[H-GEN] RepRapping in Brisbane!

[Robert Brockway]

On Thu, 27 Mar 2008, Arjen Lentz wrote:

> For those of you who were interested in participating with building
> and exploring the RepRap (http://reprap.org), there's now a forum on
> the main RepRap site for the Brisbane activities. See http://forums.reprap.org/list.php?107
> The first msg there also reiterates the current objectives.
>
> If you (still) want to be involved, it'd be great if you could reply
> there (or directly to me) so we have a show of active hands.
> Please also note which things you'd be specifically interested in (or
> expert in).

I like the social aspect of this.  I think a lot of good can come from 
this.

OTOH the idea of self replicating machines concerns me.

Any possible safeguard put in place against uncontrolled exponential self 
replication is in principal subject to malfunction and failure.  The 
potentially exponential growth rate means that it only takes all the 
safeguards to simultaneously fail _once_ and you have a problem of 
monumental proportions.

Of course the work of RepRap isn't going to gobble the world any time soon 
but self replicating machines that are built 50 years hence may well be 
able to replicate themselves very quickly using the resources in their 
environment.

This is not a comment against RepRap since self replicating machines are 
coming one way or another.  The safest option (from a transparency POV) is 
for them to be implemented using open source principals so at least we 
have the best chance of spotting ways in which the safeguards may fail.

It's my view that given constantly improving efficiency in this area self 
replicating machines must eventually become a problem for civilisation.

Cheers,

Rob

-- 
"With sufficient thrust, pigs fly just fine..."
 	-- RFC 1925 "The Twelve Networking Truths"