Ferrari Mailing List: Re: OIL

[Ken Rentiers (rentiers]

On Aug 9, 2008, at 2:05 PM, Rick Lindsay wrote:

> + The only viable solution is nuclear.
>
> rick

You're right there, Rick. The way I see it, humanity is a happy  
accident in a vast and hostile universe. We have the ability to choose  
our destiny. We can sit around waiting for the lights to go out, or we  
can reach for the stars.

Oh I know how much energy it takes to go anywhere close to lightspeed,  
and how far away the stars are; but the nearest is only four light  
years. At only 20% of lightspeed that's twenty years to the nearest  
star as measured here on earth, much less for the crew. Enormous  
amounts of energy, but think - if the process of atomic fusion  
releases as much as it does, what vast amounts of energy may be  
released when we learn how to split sub-atomic particles?

Impractical. Difficult. Outrageous.

In 30 years of listening SETI hasn't heard a damn thing. Everyone  
talks about where. What about when? How many other intelligent life  
forms flourished among the billions of planets, only to be overcome by  
time and a changing environment? The moon is leaving, the sun is  
burning out. Long before then some gigantic rock will blow us all to  
smithereens. We need to get the hell out of the nest.

Or stay here, eat seaweed and walk to work.

I pick "A".

ken