[UA] The Metal Eaters (was Steampunk)

[Royal Minister of Stuff]

--- Cassady Toles <Con_Job at excite.com> wrote:
> On Sun, 22 Jul 2001 10:33:54 -0700 (PDT),
> ua at lists.uchicago.edu wrote:
>   > It depends, of course, on how long it takes the
>   > gadget to duplicate.  If
>   > it's eight hours, that's a lot less menacing. 
> It's
>   > still an item with
>   > tremendous potential for harm though.
>   
>   You bet your butt it is.  If you catch it within
> 24
>   hours, you might be able to contain the situation
>   (assuming you can find the three other "lonely
>   lunchboxes.")  
> 
> But at the end of one day there aren't three.  There
> are eight
> 
> after eight hours 2
> after sixteen hours 4
> after twenty four 8.

Whoops.  You're right.  I was thinking one thing and
saying the other.  After a day (16 hours) there would
be the original plus three other Lonely Lunchboxes ( I
just like that name. )

Of course, an interesting variant would be if the
lunchbox couldn't reproduce perfectly.  Like the NG
tape, each later one would be an imperfect copy of a
copy made by a copy.  That situation would work to
explain the weird reproducing cars idea.

=====
-- Rp Bowman, Royal Minister of Stuff
The Electronic Nation of Yokeltania:
http://www.geocities.com/yokeltania/

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