Re: Colonizing the Galaxy in Eight Easy Steps

From: Immortalist (Reanimater_2000_at_yahoo.com)
Date: 06/11/04 

Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2004 09:44:25 -0700

"michael" <copsR@yourdoor.com> wrote in message
news:40c92921_1@news.iprimus.com.au...
> Yeah, reading futurists a decade or so down the track
> is usually pretty good for a laugh (how come I'm not
> wearing a silver jumpsuit, getting my meals from pills
> and holidaying on Mars?) but Savage's stuff is particularly
> funny for the contrast between the scope of his vision
> (1000 years) and how quickly it passed its use-by date
> (less than 10). Even Hitler's modernist vision of a
> 'thousand year reich' lasted longer than that.
>

Is he the guy that used to stand on the corner with the silver suit on? Wondered
where that guy went.

> I'd like to see some of the people who predict utopian
> technological futures a generation or so from now (never
> mind a millenia) begin by explaining how we are going
> to avoid the crunches in resources, social capital and
> ecology that are set to trash this civilisation by the middle
> of the century. Then maybe I'll be willing to take a peek
> through their rose coloured telescopes with anything
> other than cynical mirth.
>
> Savage's OTECs sound pretty damned dubious to me.
> Haven't bothered to do the math but my gut instinct tells
> me that the energy gained wouldn't exceed the cost of
> pumping the water up from the depths in the first place.
> In any case, in the absence of socioeconomic analysis
> its just another utopian fantasy solution to our energy
> problems in the tradition of nuclear power, fusion,
> solar energy, geothermal, wind turbines, tidal generators
> etc, etc, etc. None have been shown to be economically
> viable on a scale that might really deal with our civilisations
> addiction to cheap, portable, unsustainable energy and -
> more importantly - none of the futurists seem to feel the
> need to explain how decisionmaking powers are going
> to be wrest away from those with such a strong vested
> interest in our continued addiction until its too late anyway
> (e.g. the oilman cabal currently in control of the US empire).
>
> michael
>
>
>

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Colonizing the Galaxy in Eight Easy Steps
    ... reading futurists a decade or so down the track ... its just another utopian fantasy solution to our energy ... problems in the tradition of nuclear power, fusion, ... interest in our continued addiction until its too late anyway ...
    (sci.space.policy)
  • Re: SEEING THROUGH SILVER
    ... One antifreflected both sides of the film -- max energy in, ... | Still I would like to know the thickness of that silver, ... Aluminium goes toward white or ivory. ...
    (sci.physics)
  • Re: SEEING THROUGH SILVER
    ... One antifreflected both sides of the film -- max energy in, ... THEY DO NOT EVEN MENTION THE LAYER THICKNESS of the silver. ...
    (sci.physics)
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