G'day guys,
> Rob wrote:
Too much of a lady to comment on that one....;P
> Karl wrote:
I'm endeavouring to get a PhD in ecomathematics so that probably just makes me
weird (enough with the "we could've told you that" comments!);)
> lastly Brian wrote:
Not a bad idea, though I wouldn't necessarily restrict it to other 'bioships',
if they live in space I seriously doubt they have to eat other living matter
as food, much more likely to 'filter' feed hydrogen atoms,
skim planetary atmospheres or even the outer edges of stars or engulf
asteroids... so a starship shouldn't be too far off what they could tolerably
ingest. Given the amount of energy they'd have to produce to support
themselves I'd go for something like... "While know to consume solid matter,
asteroids and the odd unlucky starship, as a means of boosting or
supplementing their uptake in the short term, the Sa'Vasku are thought to be
primarily radiosynthetic. Apparently they absorb free gases or actively skim
planetary and stellar atmospheres absorbing the gaseous forms of the nutrients
required as apart of their radiosynthetic metabolism. It is theorised that
they use wavelengths from
all parts of the electro-magnetic spectrum to create a usable energy
source in much the same way terrestrial plants use the visible wavelengths for
photosynthesis. There is some suggestion that they're actually graviosynthetic
(that is they use gravity, not radiation during synthesis), but there is
little support for this view currently."
Just a thought
Beth
> Rob wrote:
Anyone else getting
> >a little worried about Beth's significant other? ;-)
Beth replied:
> Too much of a lady to comment on that one.... ;P
<innocent look>
No, Beth, Rob's not a lady, nor even female--I've met him & his
wife.
> Not a bad idea, though I wouldn't necessarily restrict it to
I still find the idea of a biological fusion plant more than slightly
peculiar, but St Jon (unaccountably) neglected to solicit my opinion..
> "While know to consume solid matter, asteroids and the odd
Apparently
> they absorb free gases or actively skim planetary and stellar
Perhaps they migrate from Jovial planets (to get
material--skimming gas giants or their moons), then in to about
the orbit of Mercury (to get energy to process it) and back.
Of course, given the amount of radiation Jupiter puts out, perhaps they just
stay around Jovians. I visualize herds of SV ships grazing around brown
dwarfs...
> On 27-Jun-00 at 22:21, Laserlight (laserlight@quixnet.net) wrote:
Maybe the Sa'Vasku are beyond fusion, how about tapping into the energy that
exists in empty space? I was (6 months or so ago) reading that the current
theories predict a rather large amount of energy in empty space, but nobody
has a clue how to tap it.
OTH if it can be manufactured then a biological system can be designed to
manufacture it.
This is how I had pictured the Sa'Vasku constructs.
The SV constructs are basically an energy sponge. They absorb EM radiation
(gravitic? Could be), convert and store it with little loss of energy. For
biomass (biomass is not defined as organic (carbon base), just living mass),
they skim gas giants, and atmosphere from smaller worlds; and eat asteroids
and comets for heavier elements. The constructs are not predators (kill for
food), but may take advantage of a situation using the method they employ to
eat asteroids (destroyed/damaged ships are a good source for metals that
do not need to be purified). They use very little chemical energy in
comparison to Humans (or other known organisms), most energy is stored as
electrical, gravitic, tachyon, or some other energy (unknown to Humans). The
SV construct cells absorb power from fields generated by the power generation
organs located throughout the SV construct, thus do not need blood or other
chemical movement paths. Heavier elements are transferred by symbiotic mites
(bio-equivalent to nanites) that build or repair the SV construct as it
takes damage.
Of course, if you wanted to stretch it, the SV may be denizens of Jumpspace
reacting to our intrusions. The SV may gain their power from that source.
Alt. Jumpspace Theory: Even with fusion and our limited anti-matter
plants (nod to the Alarshi), ships do not have the power to open a window to
another dimension. It is theorized that the primary power source is drawn
directly from jumpspace and that our jump engines only weaken the fabric of
our space to allow jumpspace to punch through and envelop a ship before the
rift is repaired.
-----
Brian Bell bkb@beol.net
-----
> -----Original Message-----
[snip]
> Not a bad idea, though I wouldn't necessarily restrict it to other
> support themselves I'd go for something like...
Apparently
> they absorb free gases or actively skim planetary and stellar
> On Wed, 28 Jun 2000, Nyrath the nearly wise wrote:
> Roger Books wrote:
he's not alone - i came up with a Casimir-exploiting zero-point power
source when i was at school. i explained to a a friend, who called it 'the
clappy drive' (the design involved a forest of metal plates oscillating back
and forth) and ridiculed it. a few years on, he is now studying physics here
at oxford, and he now claims that it will work and that he invented it, the
&*"!&*. fr the record, if the Fitt Device does ever make it big, it was my
idea. details can be supplied to interested parties if they really wish.
tom