On Sun, 29 Aug 1999 Evolver16@aol.com wrote:
> In a message dated 8/29/99 7:02:45 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
> bradbury@www.aeiveos.com writes:
Perhaps I should have said difficult, unlikely or expensive. To talk about moving photons around is one thing (and I agree is readily done). To talk about moving mass around (via E=mc^2) is entirely another thing.
>
> While unmentioned, the subject of warp speed (faster-then-light travel) is
> seriously being studied, most notably by the esteemed Dr. Stephen Hawking.
>
While I appreciate the stories, I believe warp drive leads to time
paradoxes. Recent work in time paradoxes I believe has shown them
to be impossible. [I don't claim to understand this, since to me
it is *all* magic physics.] At any rate, if Hawking is to solve
the problem of warp drive he may very well face the problem of
solving time paradoxes as well. I would not spend a lot of time
considering this reality for one simple reason --
If FTL travel is "effectively" possible, and other life forms
can evolve, then there is no reason we should still see stars.
[Other species would have colonized/consumed all energy resources.]
So either -- (a) FTL travel is not possible; (b) the evolution of technological extraterrestrial civilizations is not possible.
I would place my bets on (a).
Robert