@Hi, I'm God: There's a long-haired gentleman outside who like to disagree with you. He looks a little ragged as he's nailed to a couple pieces of lumber.
@se7a7n7:
+2
Yeah, Bureaucracy at it's best. The ability to create everything everywhere gets strangled by dicks sitting in front of a desk watching money roll in...
@se7a7n7: That already exists. Monsanto and ADM both sell crop seeds to African nations. The catch? They're sterile - every year the nations need to buy new seeds.
The bigger issue here is what this invention would do to the economic structure of society. If we can replicate anything that we need, what would be the purpose of capitalism? We would not need stores, industries or commerce of any kind (if a replicator can replicate itself, why would we even need a replicator manufacturing business?). How many Lamborghini's do you need to replicate? It would eliminate the work ethic. Who would need to work for a living? Why trade? What would be the purpose for an economic structure of any kind? The change to our social and economic structure would be massive with such an invention.
@HarcourtAetolus: That was part of Rodenberry's idea behind the whole Star Trek universe. Remove the need for greed and whatnot and provide everything to the masses. Idealistic, yes, but hey, you can't fault him for being a visionary.
The implications on patented devices and drugs are interesting.
Technically, you can make patented things for your own use legally. Realistically, some extension of patent law equivalent of the DMCA keeping me from making a copy of my DVD collection on my computer would appear.
Thing is, if products no longer exist, and energy is renewable, we're back to a labour economy, with little demand for labour.
That _IS_ Star Trek. Seriously. The basic impossiblity of artificial intelligence makes the most important people... nerds.
You're left with transportation, hauling, and maintainance for those who want tech but can't make it and can't gather and understand information.
Of course there will be luddites. They can stay back on earth while we love our molecule-accurate mechanical connections with virtually no friction and fly throuh space and colonise mars.
"No," he said, "look, it's very, very simple ... all I want ... is a cup of tea. You are going to make one for me. Keep quiet and listen." And he sat.
He told the Nutri-Matic about India, he told it about China, he told it about Ceylon. He told it about broad leaves drying in the sun. He told it about silver teapots. He told it about summer afternoons on the lawn. He told it about putting in the milk before the tea so it wouldn't get scalded. He even told it (briefly) about the history of the East India Company.
"So that's it, is it?" said the Nutri-Matic when he had finished.
"Yes," said Arthur, "that is what I want."
"You want the taste of dried leaves in boiled water?"
"Er, yes. With milk."
"Squirted out of a cow?"
"Well, in a manner of speaking I suppose ..."
And it produced a liquid almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea.
You want tea? Heat up some water, insert leaves in the packaging of your liking, let it steep for 2 minutes, and remove the leaves. Voila! Tea. Earl Grey Tea. And, yes, it is hot.
The last thing this country needs is a way to make more calories available. We have plenty of calories. After a weekend of bad Chinese food, I am ready to go back on another week of strained yogurt, tomatoes and cucumbers, and avocado rolls.
Let's stop obsessing with replicators and start working on learning to eat healthily. Properly prepared food requires little effort, little cleanup, and tastes good.
If I had nothing but Greek yogurt, tomatoes and cucumber salad, avocado rolls, and seared salmon for the rest of my days, I'd be pretty happy.
@.- -. --- -. -.-- -- --- ..- ... / .. ... / .-.. . --. .. --- -.: While grilled steaks are tasty, I'm on a moderation kick. I will eat back, but only about once every month or two. Maybe twice a year, I will go into McDonald's and order a medium fries and a small Diet Coke. About once a month, I order bad Chinese food.
Wednesday was the first time I had had pizza in two months (and I live in Brooklyn). More often than not, I find myself eating veggies and fish.
@OMG! Ponies!: Yeah but just think, that same Transporter technology can convert you into energy and separate out the fat before reconstituting your molecules.
That's why you don't see any really fat humans on Star Trek..
Jews would not eat replicated pork because it has more to do with tradition.
vegetarians may or may not eat the meat if their issue with meat is solely with the killing of the animal. Keep in mind, a vegetarian that starts eating meat can have some wacky digestive issues, so i doubt it would make a difference.
@Blue387: More importantly, would cannibals eat replicated humans? And would zombies settle for replicated piles of brains, thus easing their transition and assimilation into civilized society?
@JasonTriton: We already have the #1 Food Industry in the World and this would end up being a Government take-over of Food.
Would you really want some bureaucrat telling you what you can replicate and when? I EAT WHAT I WANT TO EAT!!! What if I don't want to eat replicated food? You damn Socialist, Marxist, Communist, Liberal Nazi.
This could replicate a baby, solely for the purpose of being eaten! Is that what you want? A device that lets you eat babies?
Ever given much thought to the bathrooms in Star Trek? My favorite theory was that they were bundled with the food replicators. Think about it, where does the replicator get the raw materials? Simple, you walk up to the replicator, indicate your selection, it tight beam transports the contents of your bladder and bowls out, a little molecular scrambling and, bingo, dinner!
@AkkiRonin: In the Enterprise NCC-1701D Technical Manual it specifcally clarifies this point. It explains that solid an dliquid waste matter are both purified and also used for replication purposes, as well as for fertilization for the shipboard arboretum.
