Michael Ragland  wrote or quoted:

> When you say brains the size of planets do you mean like an
> interconnected network of brains?

By "brain" I intend to refer to a large computing device.

A biological product whose main function is information processing - 
accepting input, processing it and producing output.

> What technology would be used to farm stars by making them deliberately 
> collide?

AIUI, the most obvious way of influencing the trajectories of masses
in space involves throwing smaller objects at them.  The trajectories
of smaller objects can be influenced more easily than larger ones -
and very small objects can be propelled by the use of parabolic
mirrors focussing sunlight onto their surfaces and evaporating off
material from their surfaces.

We know that small changes can subsequently produce large effects - so
it's quite possible that a small-but-well-timed nudge on a meteorite
could eventually cause two suns to pass close to one another - and rip 
great chunks of matter from each other.  The tricky bit would be getting
the timing right - of course.

Of course our descendants might well find other, better ways of doing 
things.

Who knows - maybe most observed supernovae are the result of
the activities of living organisms in shoving stars together ;-)
-- 
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