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From: tar@mtung.UUCP (Tim Rock)
Newsgroups: net.startrek
Subject: Re: Transporter uses...and abuses...
Message-ID: <559@mtung.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 7-May-85 08:32:36 EDT
Article-I.D.: mtung.559
Posted: Tue May  7 08:32:36 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 10-May-85 20:57:33 EDT
References: <267@moncol.UUCP>, <413@yale.ARPA>, <238@spock.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Information Systems Laboratories, Holmdel, NJ
Lines: 27

Being able to transport something and store the information about
it are two different things.  An example of this is your favorite
network.  The network does not have the ability to store all the
information that it transfers from point to point.  It delivers it
in parts becoming effectively a pipeline.  The cost/technology to
have a network store the complete copy of the transferred file
would be prohibitive.  

I would imagine that the amount of information needed to reconstruct
you would be beyond our comprehension, definitely exceeding
a starship's ability to store.  Yet by just passing the information
along, one can deliver this abundance of information. 

This explaination is not consistant with all the star trek episodes.
I seem to recall one where someone was started to be transported
and they totally left the transporter room.  They ended up able
to bring them back.  Unless they brought him back after he was 
delivered, this would imply that the transporter room is capable
of storing the information nessecary to recontruct someone.

The ability to reconstruct star ship fuel may require more fuel
to perform the conversion than it generates.  Its like having
a process for making gold out of lead that costs more than the
gold produced.

Tim Rock AT&T IS Holmdel NJ mtung!tar