#265: Non-Interference Part II, Chris Hardwick

[Phil]

(sigh). Well, wikipedia is certainly not always right, but it makes this statement which contradicts my point above. Gods damnit!

By the time of the era of Star Trek: The Next Generation, the Prime Directive was indicated to apply not only to just pre-warp civilizations, but to any culture with whom Starfleet comes into contact. In such situations, the Prime Directive forbids any involvement with a civilization without the expressed consent or invitation of the lawful leaders of that society, and absolutely forbids any involvement whatsoever in the internal politics of a civilization. This understanding of the Prime Directive resembles the concept of Westphalian sovereignty in political science.

Sounds like Audra wrote that entry…

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[CardinalFang]

Since the Star Trek replicator came up…

1. Invention of the replicator would make patent law enforcement reeeeeeaaally difficult.

2. Could one use a replicator to create a replicator?

Would this cause some kind of paradox, kind of like the black hole created by deleting the Recycle Bin from the desktop of your Microsoft Windows ™ computer?

[ThotFullGuy]

Sounds like Audra wrote that entry…

Indeed. But it makes me think I should beam down off my high horse about my strict definition of the Prime Directive.

Since the Star Trek replicator came up…

1. Invention of the replicator would make patent law enforcement reeeeeeaaally difficult.

2. Could one use a replicator to create a replicator?

Would this cause some kind of paradox, kind of like the black hole created by deleting the Recycle Bin from the desktop of your Microsoft Windows ™ computer?

Funny, I was just thinking about the replicator. Someone was talking about gold and diamonds and how they’re so valuable.

I was thinking, no wonder there’s no need for money in the future. If you can create gold or anything —there’s no scarcity of anything. (But of course you’d need replicator technology).

All that said, it depends on how a replicator works. If I replicator can actually change one chemical element like lead into another like gold, now you’re talking.

But perhaps a replicator just works with a set amount of elements and recombines stuff to make different things.

[Pike]

Since the Star Trek replicator came up…

1. Invention of the replicator would make patent law enforcement reeeeeeaaally difficult.

2. Could one use a replicator to create a replicator?

This is actually coming up now, with the advent of 3D printers (printers that make three dimensional objects.)

1. Yep. The law is ill-suited for technological change. (And patent law is ill-concieved to begin with.)

2. Close to it. I don’t think any of the 3D printers can fabricate entire copies of themselves, but they can do the bulk of it.

[Starsaber]

2. Could one use a replicator to create a replicator?

Would this cause some kind of paradox, kind of like the black hole created by deleting the Recycle Bin from the desktop of your Microsoft Windows ™ computer?

Some assembly required. There’d be no way to fit a full sized replicator in a full sized replicator. I seem to remember reading or hearing something about industrial replicators, which I assume would be larger and could be used to produce standard replicators.

[sumik]

Well, I’m in the midst of listening to the podcast (just in time for the next one!) and I had to drop in to say that I am so excited about Game of Thrones AND A Dance with Dragons - I cannot stand it.

The clips have looked so good. Go to youtube and google the Maester’s Path Reward to see the clips that you “won” when you solved the Maester’s Path puzzles. Two of my favorite scenes from the first book were rewards. (Or is you’d rather do the puzzle - go to The Maester’s Path and figure them out. I admit that I suck at puzzles and needed lots of help from the ASOIAF forum and from Winter-is-Coming.

And shortly after the season finale of Game of Thrones: A Dance With Dragons is scheduled to come out.

[Pike]

The clips have looked so good. Go to youtube and google the Maester’s Path Reward to see the clips that you “won” when you solved the Maester’s Path puzzles. Two of my favorite scenes from the first book were rewards. (Or is you’d rather do the puzzle - go to The Maester’s Path and figure them out. I admit that I suck at puzzles and needed lots of help from the ASOIAF forum and from Winter-is-Coming.

We’ve been posting them and others in the Game of Thrones (HBO) thread. (And they are indeed promising.)

[Casilda]

Indeed. But it makes me think I should beam down off my high horse about my strict definition of the Prime Directive.

Thot, I love your metaphors here.

Funny, I was just thinking about the replicator. Someone was talking about gold and diamonds and how they’re so valuable.

I was thinking, no wonder there’s no need for money in the future. If you can create gold or anything —there’s no scarcity of anything. (But of course you’d need replicator technology).

All that said, it depends on how a replicator works. If I replicator can actually change one chemical element like lead into another like gold, now you’re talking.

But perhaps a replicator just works with a set amount of elements and recombines stuff to make different things.

What I’ve been thinking about re: replicator is where it gets its energy from - is it creating something out of nothing? Is the energy imput equal to what you get, or do you have to put in extra? And how would you generate that energy…

[BishopMontanha]

Well I think you have to tell it what the thing is that you’re trying to combine in the replicator - you have to tell it the parameters, I would also think that they would hard code that no weapons could be made - It probably has a list stored somewhere.

