Re: Cannibalism (and yes it is on topic)

----- Original Message -----
From: Beth Fulton <beth.fulton@marine.csiro.au>
To: <gzg-l@CSUA.Berkeley.EDU>
Sent: Tuesday, June 27, 2000 3:30 AM
Subject: Re: Cannibalism (and yes it is on topic)

> G'day guys,
>
>  >And don't forget the laws of Thermodynamics.  Eating another ship
>  >would not be 100% efficient.  There would be some waste.  So, eating
>  >a mass 12 ship might only give you 6 mass toward a new ship.
>  >(I'm pulling numbers out to the air here, but you get the general
idea.)
>
> Actually it be closer to about 2-3 mass if they're anything like
> terrestrial life which only have efficiencies of about 20-25%.
>
> While I don't mind the principle of Imre's idea, I do think its more a
> strategic time-scale thing (so the only time you'd see it in a battle
would
> be if you stumbled across it mid process say). This is not only for
> ecological reasons (ingestion and breakdown on such grand scales isn't
> going to be fast), but also because I have a gut feeling

We're talking cannibalism and you have a "gut feeling?"  Anyone else
getting
a little worried about Beth's significant other?  ;-)

[I'd better skiddadle before the Narn Bat Squad makes an appearance]

Rob