From: jdemers@desire.wright.edu
Newsgroups: alt.fan.furry
Subject: Re: Assorted Thoughts on a "Furry" World Setting
Date: 22 Nov 92 22:44:02 EST
Organization:  Wright State University 

In article <1992Nov22.184100.8929@iscsvax.uni.edu>, peacock5293@iscsvax.uni.edu (Greywolf) writes:
> In article <1992Nov22.114636.4544@netcom.com>, foxen@netcom.com (Foxen) writes:
>> peacock5293@iscsvax.uni.edu (Greywolf) writes:
>>>
>>>What's a "Tyrell" corporation?  (Is this a reference to some sf or fantasy book
>>>that I haven't read but just about everybody else has?)
>> 
>> The Tyrell Corporation is a corporation in the movie "Blade Runner" (based on
>> Phillip K. Dick's "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep").  They are the
>> creators of the "Replicants", or what amount to organic androids.  The
> 
> Thanks for the info. =)  Yes, I've seen the movie some time ago, but the name
> didn't stick in my mind.  I was somewhat confused by the movie, though, as to
> *how* replicants were created.  I sort of got the impression that they were
> assembled Frankenstein-monster-like, with all the body parts being constructed
> (grown?) separately.
> 
> That brings me into something else about synthetics, furries, etc., that has
> often been brought up in the email responses to my postings (or touched on):
> How would synthetics be *made*?  Could they reproduce?  Are they all "grown",
> and, if so, do they go through a normal childhood stage, or do they just pop
> out fully-grown mature adults?
> 
> For my personal preference (set in this hypothetical world-setting I was
> bouncing around an idea for) I would think that the critters would be grown in
> an artificial womb, but upon birth, they're raised from childhood on up.  I
> find it kind of hard to understand the concept of somehow magically being able
> to produce genetically engineered creatures who automatically have the full
> experience of what would take a human years to go through.  At least, I doubt
> I'd have that sort of tech capability in a setting I'd write.  (Maybe if your
> world is one of those cybertech societies where you can get skill chips to plug
> into your brain and such, it wouldn't be too far off.)

  Part of what blade runner was about was the faact that the 'Replicants'
didn't have any of the experiances that normals have becasuse they were
'decanted' fully grown.  Watch it near the end, Ruger Huars (sp?) charactor
goes into that in his final speech.
> 
> As for reproduction, I'd probably assume these synthetics (again for my
> setting) would be sterile.  Why?  Well...
> 
>   a) IMHO, it'd probably be hard enough to construct a genetically-engineered
>      creature with really strict guidelines.  Making it *also* able to
>      reproduce itself would be even *more* difficult.  From what little
>      knowledge I have of genetics (and it's *little*) I gather that significantly
>      splicing genes is likely to produce something that can't replicate its
>      own pattern.
>   b) If a synthie leaves your corporation, at least it won't be starting a
>      family elsewhere.  If you've got a really good "design", you would
>      still have the control over "production" of that "line" of synthie.
>   c) Your corporation doesn't have to pay for maternity leave.  Solved *that*
>      problem, huh?  (Well, maybe not. Somebody still has to care for the
>      littl'uns...)
> 
> -- 
> -Jordan            ..      PEACOCK5293@iscsvax.uni.edu
>                   .OO.     Jordan Peacock (Jordan Greywolf)
>                   O/\O     (New Address):  1610 Parker
>                    --                      Cedar Falls, IA  50613