permanently to Mars, or the moon, or even a space station, he could certainly pony up the cash and make it happen. They would be dependent on his terrestrial wealth, but that could certainly be the seed of an eventual self-sustaining, self-sufficient colony. -- Mauro Diotallevi Alcohol and calculus don't mix. Don't drink and derive. _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
