note Re: Short Sun blog

Jeff Wilson · 28 Sep 2010, 01:15 · from 2010-September.txt.gz

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From: jwilson at io.com (Jeff Wilson)
Date: Mon, 27 Sep 2010 20:15:14 -0500
Subject: (urth) note Re: Short Sun blog
In-Reply-To: <4CA08476.2000203 at verizon.net>
References: <SNT123-W3EB435644616ABC41D83DCF640 at phx.gbl>	<4C9FEBBC.5070703 at sky.com>
	<4CA08476.2000203 at verizon.net>
Message-ID: <4CA141A2.1040505 at io.com>

On 9/27/2010 6:48 AM, David Stockhoff wrote:
> Actually, the assumption that at least most life in the NS/LS/SS
> universe has the same biochemistry. The inhumi feed on both humans and
> Neighbors, for example. And then you have the alzabo.
>
> Copper-based life seems to prove the rule by not existing here.
>
> However, seamless transplantation does go too far.

These are not representative samples of a virgin field; there's been at 
least one intergalactic empire carrying Urth's genome and human 
chauvanism outward, and that same chauvanism along with exploitation, 
greed, enterprise, philanthropy, and sentimentality affect what is 
brought back and sought for further study aside from whatever scientific 
objectivity may remain. Blue and Green could have been chose from 
previous records of compatible biology even if it had somehow gone 
untainted after chiliads of empire, and the alzabo and destrier are 
clearly useful for certain purposes, though the alzabo apparently 
escaped into the wild before it could be domesticated.

The truly alien things that Hethor summons could have all sort of weird 
biochemistries - the notules may not even *be* biochemical in the strict 
sense.

-- 
Jeff Wilson - jwilson at io.com
Computational Intelligence Laboratory - Texas A&M Texarkana
< http://www.tamut.edu/CIL >

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