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Fernando Q. Gouvea wrote:
On re-reading "Alien Stones", I did find myself wondering about one thing: if the aliens are some form of artificial intelligence, why do they have star charts that the captain can inspect? Wouldn't any such charts simply be kept as software? Is this just a slip of Wolfe's imagination (Homer nods again?) or is there something I'm missing?
Hey, that book seminar sounds like a lot of fun!
As for the charts. IIRC, the aliens are kinda sorta robotic rather than "pure thought" A.I. entities.
Possible reasons for physical charts:
1) It is good to have hardcopy!
2) They might not be real tools, they might just be art objects recalling earlier times.
3) They might just be toys for soft lifes to play with when they come visiting, like the amusements in the waiting/screening room at a doctor's office (magazines, toys).
=mantis=