I see it getting shot down and postponed out of our life times by people too afraid of it replicating living organisms.
We would need to get over those stupid things called "morals" before we can get tasty food on demand (does this mean comcast would extend into the world of food?)
@bl1nk2much: Once you have a machine that can replicate "money" (or the base metals that paper scrip represents) the very concept of money becomes outmoded; little more than a historical footnote.
@met2art: Exactly! Why wouldn't we devote all of our time and effort to a replicator? The end of world hunger--the end of wars over resources, the collapse of capitalism and the free market.... Seems like it could only usher in an era of unlimited prosperity and happiness.
@jimmysmits: There is still the tricky issue of power sources. However, a switch to solar, hydrodynamics and the burning of fossil fuels such as greedy old corporate executives could help immensely.
11/10/09
Are you following me camera guy? #carbonnanotubesponge
11/10/09
08/31/09
Would this mean that Americans finally get health care as good as say, France?
08/30/09
08/30/09
08/30/09
08/31/09
08/30/09
08/30/09
+2
Yeah, Bureaucracy at it's best. The ability to create everything everywhere gets strangled by dicks sitting in front of a desk watching money roll in...
08/30/09
08/30/09
08/30/09
08/30/09
08/30/09
08/30/09
The implications on patented devices and drugs are interesting.
Technically, you can make patented things for your own use legally. Realistically, some extension of patent law equivalent of the DMCA keeping me from making a copy of my DVD collection on my computer would appear.
Thing is, if products no longer exist, and energy is renewable, we're back to a labour economy, with little demand for labour.
That _IS_ Star Trek. Seriously. The basic impossiblity of artificial intelligence makes the most important people... nerds.
You're left with transportation, hauling, and maintainance for those who want tech but can't make it and can't gather and understand information.
Of course there will be luddites. They can stay back on earth while we love our molecule-accurate mechanical connections with virtually no friction and fly throuh space and colonise mars.
08/30/09
He told the Nutri-Matic about India, he told it about China, he told it about Ceylon. He told it about broad leaves drying in the sun. He told it about silver teapots. He told it about summer afternoons on the lawn. He told it about putting in the milk before the tea so it wouldn't get scalded. He even told it (briefly) about the history of the East India Company.
"So that's it, is it?" said the Nutri-Matic when he had finished.
"Yes," said Arthur, "that is what I want."
"You want the taste of dried leaves in boiled water?"
"Er, yes. With milk."
"Squirted out of a cow?"
"Well, in a manner of speaking I suppose ..."
And it produced a liquid almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea.
08/30/09
You want tea? Heat up some water, insert leaves in the packaging of your liking, let it steep for 2 minutes, and remove the leaves. Voila! Tea. Earl Grey Tea. And, yes, it is hot.
The last thing this country needs is a way to make more calories available. We have plenty of calories. After a weekend of bad Chinese food, I am ready to go back on another week of strained yogurt, tomatoes and cucumbers, and avocado rolls.
Let's stop obsessing with replicators and start working on learning to eat healthily. Properly prepared food requires little effort, little cleanup, and tastes good.
If I had nothing but Greek yogurt, tomatoes and cucumber salad, avocado rolls, and seared salmon for the rest of my days, I'd be pretty happy.
08/30/09
But this thing is more important for underdeveloped nations and those who can't grow food or afford food.
Think BIG PICTURE, Mr.Ponies
08/30/09
08/30/09
@OMG! Ponies!:
Come again?
08/30/09
08/30/09
08/30/09
Puppy steak deluxe, available at your local replicator.
08/30/09
08/30/09
No, the entire baby steak concept messes with my atom-thick morals.
08/30/09
Wednesday was the first time I had had pizza in two months (and I live in Brooklyn). More often than not, I find myself eating veggies and fish.
08/30/09
That's why you don't see any really fat humans on Star Trek..
08/30/09
08/30/09
08/30/09
vegetarians may or may not eat the meat if their issue with meat is solely with the killing of the animal. Keep in mind, a vegetarian that starts eating meat can have some wacky digestive issues, so i doubt it would make a difference.
08/30/09
08/30/09
08/30/09
+1 for the zompocalypse.
I think for these two groups morals won't be such an issue, thus increasing their chances of actually being accepted into our 'civilized society'.
Okay, 'civilized society' didn't leave my fingers without laughing.
08/31/09
Everyone else's technological and biological distinctiveness is added to the collective, and their societies will adapt to service the collective.
08/30/09
Don't you recall Picard talking about the day world hunger was solved? Hmmmm?
Fox news would probably label the machine dangerous because they will get money from the food lobby. This machine will destroy them and farmers.
08/30/09
Would you really want some bureaucrat telling you what you can replicate and when? I EAT WHAT I WANT TO EAT!!! What if I don't want to eat replicated food? You damn Socialist, Marxist, Communist, Liberal Nazi.
This could replicate a baby, solely for the purpose of being eaten! Is that what you want? A device that lets you eat babies?
08/30/09
08/30/09
08/30/09
08/30/09
We would need to get over those stupid things called "morals" before we can get tasty food on demand (does this mean comcast would extend into the world of food?)
08/30/09
08/30/09
08/30/09
08/30/09