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From: andree@uokvax.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers
Subject: The Library! - (nf)
Message-ID: <4114@uiucdcs.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 24-Nov-83 04:57:42 EST
Article-I.D.: uiucdcs.4114
Posted: Thu Nov 24 04:57:42 1983
Date-Received: Sat, 26-Nov-83 07:00:48 EST
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#N:uokvax:5400011:000:1097
uokvax!andree    Nov 23 00:33:00 1983

I have just finished the two Brin books recently discussed on the
net (Sundiver/Startide Rising - I nth the various good things
said about the book.) One of the details that Brin put into this
universe struck me very strongly. Since I haven't seen it
mentioned before,  I decided to bring it up.

What I am talking about is @i(the library). Brin postulates a
multi-racial galactic civilization that has, for the last 2
billion years, been recording EVERYTHING that happened to any of
the races in the civilization. Since the average racial lifespan
in this universe appears to be under 100 million years, this
means that the answer to any question that ANYBODY is liable to
ask can be found in the library (oh, before I forget - the
interface is a fairly good AI text search program, so the things
is fairly easy to use). The races in this universe are greatly
affected by the library - it's considered gauche to actually do
research; you should look in the library.

Does this concept strike anybody else strongly? Any comments on
what life would be like with something like that around?

	<mike