This morning I have seen a grey squirrel, a fox, and a new neighbourhood cat.
This morning’s question: why fill a galaxy with self-reproducing probes? The answer, in a perhaps surprisingly reflective and personal article, is, broadly, “why not,” but comes with awareness and angles. Also, this lovely idea:
Freitas had originally come up with a self-reproducing probe concept at the macro-scale called REPRO, but went on to delve into the implications of nano-technology. He made Matloff’s point in our discussion: If probe technologies operate at this scale, the surface of planet Earth itself could be home to an observing network about which we would have no awareness.
At which point, you enter the Phildickian space and start wondering exactly why that cat was sitting there and what the hell it wants. The author KW Jeter, from that link:
“I would define ‘phildickians’ as the descriptive modifier for all situations and events characterized by an extreme difficulty in determining what reality is. Or to put it another way, if you’re having a hard time deciding whether you’re actually talking to your best friend or a giant bug from the Proxima system wearing a mask of your best friend – you’re having a phildickians moment.”
Phildickian is derived from the author Philip K Dick, who once wrote a book where most real animals had died off and people bought robot replicas as pets. They alluded to that when the book was adapted as the film BLADE RUNNER, though the title “Blade Runner” was bought from William S Burroughs, as it was the title of his novella that started out as a film adaptation of the Alan Nourse novel THE BLADERUNNER. Nourse was a well known American sf writer in the mid-20th Century, and Robert Heinlein’s…. difficult novel FARNHAM’S FREEHOLD is dedicated to him. As ugly and stupid as that novel is, it’s one of the books that put enough money in Heinlein’s pocket that, when Philip K Dick ran into hard times — Heinlein bailed him out.
Of course, there’s a fair chance Dick thought the cheque came from a giant bug from the Proxima system – or, in fact, an alien space probe — but it didn’t bounce, so what the hell…