Ben Bova wrote:
" We are nearing the point where we can produce machines that are
intelligent, and can reproduce themselves endlessly. Perhaps it is
intelligent machines who will inherit the universe. "


Does anyone have any idea what he is talking about here?
I presume the intelligent machines are our computers.
The MTBF of these machines is pathetically short,
and the software needs such careful tending that I can make a living at it
:-)
Are the computers going to dig up their own silicon, etc etc ?
Will the oil last long enough to inherit the universe?

IMHO we have reached peak world oil production, and from here on the price
of fuel can only increase rapidly (like it did in USSR before the collapse),
making international trade and our whole 'intelligent' way of life
impossible, including our intelligent machines.