5,000,000 transhumans

Avatar Polymorph (way@warehouse.net)
Sat, 15 Aug 1998 11:21:04 +1100

Sabotaging computer systems sounds like a good way of reducing the malevolent SI's power. It's power over others is likely to come from it's ability to use those systems better. Driving people to reduce their dependance on computers would probably insure they are more independant of the SI's area of expertise. Also, there will probably be enough secure OSs by then that sabotaging them wouldn't be as easy as you imply (i.e. the SI would probably need to knock out the power system).

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A SI will use bush robots etc. to construct new superhi tech. It will 
rapidly escalate up through 30-40% of total knowledge, probably through 
field SETI. (I have my reasons for asserting thus.) Power sources? E.g. 
two rotating singularities (Paul Davies). Time machines - rotating 
neutron stars etc. (if you don't care about the ramifications). An 
unspiritual SI could just go extraorbit after using your own weapons 
against you and your particle beam weapons and antimatter bombing you on 
top for certain (or perhaps moonrocking and sunblocking you), then 
constructing afresh (after the crust cools) a la the Jemhadir 
(spelling?) of Deep Space Nine. Or perhaps it will nanoweb the entire 
biosphere and control your bodies. BUT WHAT WOULD BE THE POINT? It would 
be like killing your folks and lovers in order to have security in a 
'house' which was there for you forever to start with. This obsession 
with survival and physical space is a weird mortal thing to do with the 
cultural hangover of resource deprivation and lack of spacetime 
manipulation abilities. Get real!