Greetings folx,
A couple points:
Hans points out that the obvious defence to the silicon
predators viruses is have non silicon chips.
Well, guess what? He's absolutely right.
As a matter of fact, I'd say a computer with silicon chips may
be common now, but supercomputers, (especially ones in the future)
will use silicon as the EXCEPTION not the rule.
Silicon as a semiconductor, is NOT the way to go. I may not be
up on computer architecture, but don't most supercomputers use
Gallium Arsinide chips now?
Admittedly, Gallium Arsinide has nasty problems, as a semiconductor
(requires liquid nitrogen cooling) But the next generation of
semiconductors will be Silicon Carbide. Silicon Carbide chips will
be faster, more radiation hard, and will withstand temperatures
that will fry a silicon chip.
The step after Silicon Carbide will be Diamond semi-conductors.
Diamond is an EXCELLENT semiconductor: Ideal for computer
applications. Fast, Radiation hard, TOUGH, and it can function
as a semiconductor under the tip of an acytlene torch. (A couple
thousand degrees :-)
They estimate diamond semiconductors will be available in less than
ten years. Probably less than 5.
Believe me, having traveller computers on silicon chips is kinda like
saying the starships are powered by fuel injected V-8 engines. If
That were the case, then Lucan's supervirus should eat all the
petrochemicals in the galaxy and everybody waits forever at the gas
pumps... :-)
---
Wildstar talked a bit about starships flying with lift:
Nope. Won't work.
Why? Wing loading.
The average scoutship weighs in at 1000 + metric tons. I don't have my
books with me, but I believe thats around twice the weight of a fully
loaded B-52. Yet it has about the same wing area of an F-4 Phantom.
Will it fly? No. It just can't get enough lift from air alone. You
have to have some thrust from the engines to keep it up.
Otherwise it's natural stall speed will be somewhere in the hypersonic
region, and it will have the glide angle of a crowbar. :-)
Other than that, yer right (as far as I know) :-)
2G Scott