XPost: rec.arts.sf.tv, rec.arts.tv, rec.arts.sf.written   
   XPost: alt.humor.puns   
   From: pgalimatias@hotmail.com   
      
   In article ,   
   nemo@naughtylass.wet says...   
   >   
   >   
   >"Tim Bruening"  wrote in message   
   >news:4A541D02.EFDA9F42@pop.dcn.davis.ca.us...   
   >>   
   >>   
   >> pullo wrote:   
   >>   
   >> > "Tim Bruening"  wrote in message   
   >> > news:468FD4AB.70F3FF63@pop.dcn.davis.ca.us...   
   >> > >   
   >> > >   
   >> > > cloud dreamer wrote:   
   >> > >   
   >> > >> Tim Bruening wrote:   
   >> > >> >   
   >> > >> > Walter Bushell wrote:   
   >> > >> >   
   >> > >> >> In article ,   
   >> > >> >>  "Arthur Lipscomb"  wrote:   
   >> >   
   >> > >> >>> That reminds me of an old SNL sketch where a few dumb aliens come   
   >to   
   >> > >> >>> Earth   
   >> > >> >>> (in a stolen spaceship) and announce they are going to conquer   
   >the   
   >> > >> >>> planet.   
   >> > >> >>> They then show their advance alien weapons which consist of a   
   >single   
   >> > >> >>> shot   
   >> > >> >>> musket.  The military then shows them a machine gun in action and   
   >the   
   >> > >> >>> aliens   
   >> > >> >>> realize they've bit off more than they can chew.   
   >> > >> >> Turtledove "The Path Not Taken"   
   >> > >> >>   
   >> > >> >> The aliens come and attack the earth with black powder weapons.   
   >They   
   >> > >> >> get   
   >> > >> >> basically slaughtered. They have an interstellar drive, but   
   >otherwise   
   >> > >> >> low tech. At the end one of the few survivors says to another   
   >"What   
   >> > >> >> have   
   >> > >> >> we done."   
   >> > >> >   
   >> > >> > How did they developed an interstellar drive without also   
   >developing   
   >> > >> > weapons that   
   >> > >> > are more advanced than our weapons?   
   >> > >>   
   >> > >> They didn't develop a drive. They stole the spaceship.   
   >> > >   
   >> > > How was it that they had the technical expertise to operate the   
   >spaceship,   
   >> > > yet have   
   >> > > guns less advanced than those of Earth?   
   >> >   
   >> >  It wasn't meant to be taken that seriously. The story was more a bit of   
   >> > whimsy along the lines of: 'What if the technical kludge that permitted   
   >> > space travel was so simple that even a musket era technology could   
   >manage   
   >> > it.' It was just dumb luck that humans hadn't stumbled on it.   
   >> >   
   >> >  As for the general question from this and the Worldwar series [and   
   >others]   
   >> > of interstellar species who can't seem to win the land war against those   
   >> > pesky backward earthbound humans.. well.... can anyone else think of   
   >> > historic parallels where the high tech favourite lost to the low tech   
   >> > underdog?   
   >> >   
   >> >  Sure. I knew you could.   
   >>   
   >> Right now in Afghanistan?   
      
   A better example would be the Soviet Union in Afghanistan.   
      
   There is a classic SF story about Earth making contact with an   
   extraterestical civilization which is run by humans and speak English.   
   It seems that the aliens had landed on Earth during the Plantagenet   
   period. Argued with the locals and the locals, being skilled in hand to   
   hand combat, had overwhelmed the aliens and captured the spaceship.   
   Someone pushed a button, the doors closed and returned the ship to   
   the far away planet.  It took the several hundred years for the   
   humans to find their way back.   
      
      
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    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)