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It's see it like this: Observe that historical trends show communication technology advancing much faster than transportation technology. In the 20th century w
by Tycho 16y ago
It's see it like this:
Observe that historical trends show communication technology advancing much faster than transportation technology. In the 20th century we got cars, planes, helicopters, rockets... and now we still have cars, planes, helicopters and rockets (do they make hovercraft anymore?). No major advance for decades. Compare to communication, which seems to change beyond recognition every ten years.
What then is bound to happen is that we develop some sort of theoretically inter-stellar range communication technology. Of course by the time we do that, we'll be lucky if humanity has so much as a moon base. But the chances are we are not the first intelligent race, and a number of intelligent races will already exist, and will have already have implemented this technology.
In effect, we will switch on one day and find a galactic internet (the Intergalacticnet?) of forever isolated planetary nodes. Once we figure out how to decode and communicate etc., we will exchange/trade information and progress will increase exponentially. But no field trips (maybe some sort of VR/avatar tour of alien worlds though).
IMO sci-fi writers get it wrong when they show spaceships bumping into alien civilizations etc. Regardless of whether that sort of transportation is even feasible, communication will have been established much sooner.
- wlievens 16y ago> What then is bound to happen is that we develop some sort of theoretically inter-stellar range communication technology. 'Bound to happen' is quite a bold statement for something that, according to current scientific understanding, is not really possible. That is, if you mean faster-than-light communication, which I think you allude to in the next paragraphs.
- Tycho 16y agoYou're right of course but I believe science already has some inroads in FTL communication (quantum entanglement, some exploit I read in New Scientist about a sweeping beam traveling faster at the the ends than the pivoting centre) whereas from what I've gathered FTL space travel is still a non-starter.
- wlievens 16y agoThat's not how I interpret it. The light-speed constraint isn't just about preventing matter to move faster than light, it's about information traveling faster than light. Picturing it like FTL communication being just an engineering problem (sorry for the exaggeration) and FTL travel being near-impossible in contrast is rather strange. Quantum entanglement doesn't allow faster-than light information transfer (though it is pretty mysterious in its own right). The sweeping beam thing doesn't either. These things aren't in any way pushing the frontier with regards to FTL communication. Do note that I hope with all my heart that I'm wrong here. We're all geeks, right.