Newsgroups: comp.ai.alife
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From: hous0042@maroon.tc.umn.edu (Kevin C Houston)
Subject: Re: Amusing or useless...you decide
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Organization: University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
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Date: Sun, 11 Sep 1994 13:37:30 GMT
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In <34thjm$ktu@adam.cc.sunysb.edu> ilipsky@ic.sunysb.edu (Ian Lipsky) writes:


>      Well, to make a friend happy I am reading and posting on this
>news group. I have an interesting scenario.

>Lets suppose 'something' comes down to earth. And lets say this 'something'
>can communicate with us. That we assume it to be a thinking thing, much
>like our selves (assuming we think :}. But lets say that this 'thing'
>has no way of reproducing itself in whole or in part, and that when it
>finally runs out of juice (or whatever) it will, well, cease to function.
>(i dont think this is too far out a scenario, but i could be wrong)

>Now my question: For those of you who think reproduction a key requirment
>for life, would this thing be alive? And if not, then what would it be?

>Hmm, well, there's my post charles....have fun

>Ian

Just one question, where did it come from, that is who were it's parents.....
is it the first of it kind, or the last?  

If it arose from non-life (i.e. chemical soup or fog) how and why did it
develope communication?  if it had parents in some way, then it is a mule
(and I'm sure we can all agree that we've beaten that one to death and beyond)


gee, I guess that's really three questions....... oh well.
Kevin @UofMN (trying really hard to find the time to down-load tierra.

