[extropy-chat] Dark matter and ET

[Eugen Leitl]

On Fri, Jul 15, 2005 at 06:39:59PM +0100, BillK wrote:

> Well, all things are possible, but some are more likely than others.
> A civilization whose goal is to colonize as far and fast as possible
> seems the most unlikely. Like, where is it? You only need one, ever,

Precisely. There isn't any.

> in the universe.

No, you need to be in their light cone. The clock starting ticking with
sufficient metallicity, which takes time to enrich. Which is very different
from "one, ever, in the universe". The farther you look, the older stuff you
see. The lower the probability. And what of smart critters? Solar system is
probably lousy with life, but can you detect it, even if you know where to
look?

Are you genuinely surprised that a detector can always observe detect itself,
even if the detector density is damn low? And that observation only tells you
at at least one detector exists, and nothing beyond that, until you can find a
causally unentangled another sample?

> My view of any post singularity civilization is that it won't want to

My view is exactly opposite, natch.

> colonize the universe. These are not Star Trek type civs, with a bunch

Star Trek? Your value of Singularity must be low, low, awfully low.

> of cowboys jumping from star to star, having punchups wherever they
> go. How immature is that?

Life is always immature, regardless how old it is. 

> We are not talking about Bush III's latest ten year plan here.
> 
> These are nearly immortal beings, who have redesigned themselves to

Why must postbiology be immortal? It doesn't figure, if the fitness function
fluctuates wildly. Why should mushrooms and mice be not disposable?

> 'something wonderful', resource rich, developing who knows what down
> to the nanoscale level, meshed together in some kind of virtual web

Current bacteria already operate at the nanoscale level. (Okay, low
functionality concentration, but still).

> that we can only begin to guess at. Look at how upset web geeks get if
> they lose their broadband connection for a day. And you think it
> likely that a piece of these beings will cut themselves off for
> centuries to go to another star system?

Kudzu has no problem going places, absolutely. It never gets bored, too.

> It is even debatable whether they will remain long in this physical
> universe or start creating universes of their own. ;)

If rapture strikes, will it also transcend the kudzu? All of it?

-- 
Eugen* Leitl <a href="http://leitl.org">leitl</a>
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