"cr88192" <cr88192@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
news:68c6e$48895b8b$7937c448$19562@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> actually, once the basic technologies are worked out, likely androids
will
> be generally cheaper in many ways than humans (after all, they don't
have
to
> pay for survival, need their own living space, or consume large amounts
of
> food).
What's cheaper? Tweak a few DNA molecules and give the lifeform food or
mass production of artificial lifeform components? I'd think genetic
engineering or re-engineering will cost less. If it's a non-human
lifeform,
raising many of them is just a form of farming...
> electricity is likely going to be cheap to produce (using nuclear and
solar,
> albeit fuel-oil based generators are likely to go away due to a much
higher
> general cost of fuel oil), but is difficult to physically store or
trans****t
> (batteries tend to have rather poor limits wrt energy density/capacity,
> charging rate, and lifespan).
Large scale electron storage is here in different forms:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superconducting_magnetic_energy_storage
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydroelectric_energy_storage
But, without smaller scale developments in batteries and capacitors for
trans****tation, home heating, etc., we're stuck.
> gaseous fuels (such as propane, methane, or hydrogen), though possible,
> require pressurized storage tanks, which are likely to be rather large
and
> heavy for the amount of fuel stored (admitted, people could start using
> carbon-fiber storage bottles).
Unless there is a major advance in plasma fusion reactors, micro-nuclear
is
probably the most feasable technically. Unfortunately, that presents a
serious material control issue to governments... unless a still useful
for
energy, but not so useful for other purposes material is developed.
> in general, liquid fuels could be the most practical means of energy
storage
> (and, an android being human-like, could possibly justify using much of
its
> body volume as fuel storage). as noted though, the body would need to be
> designed in such a way as to prevent the thing from burning violently if
> ignited.
There are lots of moral and/or religious issues, but I see no technical
reason why a human beings can't be genetically redesigned for all sorts of
purposes (low oxygen, high temperatures and pressures, low gravity,
combat,
chlorophyll "food" source, genetic magnetic compass like birds and
dolphins,
etc...). We have the genetic information from numerous other lifeforms to
allow just about anything we can dream of and can morally accept.
Rod Pemberton
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