30 Fairmont Park Lane S
Lethbridge, AB
T1K 7H7
Phone: (403) 328-1804
Thursday, July 15, 2004
The Editor
The Lethbridge Herald
P.O. Box 670
Lethbridge
AB, T1J 3Z7
Lilliputian Energy Needs
Dear Editor:
I was intrigued by Dr. Suzuki’s column of Sunday, July 12.
One analogy he made was puzzling. He asked us to consider the immense progress that has been made in computers over the past 20 years. He then laments that progress has not been made in the automobile and electrical power industries, implying that similar efficiency gains should be expected.
Engineers have immensely improved the efficiency of computers. This is due to unrelenting effort to make computer components smaller and less expensive. I could not understand Dr. Suzuki’s correlation of computers with cars and electrical power production as these industries are constrained by their sizing for human needs. I went to the Internet seeking background information on the origin of Dr Suzuki’s comparison. I found that his technical expertise is in the field of genetics.
Eureka! I’m guessing Dr. Suzuki has in mind the development of toy, or perhaps even teacup, sized humans. Reducing human stature by one tenth has tremendous implications. A one hundred square foot house would seem like a palace. Planes, trains and automobiles could be miniaturized accordingly. Our individual weight and energy use would be reduced by a scale factor of about 1000 with a concomitant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
There will be detractors. Some object to genetic engineering. Economists will surely propose the benefits of micro-humans would be countered in the macro-world by their fecundity.
I am grateful to Dr. Suzuki for bringing this concept to my attention. More discussion can be found at http://www.halfbakery.com/idea/tiny_20humans.
Yours truly,
Duane Pendergast