Sooo. Ummm. Yeah. Maybe FTL won't be fiction within our lifetimes.
So not to put a damper on the festivities or anything, but maybe you might want to take a closer look at that article that you linked to. Sure the article starts out by putting a "just around the corner", "building one now" type spin on it, but if you actually read the article you will notice a few things:
C'mon, please assume I'm not a *complete* moron; I'm just an optimist
I read the article quite closely, and I know that they haven't built anything yet. I'm also well aware of the limitations you mentioned. However, if they show it's possible to warp space even in the small degree... who knows? That'll be revolutionary enough. Do that, and they'll get more funding than they know what to do with. Then, IF (yes, I know, huge if) it's possible in the first place, maybe they could actually create something within the next 100 or so years. Also, speaking of optimism, I also believe that our generation will be the first to achieve immortality, so my perception of lifetimes may be a *little* skewed
I never said anywhere it's definitely will happen, but if it pans out at these stages... who knows?
Also, on the xenophage discussion... less than 12 hours in and
On the flip side, fuck all the alien green babes you want since STD are improbably communicable.
Really guys? Reaally?! Man, every new technology really is used for sex in some way.