Dysonsphere

[Manji]

Okay, I came upon this quite accidentally. I'm not a very scientific guy, but it was a good theory.
A Dysonsphere is a sphere that enveleopes an entire solar system (Think DeathStar times one Billion and minus the giant Beam of 'Screw you') It's a very interesting concept.
Ironically, I found it while surfing through the archives of Schlock Mercenary. http://www.schlockmercenary.com/d/20021129.html

It gave me a scary idea, though. What if all the universe was a science experiment of sorts, created in a massive Dysonsphere by a higher power or being?
Nothing scientific, just one of those interesting "What ifs. . . "

[MainComputer]

Innocently, you've just identified one of the main subjects of the story I'm attempting to write. For me, the big question is "what would happen if we all found out?"

Curiously enough, my Physics teacher was called Dyson.

[MrB]

Even more strange is that I own a Dyson vacuum cleaner....spooky, and at the same time calming, to know that the cleanliness of my carpet is fundamentally based on the possibility of galactic conspiracy theories, probably written by the same chap who made my vacuum cleaner !!!

Mr Dyson well known for his Astronomical protestations and his penchant for small household cleaning utensils...

... where am I going with this ??!?!?!?

[Neurolanis]

Very interesting subject!! Indeed, what would happen if that were true and if we found out?! I bet, for one, we'd be trying to gain control over the contol or creation of the Universe (judging how humanity thinks.)

[SpookyKatie]

Yes a very interesting subject I agree.
Then we are our on version of the Trueman Show only things would be a whole lot Scary! What would happen if they found out that we knew? Wow.

[MrB]

I'm still quite keen to discuss the possibility of a Truman-esque universe held within the confines of a bagless vacuum cleaner...

[Valen]

Season five of Star Trek, The Next Generation had an episode dealing with a Dyson Sphere... see link...

http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/series/TNG/episode/68566.html

It's a very intriguing idea. The technology, not to mention the raw materials, required is beyond imagination. I would be interested in knowing what the main gains in creating such a structure would be. Also... how would removing the outside influences of surronding systems, by enclosing yourself in a Dyson, effect the stability of your own system?

[Asp]

Although they probably weren't Dysonspheres in the strictest sense, David Brin had a story in which solar systems were surrounded by crystal spheres which couldn't be "broken" from the outside. They could however be broken from the inside. Thus space faring species couldn't disrupt the development of systems which hadn't yet been able to break their spheres.

I think this is an interesting idea considering his work which dealt with space faring species uplifting (and enslaving) other species in his other works.

I believe he also had enclosed systems in his later uplift series books.

[Forever Zero]

Look into a sci-fi book called "Ringworld". Its an interesting novel that deals with a "dyson ring" rather than a sphere (think Halo), so I figured it would be relevant here.