on global wireless internet

We must get wireless internet access to the world.

This is a project that I think is second only to creating clean energy with which to power it. When people with hardships have internet access they are better able to discover solutions and mobilize their communities. Information is readily available for any given problem and for humans knowledge is the universal cure. Lastly, it becomes much more difficult for people to be exploited when they have access to effective communication and information. This is important for long term security as well as long term environmental stability.

ethics, extra dimensions, and energy

In the future it may become possible to bridge the gap between our universe and others. However, if it turns out that our universes are separated by immense invisible forces, as at this point it seems they likely are, it may require a universe worth of energy to build or maintain such a bridge.

If dark matter and dark energy not only have a relationship to each other but are somehow responsible for the particular balance of our universe than these huge forces may also be linked in some way to other universes. But if there is no way except through gravity or other large scale phenomena for us to interact with dark matter or dark energy, we could be stuck. Until, that is, we discover a way to siphon off energy from some invisible place.

By using energy from one universe it may be possible to create a bridge to another. The problem is that there is no sure way of knowing that we do not cause harm by doing this. It may turn out that most universes don’t form matter as we know it and consist mostly of energy. If that is the case there can be little harm done to anyone personally, but is that scale of destruction permissible at all? However, if there is life or some rare beauty akin to it existing in that universe invisible to us because it is made of particles that we cannot interact with or perceive, we may commit epic atrocity. On the other end of things, there is always the chance that by building a bridge we somehow save some poor beings from a collapsing universe, or even ourselves from some type of universal destruction of our own.

We have always gone out into new frontiers as our abilities opened the portal. If we reach the point where other universes are all that remain for us to venture into, what can we afford to risk? What price is too high for infinite possibility and does it matter if the price is invisible to us? Perhaps we have already destroyed countless universes without even leaving our own backyard. Regardless of whether or not technology will allow, can our limited sense of ethics ever bridge the divide between our universe and the next?

on work and on utopia

How can we define utopia? Perhaps we can measure how close a people are to it by measuring happiness. But this too can be tricky. After all, happiness that is synthesized by a drug is a different sort than happiness that is derived from activity. Let us use the definition for happiness that the American Psychological Association uses. This states: http://74.125.47.132/search?q=cache:ov0WkfGG16oJ:www.apa.org/journals/releases/bul1316803.pdf+apa+definition+of+happiness&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

Well, perhaps we can use happiness as our measure while leaving its subjectivity intact. Currently, the major problems that we have so far as making it possible for everyone to be free to experience happiness however it is defined pertain to philosophy and utility. In short people are unhappy either because they cannot find something conceptual or because they cannot find something physical.

First, physical problems must be solved, otherwise physical baggage hampers any quest for higher satisfaction. We must solve problems pertaining to food, water, shelter, energy, sustainability, comfort, and pleasure.

Sustainability is the key to resolving the first three of these. First, effective systems for distributing water for irrigation and drinking must be made available to all. The technology is available but can be made more efficient and affordable. There is enough food and water, but too much food and water is wasted. Another one of the first things that needs to go is the meat industry. It takes 10 times as much grain to feed an animal to feed a person than it takes to feed a person directly. Over the centuries people in cities have been further and further detached from the food, and particularly the meat, that they consume. If people wish to eat meat, they must be willing to sacrifice convenience in order to raise, kill, and eat it. Opening rooftops and building interiors for agriculture is the next important step.

Shelter should not be hard to provide for people. At minimum everyone should be able to sleep under a roof at some kind. That isn’t hard to accomplish. With brick and technology it should be possible to create affordable sustainable housing for all. Energy saved in efficient housing, transportation, and storage is the most important step toward energy stability. Increases in the efficiency of solar and wind can free us entirely from fossil fuel. Lastly, effective contraception and (at least online) education must be made available for all. Meeting all of these necessities allows us to begin increasing the level of comfort and pleasure for all.

From this point on happiness becomes an increasingly psychological problem. We can make increases in technology to provide better tools (or drugs), but only projects and people can provide continued and meaningful satisfaction. Now, when it comes to projects there is some philosophical disagreement about what types of projects make people happy. I think that it differs from person to person. Because of this, I think that the most important thing is to make sure that everyone has choice when it comes to work. If everyone is to be happy everyone must be able to work on the types of projects that they most enjoy. As physical labor becomes increasingly machine assisted then increasingly obvious it should become more natural for this shift to occur. Right now, the value of a person is wrapped up in the work that they do. Hopefully, in the future the value of a person will become more intrinsic. The value that a person has will not be wrapped up in what they do for society but in how or whether they engage with society. I also think that markets for physical things will be largely replaced by markets for virtual things. Of course many people will still be focused on physical luxuries, but most exchanges will be virtual and free. Most people will be able to find happiness and fulfillment through virtual projects and interactions. The virtual will only continue to better match and eventually surpass the real.

If physical scarcity can be conquered (and it definitely can!), only the scarcity of ideas will remain. Models of socialism or capitalism in the Marxist sense, models dependent on a working or labor class, can be replaced by new models of socialism. A society could come to exist in which all are equal and the only way that one might ascend is not through conventional capitalism but through charity. If our physical needs are met, most of us are willing to work on the projects we love for free. Those who have ideas that people find worthwhile to pursue can be given excess resources. Ideas and affections can come to replace currency and physical goods in everyday life. Currency can continue to be used for the trade of physical luxuries, but all people should be entitled to minimum physical necessities. All that would remain is the conquest of immortality and the exploration of space.