As for the energy, I would imagine that it would be really small considering the energy output for warp drive, teleporters in comparison.

Also I checked out the nerdist podcast - very funny

[5thHorseman]

It’s been a while, but I seem to recall that in Voyager, the replicator wasn’t being used because they were trying to conserve power (which is why Neelix came along. He could cook). During this time, they ran, with seemingly no issues:

The Holodeck.
The Doctor.
The transporters.
The warp engines.

So, I suspect it breaks apart atoms and recombines them. That would be pretty energy-intensive, and is the only thing I think of as being on-par with the transporters. Obviously, the transporters are a bit more mission critical than “tea, Earl Grey, hot” would be.

I don’t think it creates matter from energy. Considering they convert matter TO energy to run the engines, they’d need to put as much matter/antimatter into the engines as they pull out of the replicator, plus a bit for entropy. For that large a crew, that’d be a lot of antimatter.

[Starsaber]

It’s been a while, but I seem to recall that in Voyager, the replicator wasn’t being used because they were trying to conserve power (which is why Neelix came along. He could cook). During this time, they ran, with seemingly no issues:

The Holodeck.
The Doctor.
The transporters.
The warp engines.

So, I suspect it breaks apart atoms and recombines them. That would be pretty energy-intensive, and is the only thing I think of as being on-par with the transporters. Obviously, the transporters are a bit more mission critical than “tea, Earl Grey, hot” would be.

I don’t think it creates matter from energy. Considering they convert matter TO energy to run the engines, they’d need to put as much matter/antimatter into the engines as they pull out of the replicator, plus a bit for entropy. For that large a crew, that’d be a lot of antimatter.

I think they said the power used by the holodeck was incompatible with their other systems. Doesn’t make any sense, but there you go.

[Pike]

I think they said the power used by the holodeck was incompatible with their other systems. Doesn’t make any sense, but there you go.

That’s how Japan works…

[kantia8]

Just listening to the Podcast while doing housework, and the interview with the Nerdist is great, so getting a couple of his Podcasts. They have one with Jon Oliver who is my favorite comedian. Thanks. Looks like some great discussion on the Star Trek Episode.

[Jonesy]

I was happy to see Chris as guest. I’m a big fan of his Nerdist podcast. To have two of my favorite podcasts come together in nerdy harmony was so very nice. I finished listening to it while running today and had a big smile on my face.

Thanks Audra (ladies first), Sean, and Chuck for such a wonderful guest and podcast. Please try to get Chris on again!

[The_Operator]

In the Pale Moonlight is one of the many reasons DS9 is my favorite Trek series. (Need an arc pleasepleaseplease). Frakkin brilliant episode…

Audrapedia = WIN

[Battlestar_Gigzlacti]

ST Enterprise “The Communicator” Nice call back to the ep of TOS when McCoy left his communicator behind on a planet by mistake. Archer goes out of his way to recover the a lost communicator. T’Pol is impressed with Archers willingness to risk his life to do so.
http://www.startrek.com/database_article/communicator-the

I too was going to mention this episode. I thought it showed a great example of how important it was to maintain a sense of non-interference because of how even an accidental thing like leaving technology, regardless of what kind of technology, behind can have damaging results. This episode (if I remember correctly, it has been a while since I’ve seen it) had a communicator left behind and found by one group of the native population who believed a faction they were at war with was developing more advanced weaponry, which would have prompted further escalation back and forth.

[Battlestar_Gigzlacti]

Indeed. But it makes me think I should beam down off my high horse about my strict definition of the Prime Directive.

Funny, I was just thinking about the replicator. Someone was talking about gold and diamonds and how they’re so valuable.

I was thinking, no wonder there’s no need for money in the future. If you can create gold or anything —there’s no scarcity of anything. (But of course you’d need replicator technology).

All that said, it depends on how a replicator works. If I replicator can actually change one chemical element like lead into another like gold, now you’re talking.

But perhaps a replicator just works with a set amount of elements and recombines stuff to make different things.

That is why Latinum is used as the primary currency outside the Federation… it has some property which makes it impossible to replicate. Gold is no longer of any monetary value because you can make it with a replicator.

[Starbuccaneer]

I was happy to see Chris as guest. I’m a big fan of his Nerdist podcast. To have two of my favorite podcasts come together in nerdy harmony was so very nice. I finished listening to it while running today and had a big smile on my face.

Thanks Audra (ladies first), Sean, and Chuck for such a wonderful guest and podcast. Please try to get Chris on again!

Welcome, Jonesy! “Nerdy harmony” is the exact right phrase for the last cast.

[commander515]

Holy spacecrap, I totally missed this one! How did I miss this one? How is it that I hadn’t realized that you guys had interviewed Chris freaking Hardwick at any point in time? I must’ve skimmed past this one in the listings before, but somehow it completely flew under my DRADIS. I’ve been listening to Nerdist podcasts non-stop for the past year AND read his book, and he is literally my biggest personal real-life hero ever.