96 replies to this topic

[Waspie_Dwarf]

Alienated Being, on 18 September 2012 - 06:36 PM, said:

I would narrow that scale down to 50. Significant technological advancements can be attained between now, and fifty years from now.

A pure guess on your part I suspect.

Technological advancements tend to go at their own speed. Take nuclear fusion for example. When I was at school it was predicted that there would be commercial fusion reactors in 30 years. Much of the theory was understood, it was just a case of getting to grips with the technology. I left school nearly 30 years ago and where are the commercial fusion reactors? They are now predicted to still be as much as 50 years away.

Proving that these loopholes exist in no way means that the technology to harness them is close. It could be 5 years, it could be 500. Guessing at the first number that comes into your head is a pretty meaningless exercise.

[Sky Scanner]

Waspie_Dwarf, on 18 September 2012 - 06:51 PM, said:

Exactly.

The problem here is that so many people misunderstand what is meant by scientific laws. They seem to think that because our understanding changes that these laws are man made. They don't understand that the laws of nature underpin the universe. Ever single particle, every force in the universe has to obey them.

When they are rewritten by man it is because we have understood what those rules are a little more. The rules themselves remain the same.

Can't argue with that - we're either discovering, fine tuning, or working with what we know....we're not creating anything, merely understanding what there is and how it can be used.

Quote

As to the subject of this topic... if these loopholes do not exist nothing man can do will change that. If they do exist then we need to understand them so that we can exploit them. Our knowledge will move forward. What we know to be possible or not will move forward. What is ACTUALLY possible or not will remain the same.

"What is actually possible or not will remain the same!" I'm not scientifically educated to be truthful, I have wondered though if there are conditions within the universe that haven't come to fruition yet, and when they do new possibilities that are not possible at present would then become present.......just one of those things i've pondered in the past. Obviously, that scenario doesn't deviate from what you said above, it's still the laws of nature, albeit it would be out of reach to date.

Edited by The Sky Scanner, 18 September 2012 - 07:09 PM.

[TheMacGuffin]

Mider, on 18 September 2012 - 06:57 PM, said:

Yes, and you can be sure that in the event plan B is needed. The common man won't have a chance.

Of course not.  Those who have all the money and power would be getting the chance to escape.  That's the way the system works, just like on the Titanic when there were not enough lifeboats to go around.  Those who were part of the "better half" of the passengers in 1st and 2nd class had the better chance to get away.

Edited by TheMacGuffin, 18 September 2012 - 07:16 PM.

[27vet]

You don't need much to go frorward in time and it is quite possible. At the same time it is possible to overcome one of the present limitations i.e. zero gravity. The problem is that you can never come back. What is lacking is an engine to propel us to the speed needed to achieve time warp. Basically you accelerate at 1G (overcomes the weightlessness problem) until just under the speed of light. Then you turn the craft around and decelerate at 1G for the same period of time. Turn around back towards the calculated position of the earth , accelerate at 1G again, turn around and decelerate. When you find the earth it will have aged quite a lot more than you.

Edited by 27vet, 18 September 2012 - 08:04 PM.

[Rhino666]

I don't think we'll see it in our lifetime.

[Waspie_Dwarf]

27vet, on 18 September 2012 - 08:02 PM, said:

You don't need much to go frorward in time and it is quite possible. At the same time it is possible to overcome one of the present limitations i.e. zero gravity. The problem is that you can never come back. What is lacking is an engine to propel us to the speed needed to achieve time warp. Basically you accelerate at 1G (overcomes the weightlessness problem) until just under the speed of light. Then you turn the craft around and decelerate at 1G for the same period of time. Turn around back towards the calculated position of the earth , accelerate at 1G again, turn around and decelerate. When you find the earth it will have aged quite a lot more than you.

What you're describing is called time dilation and it is one of the predictions of Relativity.

Unfortunately you are also ignoring another part of Relativity. As an object with mass approaches the speed of light its mass increases. This means that the amount of energy required to accelerate it also increases. Maintaining a 1g acceleration to just under the speed of light would require phenomenal amounts of energy. You reach a point where you would require all the energy in the universe to accelerate any more.

I'm afraid it's not as easy as you have implied.

[DieChecker]

Good post on an object approaching c needing near infinite energy, Waspy Dwarf. I was going to say the same thing.

Waspie_Dwarf, on 18 September 2012 - 06:57 PM, said:

Proving that these loopholes exist in no way means that the technology to harness them is close. It could be 5 years, it could be 500. Guessing at the first number that comes into your head is a pretty meaningless exercise.

An example that comes to me is that this is the difference between understanding and demonstrating the property of Lift, an in building a Boeing 787 airliner.

Demostration of the principle does not always quickly lead to the technology or complexity needed to make that principle safe and useful. Like you said, even if it seems to be real, it could be 50 or 500 years before the technology is working.

[DONTEATUS]

Without the desire aand determination And true belief in whats possible it just shows you we are a very presistant creature !
I say Go for it ! Dream Big,and Build even Bigger ! We can Build it !

[CRIPTIC CHAMELEON]

Cool.

[DONTEATUS]

I love this one !" WJWFI" BEats the heck outta" WTF"
Now WHo knows what this is ?

[pallidin]

Well, I hope all goes well. It takes, what, 100.000 light years to travel to the opposite edge of our own galaxy.
Whatever the actual figure, it's huge.

Not to mention going to other galaxies.

Ah, would be nice. Wish I was born a thousand years in the future for the technology to mature.

Edited by pallidin, 18 September 2012 - 11:06 PM.

[csspwns]

if we could travel at the speed of light tat would already be a huge accomplishment

[Waspie_Dwarf]

csspwns, on 19 September 2012 - 01:14 AM, said:

if we could travel at the speed of light tat would already be a huge accomplishment

It would also break the rules of physics as we know them.

When you are a bit older you might have learned enough that I will be able to explain it to you, but I only ever knew one 12 year old that could fully appreciate relativity... and he's now a professor of astrophysics.

[kobolds]

build the ship first then we will talk others

[DONTEATUS]

Breaking the Rules is what its all about to THis type of people ! ITs how we get things done ! 100% Can DO ! the rest falls into the Round file cabinet !