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This is for much the same reason that we could transport everything in our civilization by people carrying things around on Segways, but we don't, because why w

This is for much the same reason that we could transport everything in our civilization by people carrying things around on Segways, but we don't, because why would we deliberately choose something suboptimal? In some high profile military simulation exercises, the "Iran" side used motorcycle couriers to side-step the "US" advantage in signals intelligence. Perhaps other civilizations which manage to survive know something that prompts them to use highly directed, highly efficient spread spectrum technologies which are very hard for us to detect? Perhaps the universe is much more dangerous for intelligent beings than we know in our youthful naivete as a species?

bredren 8y ago
Perhaps other civilizations which manage to survive know something that prompts them to use highly directed, highly efficient spread spectrum technologies which are very hard for us to detect? Perhaps the universe is much more dangerous for intelligent beings than we know in our youthful naivete as a species? This is terrifying.
- robterrell 8y ago
  "The Three-Body Problem" (& its sequels) are a fantastic exploration of this terrifying idea.
abecedarius 8y ago
Besides emissions security, perhaps there's the equivalent of "never underestimate the bandwidth of a station wagon full of mag tapes" (with, say, a lattice of atoms of different types instead).
webnrrd2k 8y ago
I don't think it's really worth considering as a realistic reason for societies choosing suboptimal technologies, but maybe some sort of Skynet scenario is possible, or something more like Frank Herbert's Butlerian Jihad[1]. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butlerian_Jihad https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butlerian_Jihad
- JohnJamesRambo 8y ago
  "had been a semi-religious social upheaval initiated by humans who felt repulsed by how guided and controlled they had become by machines:" Boy, that rings true right now. I kind of hope that happens.
  - smegger001 8y ago
    Yeah in the books the universe life is kinda shitty for tens of thounsands of years because of the restrictions on "thinking machines". It is pretty much a blanket ban on much above a 80s level non networked pc. Anything that breaks it is pretty much black market good or used an excuse for military take over by a stronger feudal house. All automation pretty much requires a human in the loop. Also any machine a "in a image of a man is banned" also pretty much a prosthetics will get the owner killed. The Dune universe is a dystopic hell hole for anyone not a member a noble house or an administer for Chom mega-corp.

bredren 8y ago

Perhaps other civilizations which manage to survive know something that prompts them to use highly directed, highly efficient spread spectrum technologies which are very hard for us to detect? Perhaps the universe is much more dangerous for intelligent beings than we know in our youthful naivete as a species? This is terrifying.

robterrell 8y ago
"The Three-Body Problem" (& its sequels) are a fantastic exploration of this terrifying idea.

abecedarius 8y ago

Besides emissions security, perhaps there's the equivalent of "never underestimate the bandwidth of a station wagon full of mag tapes" (with, say, a lattice of atoms of different types instead).

webnrrd2k 8y ago

I don't think it's really worth considering as a realistic reason for societies choosing suboptimal technologies, but maybe some sort of Skynet scenario is possible, or something more like Frank Herbert's Butlerian Jihad[1]. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butlerian_Jihad https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butlerian_Jihad

JohnJamesRambo 8y ago
"had been a semi-religious social upheaval initiated by humans who felt repulsed by how guided and controlled they had become by machines:" Boy, that rings true right now. I kind of hope that happens.
- smegger001 8y ago
  Yeah in the books the universe life is kinda shitty for tens of thounsands of years because of the restrictions on "thinking machines". It is pretty much a blanket ban on much above a 80s level non networked pc. Anything that breaks it is pretty much black market good or used an excuse for military take over by a stronger feudal house. All automation pretty much requires a human in the loop. Also any machine a "in a image of a man is banned" also pretty much a prosthetics will get the owner killed. The Dune universe is a dystopic hell hole for anyone not a member a noble house or an administer for Chom mega-corp.