2011-06-27, 13:03 | Link #23 |
廉頗
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Massachusetts
Age: 34
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In terms of overpopulation, there may be a frightening (temporary) 'solution' of sorts. With micro-organisms evolving at their rapid pace, they've already begun to circumvent our treatments (ie. antibiotics). Who's to say that some hyper-resistant to treatment plague doesn't evolve in the near future? With population at its greatest density in history, and everyday travel occurring on a global scale, we're actually the most vulnerable of any point in history for a worldwide plague.
Though it's interesting; while I do think it's theoretically possible to gain resources from space or deep-earth, it is true that massive tragedies have historically led to renewal of cultures (or, if too severe, their destruction). Consider the black death and the profound impact it had on European history. Feudalism's demise was quickened if not partially caused by the destruction. Further, in evolutionary history global disasters have led to so much devastation and extinction, yet without these catastrophes we would never have evolved in the first place. So while we certainly wouldn't hope for some worldwide Armageddon, whether it be biological or otherwise, the long-term effects sometimes are positive. |
2011-06-27, 13:05 | Link #24 |
Knight Errant
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Dublin, Ireland
Age: 35
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NB it was the Mayans that thought up the whole 2012 thing
@GundamFan: right now certain technological hurdles still remain before intense exploitation of space becomes feasible. For instance it still costs hundreds of thousands of dollars to get a kilogram of water into space. Obviously some kind of Space elevator type of project will be required, but the technology for that is still some time away. In addition, the governmental funding isn't there with the end of the cold war. Here's hoping China gets in the fray and spurs the US to compete with it... |
2011-06-27, 13:21 | Link #25 |
Gamilas Falls
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Republic of California
Age: 46
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Either way...they didn't believe it (I'm tired...I've been awake for over 24 hours now).
Whole thing is about renewal, not destruction. Turning circles keep turning and all that. (American corperations are on it for space travel....VSS Enterprise is on trails presently)
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2011-06-27, 18:24 | Link #26 |
blinded by blood
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Either an orbital elevator or a revolutionary new propulsion system that lets us hit escape velocity with significantly less waste and cost. I'm actually banking more on the latter, since space elevators are such a huge, costly undertaking.
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2011-06-27, 18:35 | Link #27 | |
Knight Errant
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Dublin, Ireland
Age: 35
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The only other alternative is a mass driver. |
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2011-06-27, 19:56 | Link #29 | ||
blinded by blood
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Matter-antimatter reactors could keep the fuel weight to a minimum, but we're not close to that yet, since the longest-lived antiparticle we've managed to create only lasted sixteen minutes. We'd have to create stable antiparticles, which is beyond our current capabilities. Plus, it's not like you can just gather up antimatter from space like you can hydrogen... Quote:
The last thing we have to worry about is our star entering the red giant phase. We'll be either long dead or spread out across the galaxy by then.
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2011-06-27, 20:04 | Link #30 | |
Senior Member
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As for running out of resources, and pollution problems, technology has been advancing so quickly in the past 200 years, that I am confident we will find ways to stay ahead and create more efficient energy, and produce food in larger quantities to make up for the expanse of human population. Necessity is the mother of all inventions afterall. |
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2011-06-28, 00:03 | Link #31 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Singapore
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Space seems to be a way out. While Earth's resources may not be quite so limited as some may believe, after some point of time it'll probably be more economical to exact resources from space.
That said, I don't think Humanity will ever inherit the stars. Posthumans (genetic engineering, or some form or cybernetics) and other augmented organisms are more likely. That or robots. |
2011-06-28, 00:49 | Link #32 |
18782+18782=37564
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: InterWebs
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Let's try and step into Science Fiction a bit, I'm just curious.
Is it possible that mankind could eventually develop to become a virtual being? So like, going one step ahead from The Matrix? Just in case we're really stuck in our planet. Spoiler:
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2011-06-28, 00:58 | Link #33 | |
Obey the Darkly Cute ...
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Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ...
Age: 66
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And in another sense, its the "transporter" problem. You've created a copy that may have all the memories and all the attributes of the original but you've destroyed the original. That instance was destroyed. No one *else* minds but the *original* instance...
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Last edited by Vexx; 2011-06-28 at 01:12. |
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2011-06-28, 01:13 | Link #34 |
18782+18782=37564
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: InterWebs
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The idea could also be implemented in the case we could colonize other planets but we still haven't had the means of transportation in a sane time frame. So during the whole voyage, the crews live in a virtual world managed by an AI that can also automatically mend and repair the ship. The crews can steer the ship from inside the virtual realm using some kind of sensory device linked to the AI. When the ship arrives at the target planet, the ships first deploy some kind of terra-forming nanomachine bots to make the environment suitable first. Then using some kind of clone-creator, recreating physical bodies of the crew (in case the original didn't survive cryo that well).
It sounds extremely fantasy, but...you know, it feels like it might be possible sometime in the far future.
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2011-06-28, 02:28 | Link #35 | |
Knight Errant
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Dublin, Ireland
Age: 35
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Hydrogen does occur in the environment, and so fusion reactors would be the most effective way to go. Fission reactors could work once you're in space, but I think the radioactive fallout from using it as an engine source would be too great. Mass drivers I think sound the most plausible, but a large one hasn't been built. I do think Space elevators would be the most effective, as you could have two elevators attached to one another, and have one fall as the other rises, meaning you'd have minimal energy usage at all, much like a modern elevator. Though likely even more efficient due to lack of space constraints. The simple problem is finding a long enough strong enough material to make the wire from, but of course, carbon nanotubes research is proceeding quite well. |
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2011-06-28, 05:21 | Link #37 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Singapore
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I suppose with sufficiently advanced physics simulators we can entirely be described by just software. Of course, this will require a couple of magnitudes more computing power than just simulating some neural network. It also doesn't make you immortal, since your simulated self is just as susceptible to simulated aging.
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2011-06-28, 05:28 | Link #38 |
18782+18782=37564
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: InterWebs
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@vexx: "what and where is human consciousness?" is supposedly still an open philosophical debate. Where do you get that the mind is intrinsically a function of the wetware? I'm curious.
You mentioned the "transporter" problem, but as far as science is concerned, it is irrelevant. That is the domain of religion and ethics. If it looks like me, speaks like me, thinks like me, has my memories, and thinks it is me, then it should be me. The question though remain whether it is possible or not. The answer relies on what actually our "mind" is, I guess.
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2011-06-28, 09:41 | Link #39 | ||
Obey the Darkly Cute ...
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Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ...
Age: 66
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However, if you believe in a soul then there's a fundamental problem with uploading. If you don't subscribe to the notion of a soul .. .there's *still* a fundamental problem with uploading, just a different one. I'm just noting that the far more complicated limbic system has to be simulated as well as just the neural wiring (which is continuously rewiring to account for new data, new memories, new internal models of what is outside). Quote:
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2011-06-28, 10:44 | Link #40 | |
I don't give a damn, dude
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: In Despair
Age: 38
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Similarly, there's a "you" in the cloud, but there's also still a "you" in your body. And even then, that's still not getting into what happens if you can download the "you" in the cloud into another body. Things just get more... entertaining from there. |
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