From: John Atkinson <johnmatkinson@y...>
Date: Tue, 29 Jan 2002 17:11:55 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Speaking of verdammt pet peeves!
> --- Ryan Gill <rmgill@mindspring.com> wrote: > Wow. Really, even Fax machines come with Backup Uh, guys! If we're assuming nanites to the level that the most optomistic SF writers (and anyone discussing nanites is an SF writer regardless of how many PhDs they have), then we're not playing Stargrunt OR Dirtside OR Full Thrust. We're not fighting over resources, we have NO economic costs, and every person is effectively immortal and invincible. Screw that and the horse it rode in on. It might make for interesting SF, it makes for a nice religion, it makes for absolutely CRAPPY wargaming. So can we please shitcan the argument that "Whatever I'm arguing for is possible because I'll get my pet freakin' NANITES to do it for me." Once you've got pet UBERNANITES, you can do pretty much whatever you please. You stop having limitations and at this point we're not discussing human beings, we're discussing nearly-omnipotent demigods. Stargrunt will SUCK if tried to hammer into shape to deal with nearly-omnipotent demigods. IMU, Nanites are a nice toy, but have so limited computing power available that they are incapable of dealing with other than the most orderly of environments. They have a handful of industrial applications, but that's it. No super-gloop capable of defeating entire planet's defenses, no instant manufacturing (IIRC, the last example was "What if a special operations team uses supergloop to turn their truck into power armor! Wouldn't that BE SO KEWL!), and no Planetary Infrastructure In A Box. > >2) colnies without educated people? Not from the Two Words: West Virginia. The Canadian way to spell this is "Newfoundland." > that. South Africa Shall we count the nations that produce Main Battle Tanks, boys and girls? Remember there are 130-mumble nations recognized by the UN: US UK France FRG fUSSR (IIRC, their tank production is mostly in Russia and Ukraine, not sure on this). PRC Japan Korea Egypt (which recently started assembling their own M-1s from kits, IIRC) Israel South Africa Ummm... The Swiss and the Swedes have built tanks in the past but I don't think they do anymore. The Argentinians build a tank, but it's really not an MBT in the proper sense. IIRC, the Indians have a tank?? Not sure about that. North Koreans turn out light tanks at least. There may be more that I've missed, but I don't think so.