Quote:
Originally Posted by nyrath
But not all readers. Under current circumstances, all FTL drives violate causality, which is why most physicists say they are impossible.
http://www.projectrho.com/rocket/roc...html#causality
The aphorism at rec.arts.sf.written goes "Causality, Relativity, FTL travel: chose any two." It is logically impossible to have all three, one of them has to go. (unless you want to open the squirming can of worms that is Causality Protection)
The hole will try and suck everything out, but it is not a black hole. All the loose papers and lightweight things will go into the hole, but nothing more massive
http://www.projectrho.com/rocket/rocket3g.html#meteors
Mythbusters did a related experiment on blowing a hole in an aircraft, and found that no, the passengers would not be forcibly extruded through the hole like a Play-dough Fun Factory.
And "forbidding weapons that can puncture the hull" still covers a lot of ground. Shotguns, frangible rounds and flechette weapons are all firearms that can kill people dead yet not harm the hull.
http://www.projectrho.com/rocket/rocket3l1.html
Otherwise I generally agree with your list. |
In reverse order, my concern was not banning weapons per se - I would imagine that there would be just as large an outcry as there would have been during any journey of exploration or journey to more violent cultures - just weapons that could directly damage the means of conveyance from Point A to Point B.
Until Mythbusters can prove it by testing it in the actual vacuum of outer space, I'll hold off on buying their proof. Besides, I like the conceit of holes blasted into hulls sucking out people.
No, I realize that for some readers of scifi every i has to be dotted, and every t crossed. But for someone like me who didn't major in quantum physics (or any other science) I really couldn't care less if FTL travel is impossible on any basis. I want a good story and if the author can give me an explanation of why it should work
in their storyline, then I'm going to accept it and not get hung up over the fact that it's not possible. Anyway, I tend to believe that all things are possible - we either just haven't figured out how to do it or our species hasn't evolved enough mentally to comprehend the means.
