On 12 Jan, 13:01, (Rand Simberg) wrote:
On Mon, 12 Jan 2009 03:17:22 -0800 (PST), in a place far, far away,
Ian Parker made the phosphor on my monitor glow
in such a way as to indicate that:

The scheme illustrated on my page probably is a little 'utopian',
since it envisages the construction of gigantic underground domes,
high enough that trees can grow in them to full height. At first, the
domes would probably be a bit smaller, and housing might be dug from
tunnels leading from the domes rather than in the form of buildings
built inside the domes - where food is grown.

Only a Von Neumann machine can achieve this. Other people continue to
pooh pooh the idea. I pooh pooh all grandiose ideas NOT involving VN
technology in one form or another.

Yes, we know you do--you don't have to tell us. *It's one of the
primary things that makes you such a loon.

Well aol your ideas are too. The only future for manned spaceflight
that I can see is one of ever inceasing cost. Manned spaceflight is
simply conspicuous consumption which call be ill affored in a
recession.

OK Keynes DID advocate public works, but public works with a FUTURE,
like the Hoover Dam. Manned spaceflight has no future other than ever
increasing levels of unproductive expenditure.

That is the cold hard truth.


- Ian Parker