Why do you want to be a NA'Vi on Pandora?

[SaphirJD]

Why i would be a Na'vi on Pandora... Hell.. The chance to explore, to see new places and wonders - and some new food stuff of course too

It would be a damn awesome Journey

[dstroudswan]

Originally Posted by Clarke

That really depends on what the procedure entails. If it constitutes, "grow an Avatar, mind-transfer the owner over," than I can't really see how that would require post-op care.

On the contrary, it would. First of all, it would require physiotherapy to facilitate the patient becoming accustomed to the new Avatar. However, in addition to this, diagnostic procedures would need to be performed to ensure success, and small glitches or problems previously overlooked might need to be fixed down the line.

[Aquaplant]

Originally Posted by dstroudswan

Hot showers: That's just silly - that is not a necessity. There's no reason why you can't bathe in a stream.

Flush toilets: I'll give you this one; this would be hard to give up. I wouldn't like living without them, but I could get over it.

I don't know about that one, water is quite cold in nature, especially in the winter, and that is when it's not frozen. Still, I don't really recall what was the ambient temperature of Pandora. Then again we are working with so many "ifs" here that I can't keep up.

As for flush toilets, those are probably the stupidest thing we've ever invented. We use perfectly good and clean drinking water for flushing toilets, and the amount we use is just ridonculous. Not to mention we have to clean that water afterwards... Sure it's "convenient", but it's really stupid no matter how you look at it. Now toilet paper is something that is quite useful, but those two things are not in any way dependant of one another.

[Moco Loco]

Though living in the wild (or close to it) on Pandora would be significantly easier going than living in the wild on Earth, that's not the type of life I've ever wanted to pursue. I'm afraid I'd get bored very quickly (within maybe two years).

[Tsyal Makto]

Originally Posted by dstroudswan

Antibiotics, yes. In fact, a lot of the antibiotics from modern medicine are derived from plants. But what about antivirals? It's really, really hard to kill a virus, and if it mutates, any previous immunity is gone. I'd think that would require artificial treatment...

Probably the same situation. If Eywa has the ability to manipulate the environment to create antibiotics, she probably has the ability to develop antivirals, as well. Probably even more efficiently than humans, because she is planet wide, and would be able to nearly instantaneously identify Patient Zero (as soon as they tsaheylu, or even by analyzing droppings), and can create an antigen as soon as the virus is detected. Or maybe not even that, she may just need to kill the Zero before spreading, or maybe manipulating the migratory patterns of animals to quarantine areas.

Eywa is extremely powerful like that.

I suppose that's true, but what if it was an accident that wasn't part of Eywa's plan? Or what's to say that modern medicine isn't part of her plan? That's definitely food for thought...

1. THat's kinda bordering on philosophy. All accidents are part of Eywa's plan, and if people wish to fully integrate into Na'vi society, that's something people would likely need to accept.

2. Maybe. But the fact that the Na'vi rejected these things when the humans brought them provides a precedent to how she may feel about them.

[Raiden]

Originally Posted by Sarah Noel

I'd also probably freak out with the first night I spent on Pandora, and spend hours stuck looking at tiny things like leaf venation, or the dots on my legs, or something.

This.

First thing I'd do is start lifting up stones to look for bugs, followed by dip-netting in ponds and streams for fish and things.

[Clarke]

Originally Posted by dstroudswan

On the contrary, it would. First of all, it would require physiotherapy to facilitate the patient becoming accustomed to the new Avatar. However, in addition to this, diagnostic procedures would need to be performed to ensure success, and small glitches or problems previously overlooked might need to be fixed down the line.

Jake seems fine enough after a few minutes.
...But now you've put me off with your mentioning of glitches in a mind transfer procedure.

Originally Posted by Tsyal Makto

2. Maybe. But the fact that the Na'vi rejected these things when the humans brought them provides a precedent to how she may feel about them.

Only if the Na'vi have interpreted Eywa's will perfectly and aren't inhibited by any cultural or religious memes. That's not a guarantee. (The fact that they have to "interpret" at all suggests a margin of error.)

[dstroudswan]

Originally Posted by Aquaplant

I don't know about that one, water is quite cold in nature, especially in the winter, and that is when it's not frozen. Still, I don't really recall what was the ambient temperature of Pandora. Then again we are working with so many "ifs" here that I can't keep up.

Either way, I'm sure the Na'vi have ways of keeping clean without showers - they don't seem dirty

Originally Posted by Aquaplant

We use perfectly good and clean drinking water for flushing toilets, and the amount we use is just ridonculous. Not to mention we have to clean that water afterwards.

...

Now toilet paper is something that is quite useful, but those two things are not in any way dependant of one another.

You have a very good point, and I'd tend to agree, actually. I didn't think of it that way before.

Originally Posted by Moco Loco

I'm afraid I'd get bored very quickly (within maybe two years).

Even with an iPad, the device that gets better with every app?

Originally Posted by Tsyal Makto

Probably the same situation. If Eywa has the ability to manipulate the environment to create antibiotics, she probably has the ability to develop antivirals, as well. ... Eywa is extremely powerful like that.

I would be seriously impressed if Eywa could respond fast enough to provide antivirals for every new strain as they arrived.

Originally Posted by Tsyal Makto

Maybe. But the fact that the Na'vi rejected these things when the humans brought them provides a precedent to how she may feel about them.

