Somewhat OT: Long term design
in [Design]
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From: Ingvald44 on 14 Jan 2010 17:35 On Thu, 14 Jan 2010 17:51:55 +0200, "Gerhard" <gvdberg(a)risccsir.co.za> wrote: >"Sylvia Else" <sylvia(a)not.at.this.address> wrote in message >news:01962acc$0$10146$c3e8da3(a)news.astraweb.com... >> John Larkin wrote: >>> On Thu, 14 Jan 2010 19:21:43 +1100, Sylvia Else >>> <sylvia(a)not.at.this.address> wrote: >>> >>>> a7yvm109gf5d1(a)netzero.com wrote: >>>> >>>>> OR.... >>>>> >>>>> go all mechanical >>>>> >>>>> http://www.longnow.org/ >>>>> >>>>> (How long does a weight suspended in the air keeps its potential >>>>> energy? Makes a good battery, no?) >>>> Yes.... >>>> >>>> But now you have to design a mechanism to extract the energy that will >>>> work after 1000 years. >>>> >>>> Sylvia. >>> >>> Centuries-old weight-powered clocks still work. Surely we can do >>> better with modern materials. >>> >>> I don't think 1000 years is a long time for good materials. >> >> OK, you're just convincing me I should have said 10,000 years ;) >> >> Or indeed, the 48,000 years in the TV program. >> >> Though in Stargate Atlantis, they do have the advantage of using "naquita" >> (sp?) for their power source, which seems to be an element oddly >> overlooked in the periodic table. >> >> Sylvia. > >The "equipment" that is suppose to work after 10,000 or 48,000 years >is not well defined. Any suggestions on what such "equipment" should do? >If it must be a "computing" device of some sorts, what about using glass to >construct the following. >See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcDshWmhF4A > >As far as storing power is concerned, it will depend on the amount >of power. What about a CO2 canister. >The canister material might be a problem, but could be glass as well. > >If it just has to survive the 10,000/48,000 years to be operated by an >intelligent >being, the users' manual might be a bigger problem. What language should >we use or would pictorials on glass be the safest option? > >If the "equipment" has to start after 10,000/48,000 years without human >intervention, the actual challenge is building the 10 000/48,000 year timer. > >One solution is launching it on a 10,000/48,000 year orbit to re-enter >and get deployed on re-entering the atmosphere. If it just sits in orbit >around the earth for that period someone might fetch it and destroy the >'experiment', so what about launching it in a comet type orbit? >Anti-impact defences might just destroy our experiment in the year 12010. > >Lots of energy in the re-enter phase (if there is still an atmosphere) >Any suggestions on what type of energy the heat should the converted too. > >If humans have to operate it after 10,000 years, how can we attract >attention >to the "arrival" of the "equipment" (or is this a spy device that must >operate in the stealth mode ... collecting data for who :-). > >Haven't had a good look at http://www.longnow.org/ - might be interesting. > >Gerhard van den Berg >Meraka CSIR > As long as we're talking SF then might as well provide intelligent robotic maintainance.
From: WangoTango on 14 Jan 2010 17:54 In article <035f8778$0$1309$c3e8da3(a)news.astraweb.com>, adrian(a)qq.vv.net says... > Maybe you could ask how far in the future you have to go before your > 'device' becomes unrecognisable ? What are you talking about? I've watched TV and not only do those guys instantly recognize millennium old devices, they recognize millennium old ALIEN devices, and they all invariably function. I would be more interested in a power source that could just sit for that period of time and still be useable, especially those in all the neato hand held stuff they pick up and use. You just haven't been watching the right programs. ;)
From: John Larkin on 14 Jan 2010 18:18 On Thu, 14 Jan 2010 17:54:31 -0500, WangoTango <Asgard24(a)mindspring.com> wrote: >In article <035f8778$0$1309$c3e8da3(a)news.astraweb.com>, adrian(a)qq.vv.net >says... >> Maybe you could ask how far in the future you have to go before your >> 'device' becomes unrecognisable ? > >What are you talking about? >I've watched TV and not only do those guys instantly recognize >millennium old devices, they recognize millennium old ALIEN devices, and >they all invariably function. I would be more interested in a power >source that could just sit for that period of time and still be useable, >especially those in all the neato hand held stuff they pick up and use. >You just haven't been watching the right programs. ;) They can plug alien memory sticks into their computer and always read them instantly. Clearly the Enterprise computer doesn't run Windows. John
From: Jan Panteltje on 14 Jan 2010 18:33 On a sunny day (Thu, 14 Jan 2010 17:54:31 -0500) it happened WangoTango <Asgard24(a)mindspring.com> wrote in <MPG.25b96ab48fc5c5b698ae28(a)news.east.earthlink.net>: >In article <035f8778$0$1309$c3e8da3(a)news.astraweb.com>, adrian(a)qq.vv.net >says... >> Maybe you could ask how far in the future you have to go before your >> 'device' becomes unrecognisable ? > >What are you talking about? >I've watched TV and not only do those guys instantly recognize >millennium old devices, they recognize millennium old ALIEN devices, and >they all invariably function. I would be more interested in a power >source that could just sit for that period of time and still be useable, Solar.
From: Sylvia Else on 14 Jan 2010 19:14
Jan Panteltje wrote: > On a sunny day (Thu, 14 Jan 2010 17:54:31 -0500) it happened WangoTango > <Asgard24(a)mindspring.com> wrote in > <MPG.25b96ab48fc5c5b698ae28(a)news.east.earthlink.net>: > >> In article <035f8778$0$1309$c3e8da3(a)news.astraweb.com>, adrian(a)qq.vv.net >> says... >>> Maybe you could ask how far in the future you have to go before your >>> 'device' becomes unrecognisable ? >> What are you talking about? >> I've watched TV and not only do those guys instantly recognize >> millennium old devices, they recognize millennium old ALIEN devices, and >> they all invariably function. I would be more interested in a power >> source that could just sit for that period of time and still be useable, > > > Solar. The sun is unliklely to disappear over these sorts of timescales. But will the solar cell even still be exposed to it? We usually have to dig down into the ground to find prehistoric sites, even from a few thousand years ago. And if the cell manages to remain exposed - how many severe hailstorms do you get an a period of several thousand years? Even if you choose a place that's currently unlikely to get hailstorms, will that remain true for the next thousands of years? Sylvia. |