[ExI] Fermi Paradox and Transcension

[BillK]

On Thu, Sep 6, 2012 at 4:14 PM, Kelly Anderson wrote:
> Bill, I've heard this argument here before, and it is a good one, but
> it seems to leave out one very large variable. Computronium will
> require matter, right? Some kind of stuff, even if it is dark matter.
> What if all the local matter is used up by more powerful beings and
> you don't have access to it? Wouldn't you be willing to cross space,
> even at subjective millions of years (and why wouldn't you just turn
> the clock rate down) to get at more matter? Then you could become the
> most powerful being in that new area, with that new matter.
>
> Where there is relative poverty, there will always be striving for new
> material to work with, so no matter what you do, there will be a
> segment of the "population" that will be poor, and will go out seeking
> materials to work with that have not yet been claimed.
>
> Do you have a counter argument?
>
>


Kurzweil and others have speculated about turning the whole universe
into computronium. Starting with the solar system, then nearby star
systems, then the whole galaxy and onwards. They want to make ALL
matter intelligent.  That's one option.

I'm not keen on that option because we are fairly late arrivals in
this universe and by now we should all have been converted to
computronium by earlier civs expansion, if this was a likely
development path.

There is a lot of room at the bottom. Computronium will produce
millions of times the power of our chips in the same amount of matter.
So quite a small amount of matter could accommodate all the earth's
population. And we have the whole solar system to use if required.
That gives everyone a virtual heaven to exist in and we have hardly
used any matter. At present, assuming that STEM is the future path I
don't see shortage of matter being a problem.

But there is plenty of room for speculation.   Carry on!


BillK