Bob Schroeck Wrote:Given public demonstration may have been an English speaking fan, since he 'flies to Japan' for a con.Quote:I though That Con was in the northeast US somewhere.(checks fenwiki) You're right. I'm confusing two adjacent events:Quote:August 31, 2007: Nippon 2007 (Worldcon Yokohama) - The first public demonstration of the power of handwavium when an enterprising fan refits his car and flies to Japan for the con.But my point is that the first public demonstration of handwavium in action was in Japan. Given this, why'd they take so long to get into space?
Fall 2007: That Con - Enterprising idiot spikes the hospitality suite food with concentrated handwavium, causing unexpected biomods in the convention goers.
As for Asian interests, I could see them well looking at America's sabre rattling, while they quietly work on getting manufacturing capacity, assisted by 'waved tools and machines, that enables better electronic components to be made cheaply enough that Asian manufacturers take an interest in using those over terrestrial made components... and the American government gets a rude shock one day as they suddenly realize (say 2020s) that a sizeably minority, if not a slim majority, of electronics use components made in space with 'waved equipment.
The ripples as they have to struggle with new stringent testing requirements, or banning gear made with Fen parts, or just finally conceding that the barn door is well past the repair needs, would be amusing to watch.
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"You know how parents tell you everything's going to fine, but you know they're lying to make you feel better? Everything's going to be fine." - The Doctor