Orionsarm.org

[CaptainChewbacca]

This guy bugs me. "It's 'ULTRA', so its different and therefore cooler."

A lot of answers to SN's questions seem to be of the "because it is" vein. Archailects win because they're archailects and always win? Don't think so.


If you hear about this guy getting beaten to death by a big bearded man screaming "three-score and ten!" You'll know it was me.

[SirNitram]

That's what I mean by "Hard Science". Not just technology that is
explained in a rational or reasonable way, but society that responds to
technological innovation in a plausible way. I can certainly imagine
ludds ruling the roost for 50 years (just look at politicians today),
but not for 500.

I'm going to keep this short: I've developed a hatred for the Singularity because of the number of retards who bring it up here, fail to prove a single point, and then proceed to flip out on me because they can't grasp basic economics or technology. I will say that OA has what I consider the necessary uber-techs to make it work.

As for the quoted section, I quote it because it's the crux of the whole thing. You're using a subjective(Your opinion that repressed technology can't be held back for extremely long periods of time.) to try and prove an objective(What is more realistic). Fact is, technology can be repressed so long it becomes lost. Rome had steam power. Did it make railroads? Nope. Made a child's toy. The technology was lost, and it would be literally thousands of years before it was found again. When the technology has a potential, massive downside or three to it, there's nothing guaranteeing the next group to find it will like it enough to build it.

[kojikun]

Rome had steam power. Did it make railroads? Nope. Made a child's toy. The technology was lost, and it would be literally thousands of years before it was found again.

Small nitpick: it was not lost at all, it was just never applied the way it was in the 1800s. Through out history, various steam turbines were used for applications such as some printing presses in Italy. But none of them grew to be a proper steam engine, apparently because of a continuance of old Grecian ideas on Natural Philosophy, where application of the knowledge is the work of slaves not true philosophers. Also, another supposed reason is that there was no need for steam power, as there was an abundance of slave labor available to do any hard work.

[SirNitram]

Rome had steam power. Did it make railroads? Nope. Made a child's toy. The technology was lost, and it would be literally thousands of years before it was found again.

Small nitpick: it was not lost at all, it was just never applied the way it was in the 1800s. Through out history, various steam turbines were used for applications such as some printing presses in Italy. But none of them grew to be a proper steam engine, apparently because of a continuance of old Grecian ideas on Natural Philosophy, where application of the knowledge is the work of slaves not true philosophers. Also, another supposed reason is that there was no need for steam power, as there was an abundance of slave labor available to do any hard work.

Still fufil's my point: The technology was there, but it was left unexploited for literally over a thousand years.

[kojikun]

Addendum to my nitpick: The first steam engines in modern times were not actually rediscoveries of the old system, which used pressurized jets of steam to spin a ball, but rather, used steam to push a piston up, and the steam was then cooled, condensed, and the piston fell.

[Hamel]

http://www.orionsarm.com/main.html

Orions Arm claims to be website dedicated to give an idea of what the future might look like based on real science. However it is actualy pseudo-science masquerading as science fact. The creators have certainly read too many Culture books. They confuse science fiction with science fact.

So what do you think about this site ?

After reading that exceptionally vivid depiction of that Jolonah guy getting thrown into "hell", I'm thinking there's nothing really scientific about it

Yeah right, nanomachines growing eyeballs on your hand and turning you inside out in a matter of seconds? That is so up the butt

[kojikun]

Still fufil's my point: The technology was there, but it was left unexploited for literally over a thousand years.

I'm thinkin' you spend too much time watching for the replies in this thread.

You can't really say that the technology was unexploited tho, because the designs that existed were not capable of providing the necessary power to be useful. The technology WAS there, Heron had all the necessary knowledge of pumps and pistons and valves, but they were not used the way they eventually would be. The engines that existed at the time were not viable sources of power. They had the same drawbacks as modern gas turbines -- high RPM and low torque for their size.

[SirNitram]

Koji, if you'd stop obsessing over the steam revolution of the Victorian era, you'd realize that yes there was a thousand-year or more gap between the steam toy developed by a Greek, and the first practical applications of it during the age of reason.

[kojikun]

Koji, if you'd stop obsessing over the steam revolution of the Victorian era, you'd realize that yes there was a thousand-year or more gap between the steam toy developed by a Greek, and the first practical applications of it during the age of reason.

I never said there wasn't, I was guessing why there was such a gap.

[SirNitram]

Koji, if you'd stop obsessing over the steam revolution of the Victorian era, you'd realize that yes there was a thousand-year or more gap between the steam toy developed by a Greek, and the first practical applications of it during the age of reason.

I never said there wasn't, I was guessing why there was such a gap.

The most obvious reason is because of the destruction of knowledge following the Roman empire's collapse. Hell, we lost plumbing because of that.

[kojikun]

The most obvious reason is because of the destruction of knowledge following the Roman empire's collapse. Hell, we lost plumbing because of that.

This is true. Someone should right a story about a persistant Roman Republic that underwent reform during the mid 300s AUC to get rid of the corruption and patronism that plagued the Republic's government.

[Ender]

Minor point on gene engineering and driod empires:

1) gene engineering to incredible levels is done by several races in SW. But they never tried to overthrow the republic, because they simply couldn't deal with the Jedi.

2) Droids did try a revolution, it was called the Coruscant Droid revolt. And it was put down by the Jedi. After that it was never tried again, likely due to safeguards put on the things.

Technology has bupkiss on occult based superpowers.

[CaptainChewbacca]

Minor point on gene engineering and driod empires:

1) gene engineering to incredible levels is done by several races in SW. But they never tried to overthrow the republic, because they simply couldn't deal with the Jedi.

2) Droids did try a revolution, it was called the Coruscant Droid revolt. And it was put down by the Jedi. After that it was never tried again, likely due to safeguards put on the things.

Technology has bupkiss on occult based superpowers.

Where is the Coruscant Droid revolt discussed in the literature? I've never heard of it, and I'm a SW knowledge GOD.

[Ender]

Minor point on gene engineering and driod empires:

1) gene engineering to incredible levels is done by several races in SW. But they never tried to overthrow the republic, because they simply couldn't deal with the Jedi.

2) Droids did try a revolution, it was called the Coruscant Droid revolt. And it was put down by the Jedi. After that it was never tried again, likely due to safeguards put on the things.

Technology has bupkiss on occult based superpowers.

Where is the Coruscant Droid revolt discussed in the literature? I've never heard of it, and I'm a SW knowledge GOD.

Master Arca mentions it when battling Krath droids right before he dies in the Tales of the jedi series