How to get to 10 trillion people in this solar system?

Doug,

I agree, relying on a single method for any kind of critical system would be
a fatal mistake but having said that I think that the definition of
biological systems may need a change. The future will (just my opinion) see
a blurring of the distinction between a machine and a biological. I can see
a time, not too far off, when we *grow* our machines, when they are part
mechanical and part biological. That being the case the mix of bio and
mechanical and chemical system could be one machine. Still I think that
having a number of different types of machine would only be prudent. The
potato famine that devastated Ireland in the 1840's was possible because the
crop was almost a monoculture and that is always a crazy thing to do in an
open system. In a habitat you would not be talking about an open system,
having a monoculture without using any kind of pesticide would be possible
because you could have a closed system were only the biological you want
would be allowed into the crop, you could even go to clean room protocols if
needed. This would be used to keep your biological based life-support
systems in good order, coupled with close monitoring of mutation levels and
the health of the plants/bacterium/plankton/pond scum or what ever you are
using plus the slow/delayed response to a break down due to the size of the
system gives you a good chance of fixing any problems in good order, not
that this means you don't need backups.

FEMA? That's your (I'm assuming you are American) disaster response agency,
isn't it? I live in Australia, we have a different set-up.

Darren

On 11/6/06 1:39 AM, "Douglas May" wrote: