[Open Post: See Below]
Consider this a sort of snipe hunt for possible unintended consequences.
WHAT IF…
You discovered a new particle/wavicle analogous to photons but propogated by “gravity waves” (go ahead, call this fictional particle a “graviton”) and
WHAT IF…
You discovered a way to “modulate” photons in interaction with these gravitons in such a way as to capture/release energy in ways hitherto unimagined and
WHAT IF…
You engineered a “black box” that could be manufactured cheaply and be used to power a home, a car, virtually anything that can be powered with electricity, very, very, VERY inexpensively.
In addition, you discover that, like radio waves, gravity waves can be used for instantaneous communication without any interference with current technology, and that your lil photon/graviton generator can also be built so that it can store and manipulate data…
What would you do?
It seems a simple question, and most folks’ first response would be simple, as well: Market the puppy and become wealthy beyond anyone’s wildest imaginings.
Now, before you respond, try to imagine the riipple effect of such devices freely released into society. Try to imagine the positive AND negative effects… and the effects of the postive and negative effects.
Go ahead and do try the lil thought experiment, and answer—eventually—in comments or a post of your own (link here, please so I can follow the imaginings, if you would). I have my own thoughts, but I’d like to reserve them so as not to influence yours any more than I already have.
(And yes, this lil thought experiment can be used as a meta-lesson applied to other things… )
Yep. This one is an Open Post. Link to this post and track back. See thr FAQ at OTA (CLICK the graphic in my left sidebar) for more info on Open Trackback Posts.
And see the other fine blogs offering linkfests at
Linkfest Haven.
Asking the impossible at Adam’s Blog
MY ANSWER: just shrug and eat more chocolate cuz we’re all gonna die. 😀
No, really, I’ll think about thinking about this…
…later… so weird… expect no less from you, dangit… brain hurts…
Gravitons and physics escape my feeble mind -but ego is another thing so I visited wikopedia and will respond with the proper link I have no idea what this all means!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graviton
I will venture that when they’re marketed the Japanese will make them cheaper!
TMH: “…so weird? expect no less from you…”
Well, of course; my middle name is Weird. (Or something starting that way… )
The unemployment lines would get a little long wouldn’t they?
Oh David, mebigh, I would na touch it wi a lang stik!!
You see, the rush to tap this resource for the cheap energy, with the added kicker of nailing middle east despots to their motionless wellhead rocker arms, would be devastating.
The abrupt drawdown of earth’s local gravitational field would doubtless result in an atmospheric scale boundary layer in the gravitational flux from the white matter in space. Thus the magnetic-gravity field linkage long predicted by General Theory will become terminally disrupted and north pole strength will decay. The positive feedback of increasing energy consumption finally collapses earth’s magnetic field completely as the planet surges on to pole reversal. At the null magnetic field state, linked actively then to a null gravitational field, things unattached to the earth will fly into space impelled by the energy surge of the collapsing fields.
Then we all exit the local system to provide organic matter as radiation degraded DNA to colonize new worlds with primordial seeds of life.
Yeh, DL, “gravitons” have been hypotheesized, but as yet no one has either discovered a “graviton” or managed any kind of measurable interaction with a “graviton”–as far as I know.
Bergbikr: Whoa, dude. Check your caffeine levels, wouldya? OTOH, ya think that’s how Panspermia came about? Betcha Fred Hoyle coulda had fun with that scenario…