True, but that doesn't mean that the Na'vi we might meet in the future when space travel is more mature won't have subtle differences (or maybe even big differences) from those in Avatar.

Originally Posted by Clarke

But now you've put me off with your mentioning of glitches in a mind transfer procedure.

There will of course be glitches. Most of them, at least the serious ones, can be ironed out during simulations and experiments. However, in the first-in-man trial, there might be a few tiny things wrong, which can be fixed as we go. I'm sure it wouldn't be anything to be exceptionally worried about.

[Clarke]

Originally Posted by dstroudswan

Either way, I'm sure the Na'vi have ways of keeping clean without showers - they don't seem dirty

I did get involved in a more scathing discussion about Avatar a while ago, and they were wondering how the Na'vi don't have **** all over them.

Even with an iPad, the device that gets better with every app?

No Wi-Fi.

There will of course be glitches. Most of them, at least the serious ones, can be ironed out during simulations and experiments. However, in the first-in-man trial, there might be a few tiny things wrong, which can be fixed as we go. I'm sure it wouldn't be anything to be exceptionally worried about.

You're messing around with what makes me, "me!" I want you to get it right! (Though if you've cracked the neurology to do it at all, getting it right shouldn't be that hard.)

[dstroudswan]

Originally Posted by Clarke

I did get involved in a more scathing discussion about Avatar a while ago, and they were wondering how the Na'vi don't have **** all over them.

Could you post the link?

Originally Posted by Clarke

No Wi-Fi.

Unless you use a long-range Internet connection. Have you seen my post on that?

Originally Posted by Clarke

You're messing around with what makes me, "me!" I want you to get it right! (Though if you've cracked the neurology to do it at all, getting it right shouldn't be that hard.)

Again, we're not talking about major things. I meant minor things like a twitchy muscle in your hand, or something along those lines. But I'm sure it could be perfected after the first few procedures.

[Clarke]

Originally Posted by dstroudswan

Could you post the link?

I think it was in a email conversation, unfortunately. It was basically comparing the idea of dirt-covered medieval peasants to the Na'vi, and how nobody washed extensively, both because nobody had any concept of germ theory, and water was comparatively valuable.

Unless you use a long-range Internet connection. Have you seen my post on that?

Your 126,000,000,000ms latency might be a little bit of a problem, unless you can somehow connect a wireless transceiver into Eywa.

Again, we're not talking about major things. I meant minor things like a twitchy muscle in your hand, or something along those lines. But I'm sure it could be perfected after the first few procedures.

Ah, right.

[dstroudswan]

Originally Posted by Clarke

Your 126,000,000,000ms latency might be a little bit of a problem, unless you can somehow connect a wireless transceiver into Eywa.

Yep, it is a problem. However, what about quantum networking? Using physical properties derived from quantum mechanics, namely quantum entanglement, networking over long distances might be possible.

[Human No More]

Originally Posted by dstroudswan

On the contrary, it would. First of all, it would require physiotherapy to facilitate the patient becoming accustomed to the new Avatar. However, in addition to this, diagnostic procedures would need to be performed to ensure success, and small glitches or problems previously overlooked might need to be fixed down the line.

Nope. Nobody ever needed any of that
That's the entire reason avatars have 5 fingers and toes and a different muscle structure.

Originally Posted by Tsyal Makto

Probably the same situation. If Eywa has the ability to manipulate the environment to create antibiotics, she probably has the ability to develop antivirals, as well. Probably even more efficiently than humans, because she is planet wide, and would be able to nearly instantaneously identify Patient Zero (as soon as they tsaheylu, or even by analyzing droppings), and can create an antigen as soon as the virus is detected. Or maybe not even that, she may just need to kill the Zero before spreading, or maybe manipulating the migratory patterns of animals to quarantine areas.

No. It's not a 'plan' - there's no direct remote control of animals or something. Intervention in the case of some extreme circumstance, yes, but not micromanagement.

The Na'vi have a far more advanced immune system than humans, while most bacteria are mutualistic rather than pathogenic.

1. THat's kinda bordering on philosophy. All accidents are part of Eywa's plan, and if people wish to fully integrate into Na'vi society, that's something people would likely need to accept.

2. Maybe. But the fact that the Na'vi rejected these things when the humans brought them provides a precedent to how she may feel about them.

1. There's no 'plan'.
2. There's no need. It's nothing to do with humanity, any more than humans need help from aliens to reproduce or communicate .

Originally Posted by dstroudswan

Yep, it is a problem. However, what about quantum networking? Using physical properties derived from quantum mechanics, namely quantum entanglement, networking over long distances might be possible.

That's in the survival guide. The bitrate is low, but you can use delay tolerant networking to heave near-unlimited bandwidth with 4.4y latency isntead.

[Clarke]

Originally Posted by Human No More

Nope. Nobody ever needed any of that
That's the entire reason avatars have 5 fingers and toes and a different muscle structure.

(The genetic engineering involved in that is something else entirely. It'd probably be easier just to leave it to the brain's nueroplasticity to sort out. )

[Moco Loco]

Originally Posted by dstroudswan

Even with an iPad, the device that gets better with every app?

I absolutely wouldn't get bored if I didn't have to suffer the loss of all modern Earth technology and knowledge in general