Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!rutgers!umn-d-ub!umn-cs!ems!datapg!sewilco
From: sewilco@datapg.DataPg.MN.ORG (Scot E. Wilcoxon)
Newsgroups: sci.misc
Subject: Re: Engines of Creation: Nanotechnology
Message-ID: <351@datapg.DataPg.MN.ORG>
Date: 2 Jan 88 22:30:51 GMT
References: <1315@sugar.UUCP> <827@hubcap.UUCP>
Reply-To: sewilco@datapg.DataPg.MN.ORG (Scot E. Wilcoxon)
Followup-To: sci.misc
Organization: Data Progress
Lines: 19

In article <827@hubcap.UUCP> beede@hubcap.UUCP (Mike Beede) writes:
:
>Surrounded by huge numbers of correctly-functioning detectors, it seems at
>first glance that the survival of a nasty strain could be made arbitrarily
>small.  Of course, if the mutation involved just destroying everything, the
>``good'' detectors might be too slow on the draw to do anything.  Sounds like
>a Western...

If a mutation involves destroying "everything", they'll destroy themselves.
If a mutation involves changing "everything" for replication (ie, rampant
Grey Goo), the raw materials are probably wrong for replication and
the mutation will in effect be consuming poison.  Perhaps for a day,
then the city cleanup crew will let it try to deal with lasers and
heatlamps...
-- 
Scot E. Wilcoxon	sewilco@DataPg.MN.ORG	ihnp4!meccts!datapg!sewilco
Data Progress		C and UNIX consulting	+1 612-825-2607
 "I'm the girl that makes the thing that drills the thing that makes the thing
  that oils the thingumabob that goes around and makes the engines roar."