The Ringworld Engineers (Ringworld, volume 2) by Larry Niven
The Ringworld is doomed! Doomed to subpar sequels!
Verily, in article <10o1hd1$h1i$1@reader2.panix.com>, did
jdnicoll@panix.com deliver unto us this message:
The Ringworld Engineers (Ringworld, volume 2) by Larry Niven
The Ringworld is doomed! Doomed to subpar sequels!
I recall enjoying that one, mostly for the mindblowing idea that we're >really the larval form of our species but the correct conditions for >metamorphosis don't exist on Earth. Turns out they do on the Ringworld, >naturally.
I also liked the idea of selecting over generations for unusually lucky >people.
In article <MPG.440e1a789a2c751e989aff@news.eternal-september.org>,
The True Melissa <thetruemelissa@gmail.com> wrote:
Verily, in article <10o1hd1$h1i$1@reader2.panix.com>, did >jdnicoll@panix.com deliver unto us this message:
The Ringworld Engineers (Ringworld, volume 2) by Larry Niven
The Ringworld is doomed! Doomed to subpar sequels!
I recall enjoying that one, mostly for the mindblowing idea that we're >really the larval form of our species but the correct conditions for >metamorphosis don't exist on Earth. Turns out they do on the Ringworld, >naturally.
I also liked the idea of selecting over generations for unusually lucky >people.
A certain plot development in Engineers suggests the Luck gene wasn't
that effective. Or if it was, it was Wu who had it.
We're all descendants of animals that survived at least five great extinctions so if there was a luck gene, it should have been spread
through the population.
The Space Skimmer had an amusing twist on this: the royal family
of Planet Twink are believed to have a luck gene but their luck
is actually the manifestation of the population's belief that
the royal family is lucky. So if the population gets it in their
heads a prince is unlucky....
Verily, in article <10o1lqa$nn$1@reader2.panix.com>, did
jdnicoll@panix.com deliver unto us this message:
In article <MPG.440e1a789a2c751e989aff@news.eternal-september.org>,
The True Melissa <thetruemelissa@gmail.com> wrote:
Verily, in article <10o1hd1$h1i$1@reader2.panix.com>, did
jdnicoll@panix.com deliver unto us this message:
The Ringworld Engineers (Ringworld, volume 2) by Larry Niven
The Ringworld is doomed! Doomed to subpar sequels!
I recall enjoying that one, mostly for the mindblowing idea that we're
really the larval form of our species but the correct conditions for
metamorphosis don't exist on Earth. Turns out they do on the Ringworld,
naturally.
I also liked the idea of selecting over generations for unusually lucky
people.
A certain plot development in Engineers suggests the Luck gene wasn't
that effective. Or if it was, it was Wu who had it.
That was her sad discovery, wasn't it? The luck, whatever it might
really be, had used her as a decoy to protect the other truly lucky
ones. I've forgotten the characters' names at this point, but you know
who I mean.
This implies that we are luckier to remain larval. I suppose that's true
as long as our society is based on and adapted for larvae. You'd think
the Ringworld would be a great place for a new society of final-form
humans, though.
We're all descendants of animals that survived at least five great
extinctions so if there was a luck gene, it should have been spread
through the population.
Perhaps it happened. We're all much more closely related than, say, >white-tailed deer, which have much more genetic variety. Only the lucky
ones survived the bottleneck events.
The Space Skimmer had an amusing twist on this: the royal family
of Planet Twink are believed to have a luck gene but their luck
is actually the manifestation of the population's belief that
the royal family is lucky. So if the population gets it in their
heads a prince is unlucky....
I haven't read that, but it sounds fun.
Verily, in article <10o1hd1$h1i$1@reader2.panix.com>, did
jdnicoll@panix.com deliver unto us this message:
The Ringworld Engineers (Ringworld, volume 2) by Larry Niven
The Ringworld is doomed! Doomed to subpar sequels!
I recall enjoying that one, mostly for the mindblowing idea that we're really the larval form of our species but the correct conditions for metamorphosis don't exist on Earth. Turns out they do on the Ringworld, naturally.
The True Melissa <thetruemelissa@gmail.com> schrieb:
Verily, in article <10o1hd1$h1i$1@reader2.panix.com>, did
jdnicoll@panix.com deliver unto us this message:
The Ringworld Engineers (Ringworld, volume 2) by Larry Niven
The Ringworld is doomed! Doomed to subpar sequels!
I recall enjoying that one, mostly for the mindblowing idea that we're
really the larval form of our species but the correct conditions for
metamorphosis don't exist on Earth. Turns out they do on the Ringworld,
naturally.
That originally came from "Protector".
The main problem with Ringworld was that a ring around a sun
is unstable, as some easy perturbation calculations will show.
A ring which does not revolve around a centrl object, like
Banks' orbitals, does not have that problem.
Another problem is the Ringworld material - it is so strong that
it should just have shrugged off the asteroroids smashing into it
from the outside.
I also liked the idea of selecting over generations for unusually
lucky people.
A certain plot development in Engineers suggests the Luck gene wasn't
that effective. Or if it was, it was Wu who had it.
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