Hi all, have been off list while working in Jamaica so if someone else
has 
posted this - sorry.

New Scientist reports on a theoretically not impossible way of pushing a

space craft FTL.
If negative energy is created the spacecraft is enclosed in a 'horizon' 
bubble which warps space, compressing it in front and expanding it
behind. 
This evades the light barrier
In such a bubble there are a few drawbacks as the horizon runs through
the 
bubble
1) you can't navigate as the direction could only be changed from the
outside.
2) you can't communicate/fire as released radiation etc compresses in
the 
front of the bubble at a point where physics breaks down (and will 
presumably be released in one go when you turn off the drive.
Still it gives a possible 'jump-drive' in straight lines from point to
point.

A last contribution to the FTL communication discussion. Plotwise, one 
needs FTL communication not to work. The reseaon that the Spanish main
was 
so exciting (from a safe historical distance) and that there was 'no
peace 
beyond the line' was that governments in Europe had little idea what was

going on in the West Indies. You sent your guys off in boats and every
so 
often a picket cam back and gave you the Admiral's version of events 
(Spanish treasure ships wantonly attacked us and we were forced to
defend 
ourselves - by the way Sire your 40% share is in the hold....)

John

Dr PJD Lambshead
Head, Nematode Research Group
Department of Zoology
The Natural History Museum
London SW7 5BD, UK.
Tel +44 (0)20 7942 5032
Fax +44 (0)20 7942 5433
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/zoology/home/lambshead.htm
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/zoology/nematode/index.html

What a wonderful thing is the cat! on making it God said "That's that!
Supurrnatural selection has brought us purrfection -
which is a great relief to Me after My earlier mistake with the nematode
worm
(Rowena Sommerville)