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Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!harpo!seismo!rlgvax!cvl!umcp-cs!zben
From: zben@umcp-cs.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: Re: Space Solar Power
Message-ID: <3562@umcp-cs.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 4-Nov-83 09:42:14 EST
Article-I.D.: umcp-cs.3562
Posted: Fri Nov  4 09:42:14 1983
Date-Received: Mon, 7-Nov-83 01:04:09 EST
Organization: Univ. of Maryland, Computer Science Dept.
Lines: 30

[..]
Most of the refutations of my argument have been of the form: "the Earth is
sooooo big (usually followed by some numbers in exponential notation) that
it couldn't possibly be a significant effect".  Some of the others are worth
more thought.

What makes you think that, given a few sites that seem to be feasable, every
podunk community and every third world nation won't want to install their
own version?  We seem to be very good as a species at scaling things up to
the point the original assumptions become meaningless.  There was a general
feeling just a few years ago that the Earth was "soooo big" that burning
fossil fuel could not possibly shift things.  Now the newspapers are full
of stories that the greenhouse effect is on the way and that there is nothing
that we can do to stop it.  I don't want to see that happening anew...

How many aerosol spray cans does it take to bring burning vengance from
ultraviolet radiation?

D*mmit, there *are* no "quick fixes".  Just fools searching for them.
That includes fusion, satellite solar, oil-from-coal, and just about
anything but conservation and appropriate technology.  Unfortunately
these aren't sexy enough to motivate spoiled techno whiz-kids...

Santoyana said that those who didn't understand the mistakes of the past 
were doomed to repeat them.  Don't y'all wish I wuz around when fission 
power was the latest greatest "quick fix"?

(A friend of the Devil is a friend of mine...)

Ben Cranston       ...seismo!umcp-cs!zben        zben@umd2.ARPA