Ian Parker , responding to his own lunatic non
sequitur, wrote:

:
: Space Colonies - This was where it all started. Stephen Hawking said
: that we needed space colonies "TO SAFEGUARD THE EARTH". I think it is
: perfectly correct and proper to point out that the main risks are
: anthropogenic and that there are more cost effective ways of ensurinb
: the survival of Humanity even there.
:
: In modern dancing people often lift their parteners and throw them
: around. If anyone on "strictly come dancing" had sggested a stage in
: space at reduced gravity (O'Neill type), or suggested any other reason
: than "saving the World" it would indeed be inappropiate to comment in
: the way I did. The fact that I met with a series of lies and
: obtefusions seems fairly typical.
:
:This is particularly true when you remember that a "siege" colony,
:that is to say a colony that can exist completely independently of
:Earth is a complete pipedream. What is more they (Fred, Rand et al)
:all know this as well as me, and have done all along.
:

Fred, at least, knows no such thing. By merely a slight extension of
that thinking, Earth can't exist completely independently, then.

Or, to put it in your usual loonytoon vocabulary, are you insisting
that a von Neumann machine is impossible?


--
"Ordinarily he is insane. But he has lucid moments when he is
only stupid."
-- Heinrich Heine