X-Message-Number: 32962
Date: Wed, 20 Oct 2010 07:44:42 -0700
Subject: In an alternate universe. . .
From: MARK PLUS <>

Suppose someone published a description of the laser as a theoretical
possibility in 1960, but nobody could build one despite all the
impressive calculations and illustrations. What would we think of the
laser idea if, 50 years later, we still didn't have lasers, but we had
"laserololgists" who referred to the original text as something like
scripture, wrote and talked about all the marvelous things they
thought lasers could do if we could build them, held conferences on
dealing with the social impact of lasers' arrival, warned the U.S. not
to fall behind other countries' laser programs, solicited grants for
more theoretical studies of "laserology," etc?

A rational person who witnessed such a circus in 2010 would dismiss
lasers as a fantasy and an exercise in rent-seeking, most likely.

-- 
Mark Plus
Life is short: Freeze hard!

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