Re: Ringworlds & Dyson Spheres

> Well, I can't answer the first part (which race).  However, I agree
> with the Mannster that it would take a lot of power to _build_ one
> of those things, but what about one occuring naturally?

Actually, it's occurred to me that building a ringworld is a waste of 
time and effort. Why not just terraform the planets you're destroying in 
the process of building the ringworld? Seems to me that the time and 
energy needs could be better used to terraform a whole buncha planets! 
Besides, what race would actually need all the space of a ringworld for 
their population? If they've got that much of a population explosion, 
they should have already figured out a cheap 'n easy way of terraforming. 
What do you think about *them* apples?

> a liveworld situated in an asteroid belt, which eventually takes over
> the entire belt, making a ring?

Ye Gods! That'd be one hell of an infinity vine!! But considering the 
distance between the rocks of an asteroid belt, that's gonna be a 
problem. Of course, if you've got the resources to build a ringworld, 
then it should be no problem for you to break up a coupla planets to fill 
out the gaps in the asteroid belt for the infinity vine.

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 Stephen Mann                                                    smann@??.com
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