Re: [Leica] First contact

["kididdoc" <kididdoc@home.com>]

Brilliant and...right on the money....
- ----- Original Message -----
From: "imx" <imxputs@knoware.nl>
To: "LUG" <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
Sent: Sunday, February 11, 2001 5:25 AM
Subject: [Leica] First contact


> ģCaptain Picard! Long range sensors pick up signs of an unknown lifeform.ē
> ģBring us into orbit, Mr LaForgeē
> ģData, can you identify this lifeform?ē
> ģIt is a Borg-like collective, Sir. They are in constant mental contact
with
> each other and they share all their thoughts and emotions. They call
> themselves Luggers.ē
> ģLuddites, you mean, Mr Data?ē
>  ģIncorrect, Sir, They are Luggers!ē
> ģWhat are they doing? Can they de dangerous?ē
> ģI am not sure, but they seem to babble, Sir!ē
> ģBabble Mr. Data?ē
> ģYes Sir, they are communicating through a primitive technology about a
> large number of unrelated topics, that seem to repeat every 8 months, 3
> days, 6 hours and 13 seconds. They are a very closed society and do not
> assimilate knowledge from other cultures. In fact they refuse to accept
new
> knowledge and seem to internally generate their own concepts which they
> presumably value highly.ē
> ģYou mean Mr Data that we are dealing with a non-learning culture?ē
> ģEffectively, yes Sir. The repetitious nature of their conversation does
> indicate an unwillingness to expand their knowledge and experience.ē
> ģCan you identify a leader with whom we may discuss their situation. They
> may be in danger when they encounter the Borg.ē
> ģNo Sir, the Borg will only assimilate a culture when they can add to
their
> own knowledge. This culture does not offer the Borg anything they might
> need. There is no leader, either, Sir. Some individuals are more
expressive
> and express themselves more often, but they seem  not to be valued any
> higher than the others.ē
> ģIn fact a very democratic or even anarchical type of society. Can they
> evolve?ē
> ģ Hardly Sir, they lack the necessary tools and infrastructure to become a
> mature society. Nothing indicates they would prefer that.ē
> ģData, can you identify a pattern in their doings?ē
> ģDifficult to say, Sir. On the one hand they talk at length about weapon
> systems, idicating a violent nature, but on the other hand they indulge
> themselves in obsolete topics, that have lost meaning in our age.ē
> ģExample, Mr Data?ē
> ģAt this very moment they communicate about a topic called ģDOFē, that is
> part of applied geometrical optics, which has no meaning to us anymore, as
> we use fotons as the base for our imaging systems, and  we are in particle
> and electron optics. There is no consensus however, as they lack a common
> base of scientific knowledge and the structure of their debate is
> reminiscent of a fairy tale: full of surprising twists, but without any
> regard for facts. Based on my predictions, they will close the topic soon
> and start it again in 11 months, 12 days, 9 hours and 15 seconds with an
> error margin of 0.03 percent.ē
> ģWell Mr Data, will they survive?ē
> ģPositive, Sir, They have effective cloaking devices and shielded
themselves
> from outside sources by some peculiar human habitsē.
> ģYes Mr Data, I am familiar with these. So let us leave this sector.  Mr
> LaForge, warp 6.ē
> ģRed alert, red alert, the Luggers have infected our computer systems! We
> cannot leave. Abandon ship!ē
>
> Erwin
>