07-29-2014, 11:36 AM
I don't know that you could cool dysons that far, but a Matrioshka brain could probably do it. If the radiation is diffuse enough that it blends into the CMBR, then you're good to go.
As far as how they would be classified - I would suggest that the energy emission classification is but one of several such systems in play in the setting for rapidly categorizing a civilization and giving a reader an idea of its characteristics. Carl Sagan discussed this in his book The Cosmic Connection, where he talked about both Kardashev energy levels, but also the amount of information would characterize a civilization, from the level of 20 questions (a Type A civ), to a civ of a million galaxies all operating as a cohesive civilization (Type Z - and impossible according to Sagan due to lightspeed limits - without wormholes). He also had a passing mention of something like this in the Cosmos episode/chapter titled Encyclopedia Galactica when describing the different civs shown in that episode.
I would imagine that Terragen civ has a variety of classification systems that, taken together, provide a reasonable snapshot description of a given civilization and its characteristics. It's energy emission level would only be one part of that.
Todd
As far as how they would be classified - I would suggest that the energy emission classification is but one of several such systems in play in the setting for rapidly categorizing a civilization and giving a reader an idea of its characteristics. Carl Sagan discussed this in his book The Cosmic Connection, where he talked about both Kardashev energy levels, but also the amount of information would characterize a civilization, from the level of 20 questions (a Type A civ), to a civ of a million galaxies all operating as a cohesive civilization (Type Z - and impossible according to Sagan due to lightspeed limits - without wormholes). He also had a passing mention of something like this in the Cosmos episode/chapter titled Encyclopedia Galactica when describing the different civs shown in that episode.
I would imagine that Terragen civ has a variety of classification systems that, taken together, provide a reasonable snapshot description of a given civilization and its characteristics. It's energy emission level would only be one part of that.
Todd