I...I... don't even know what to say

[UnSub]

Tabula Rasa: is paying to send gamer DNA into space, still doesn't have official forums.

... we should consider getting in on the Operation Immortality survey though. Best song evah? Why "Barbie Girl" by Aqua, of course!

[Salamok]

Who the fuck wouldn't want to go to space? Garriott is crazy because he's managed to turn this desire into a stupid promotion too? Why? If someone comes up to me and says "Hey, do you want to go to space?" I'd respond will "hell yeah", even with the association with some insane promotion.

I don't know how he's organised things, but I assume that the costs are not cheap, so any attempt to squeeze more money out of Tabula Rasa at the same time makes sense.

he's pretty much admitted that it is going to cost him the bulk of his fortune, but WTF he already has the castle built.

[Rendakor]

... we should consider getting in on the Operation Immortality survey though. Best song evah? Why "Barbie Girl" by Aqua, of course!

in before rickroll

[apocrypha]

All the DNA in the world will not a person make.  It's a blueprint.  Without intimate working knowledge of all the associated machinery, the sequence is worthless.

This message brought to you by the science nerds of america.

Totally this ^^. Not to mention that even if, by some impossible Hollywood miracle, you could create a living creature from just it's DNA you'd have no clue whatsoever to the social environment in which it should live.

Richard fucking Dawkins has so much to answer for. Biological determinism is so firmly entrenched now that people actually believe that the Human Genome Project was a worthwhile way to spend billions of £$€.

[MahrinSkel]

Richard fucking Dawkins has so much to answer for. Biological determinism is so firmly entrenched now that people actually believe that the Human Genome Project was a worthwhile way to spend billions of £$€.

Not so much, no.  Although the evolutionary and neurological psychologists have exploded the "Blank Slate" theory into a million tiny pieces and taken most of traditional psychology and sociology with them, that doesn't mean we've reverted back to biological determinism.  Genes are not destiny, they are pre-disposition.  And you can't blame Dawkins that the experimental data from neuro-psych and genetic screening has shown that the Blank Slate was so much ideological twaddle.

--Dave

[Endie]

Well, thank God that at least Mr garriot has seen the Last Starfighter and heeded its message.

[apocrypha]

Not so much, no.  Although the evolutionary and neurological psychologists have exploded the "Blank Slate" theory into a million tiny pieces and taken most of traditional psychology and sociology with them, that doesn't mean we've reverted back to biological determinism.  Genes are not destiny, they are pre-disposition.  And you can't blame Dawkins that the experimental data from neuro-psych and genetic screening has shown that the Blank Slate was so much ideological twaddle.

--Dave

Well that's excellent if the determinism is being squashed, and to be fair I don't really blame Dawkins for it in the first place, it's just that he was the most visible public mouthpiece for that whole ideology for a long time, and it's most successful popular exponent of it. Also, when you say "we've" who do you mean really? Cos I don't think much of the establishment - particularly educational policy makers and huge swathes of the mainstream media - have abandoned determinism at all yet.

And, surely, back on track slightly, the whole notion of firing some DNA off into space has that kind of old school determinism firmly behind it? Apart from the obvious it's-just-stupid-publicity-from-a-lunatic angle of course :p

[K9]

Richard fucking Dawkins has so much to answer for. Biological determinism is so firmly entrenched now that people actually believe that the Human Genome Project was a worthwhile way to spend billions of £$€.

The human genome project was possibly the best investment humankind has made in the last hundred years. Although I think I'd agree with you to an extent that people have come to believe that genes are the sole root of many things. This is mainly because the principles of genetic inheritence and heritability haven't been well explained to the public, and often aren't well understood by the scientific establishment. It annoys me when the BBC or some other new source has a big headline outlining some new genetic cause of a human condition, as if it were the only cause.

[Rake]

The Bane are coming. It's the end of the world!

Quick get on board the second ship with all the games developers, sales and marketing and telephone sanitizers.

[Endie]

It's just a bit much to make it so restrictive like this: I remember when the Mars Explorer probe went off they sent your name on a CD or something for free.  I still have my certificate saying congratulations to Goatface Hepsibah Leperking III on my eternal monument on the red planet.  Obligatory "they could send the genomes of the entire TR player base on a couple of old vinyl 33s..." comment.

[Signe]

His dad probably helped him get this gig, no?  He was probably into space before he was into games.

[Salamok]

His dad probably helped him get this gig, no?  He was probably into space before he was into games.

no, I heard he is paying $30mil to hitch a ride with the russians.  Doesn't seem like much of a deal as I thought the standard spacefare for that was $20mil.  So either the ruskies are upcharging him for being him or they are upcharging him for that bottle of schilds sperm DNA he is carrying.

[schild]

$30M? Wut. Really. You know I probably read that some here. But given the disaster TR was, frankly, if I were him, I'd be ashamed and weep in a corner all day. But probably not, since I'd also be bugfuck crazy.

[Lantyssa]

I still not sure this could ever possibly "save humanity".

If this is what is needed to save humanity, we're not worth the effort of doing so.

[Grand Design]

In my mind, I fast forward ten thousand years to the space-monkey super race that humanity becomes and wonder if they will use that DNA to create a race of homo sapiens pets.  Thanks for enslaving humanity, Garriot.  Asswipe.

[CharlieMopps]

I've begun construction on my low orbit anti-satellite missile. I've got the propulsion and guidance systems done... I just need one of you guys to ride on the nose-cone and Corp-Por his ass when we get close.

[Sir T]

*Aliens Find DNA code*

"Imperious leader, how shall we create this being. we have the DNA, but what are the rest of the components?"

"Hang on theres something else coming in..."

*MMPORG Gamer recipe*

2% Muscle, mostly concentrated on finger muscles (all the better to forum spam about how great you are)
5% Bone
25% Arrogance (see also Thinly Hidden Inferiority Complex)
68% Lard

*moment of uncomfortable silence*

"Imperious leader. I have accidentally hit the delete key."

"Damn, how could you?"

"I don't know how I will be able to live with myself, master."

[Salamok]

they should just send uber baby's DNA that way if by some miracle the aliens do find it and by some other miracle actually can understand or clone it, then it will at least be awesome.

[Lucas]

Nothing to see here. Just wanted to check if my Jesus Garriott avatar worked.

[schild]

I'd pay to see him fight Raptor Jesus.

TWO CRAZIES ENTER, ONE CRAZY LEAVES.

[Tale]

Oh yeah anybody want a 5-day "try Tabula Rasa" key?

I resubscribed in a moment of boredom and can again invite 4 people to try the game. What I need is a PM with your email address (make sure it's the email address you're going to use for the trial subscription, so that when you sign up to send your DNA into space, I win free gaming time I'll never use).

[CharlieMopps]

In 50,000 years the aliens can rebuild you from your DNA to tell you "Sorry, Tabula Rasa still sucks."

[Bzalthek]

In 50,000 years the aliens can rebuild you from your DNA to tell you "Sorry, Tabula Rasa still sucks."

But WoW just released it's 4th expansion.