[Jawbone54]

Finally broke down and officially started my collection. I've bought TNG: Season One as of last week. I'm almost done with it, and now I'm looking into getting Season Two. Amazon has them for $50 a piece.

[The Godfather]

Another recommended content: Robotech Episode 2

[Kerrigan]

SWG, for the sake of discussion, what is your main objection to the "copy-delete-paste" style of teleporting?

Because it destroys "you"?

This objection essentially assumes that there is such a thing as the "self". And this can lead to an interesting discussion.

For instance, let's suppose that this is far in the future and that all sorts of advanced technology exists. Now, what if they took your brain (where the "self" exists) and teleported and destroyed part of. For instance, half of the frontal lobe. Now "you" are severely retarded because part of your brain is destroyed and it's been copied and exists in some other place with no connection to you, but "you" still exist.

Now suppose that the teleported copy of that piece of your brain is brought back and doctors connect it back to the rest of your brain. Your "self" is back to normal; you have your cognitive abilities back, all your memories, etc. You are the same old you, right?

Now suppose this is done piece by piece, little bits taken out, but then exact copies put right back in. Like modern brain surgery, you are conscious while it happens, you never lose consciousness. But by the end of it, your original brain is completely discarded, and your new brain nothing but a copy. And yet, theoretically, you are the same person, with an uninterrupted experience of consciousness and life.

So if that is possible, then there should be no difference if you do it all at once, and just destroy your current body and brain and recreate it someone else.

If you accept this hypothetical, then you can infer from it that the "self" isn't really anything at all, just a chemical trick being played by the brain.

It is a very disagreeable thought, but seeing as how science and society are moving towards a state of disbelief in the "soul", people in the future may be so disenchanted that they have no hesitations about destroying their bodies and minds.

[nonhuman]

Originally Posted by osiris

I wish I could answer that... so that a pebble or a grain of sand could be discernible from the transportee, otherwise you'd end up beaming a planet.

All I can imagine is that DNA would be required to match what is being sent to where, and on the return (without a platform) only the known DNA would be transported.

Wormholes open up a whole new can of worms. (sorry)
Humans might be crushed by the intense G forces?... I have no idea.

I suspect that Star Trek-style transporting, where you only need a transporter pad at one end (or none, in some cases) will never be an actual reality; we'll probably need a pad at both ends, which is, in many ways, a good thing as it will prevent transporters from being used for things like bank robberies and military invasions. It also means we won't ever be able to just beam down to the surface of a new plant until we first send some sort of landing vehicle with a transporter pad.

This technology would still, however, be incredibly useful and would completely revolutionize human society.

[nonhuman]

Originally Posted by Jawbone54

Finally broke down and officially started my collection. I've bought TNG: Season One as of last week. I'm almost done with it, and now I'm looking into getting Season Two. Amazon has them for $50 a piece.

Season 1? Ewwww....

Season 2? Ewwww....

Dr. Polanski? Why?!?

Just start with season 3.

[Dark Helmet]

Originally Posted by nonhuman

Season 1? Ewwww....

Season 2? Ewwww....

Dr. Polanski? Why?!?

Just start with season 3.

Sadly he is right. The first season is super bad, second is so so, third and onward is where it is at.

[Dakar]

Thirdededed

[Severed Hand of Skywalker]

Howstuffworks "How Teleportation Will Work"