Moon Colony

The moon is thriving. There are more opportunities there than there are on Earth at the moment. The key to its successful colonization was of course our ability to harness new energy. Solar energy in particular. Now we have massive cities on the moon with functioning ecosystems and near limitless energy. Growing quality food is really the only difficult part of the entire operation. Everything else, including water production is simple.

Once the space elevator is completed almost anyone who wishes will be able to join the moon colony. Since national citizenship doesn’t exist anymore there isn’t even very much paperwork in the way. It really is a lunar gold rush up there.

It is hard to believe that primitive humans all those decades ago managed to live without the basic necessities available on the moon.

Energy Consumption

A spindly man sits alone in a crowded bar. A bead of sweat drips from his neck through a cloud of smoke and laughter.

“We have to get out.”

“What are you going on about Blaine?” “Yeah, we’re sick of all your paranoid bullshit Blaine.” “Put a sock in it for once.”

“Danger is coming. They’ll suck out our souls.”

“Shut the hell up” “So help me Blaine, I’m going to come over there and smack you if you don’t…”

“They’re here! Run!”

Blaine stumbles out the door.

“What the hell got into that fella?”

The man who had been threatening Blaine falls over with a snap of electricity. He lays dead on the floor, beard soaking in a pool of spit and beer. His friends back away confused and scared. No bar room brawl can prepare you for a run in with the Reaper himself.

Another man has a spasm. Sparks fly from his body. He collapses like a marionette with cut strings. The others break for the door. Large flannel covered torsos jam the doorway as two more men fall to the floor. The bar strobes with flashes of lighting.

Headlines the next day tell of a freak lighting storms in crowded spaces. Old man Blaine is invited to share his take on these incidents in a televised interview.

“They think we’re food. That’s all we are to them. They’re here because they want to eat us.”

“Who is it exactly that you mean?”

“You know who. Call ’em whatever you want.”

“Is there a way to speak to them?”

“Lady, you can try talkin’ if you want to. I’m gettin’ as far the hell away as I can.”

Meanwhile in a mountain laboratory not far from city limits, a team of scientists is about to make a major breakthrough in the recent attacks. Dr. Susan Suong is using powerful telescopes and electro-magnets to pick up any strange signals from the areas recently hit by the strange phenomenon. What she observes is groups of humanoid organisms made completely of energy. Many seem to be looking in her direction. She suspects instantly that they feed on electricity or heat, both of which are produced by the human body, and coincidentally by the apparatus that she has just created. She sends her theory to her colleagues around the world.

An international effort is made to stop or open communication with the wraiths. Large energy pylons are set up all over the world in an attempt to attract the creatures away from population centers. This strategy works for a time but there simply is not enough energy available to keep the pylons active indefinitely. No line of communication is opened. No way of stopping the wraiths is discovered. They continue to roam the earth, killing as they may.

Perhaps if the people of the world had begun to research renewable energy sooner the pylons could have been kept active and thousands of lives could have been saved.

Downdraft

There was a terrible accident at the New Zefport Science Academy today. Don’t worry, it didn’t happen on earth, some other place. They were experimenting with a new form of energy production involving the removal and use of heat energy. The experiment was actually a terrific success, it just had some unexpected consequences. Thousands of tons of oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen upon having 99.999999999% of the heat removed from their molecular structures entered a super-fluid state. The condensates ignored gravity and rose rapidly into the atmosphere,  even up into outer space for a time. Upon reversion back into gaseous form, the cold dense gasses came crashing back down through the atmosphere creating a series of very serious downdrafts. The winds near the epicenters exceeded the speed of sound by hundreds of miles per hour.

The destruction caused by the heavy winds was horrific, particularly in cities caught within close proximity to the air-bursts. There were however a few small groups of thrill seekers who managed to catch the ride of their lives. A hand full of surfers caught and survived a wave that crossed over an entire continent over the course of a few hours. Another group of hang gliders became the first on the planet to break the speed of sound while almost completely exposed to the elements. A few motorcyclists found themselves significantly air-born, several yards above ground, for durations of minutes at a time.

Lightning Surfing

We skitch up bolts of lightning. Into the dark rolling clouds. The quiet world below drifts out of mind. Our lightning boots spark excitedly as we slide hither and thither. FlashSnap. The shattering bolts bounce around carrying us with them. The universe becomes a blur as we accelerate and drift and accelerate. Peace. Adrenaline. As we pass each other we mutely laugh under the rumble of thunder. The lighting strobes upon our smiling faces like so many camera flashes.

Energy

For the first time in history, humanity possesses a surplus of pollution free energy all over the world. Wind and Solar are primarily responsible, however alternative energies continue to augment our already efficient energy reserves. Now that energy is virtually free, we can begin the next great cycle of modernization.

Cheap transportation is one of the keystones to global economic success. We are constructing a new system of airways for electric aircraft. All transportation is being given wireless recharging capabilities, and the combustion engine is being gradually phased out. Soon we will have a world of truly free travel.

The other major field that is in need of modernization is of course agriculture. Organic garden systems and tower garden systems are solving this issue. We will soon perfect these arts so that any town can grow its own food easily and efficiently.

The area of study that I most wish to expand, unpopular as it may be, is space exploration. If we can make contact other creatures like ourselves, learn to terra-form, or discover large deposits of useful resources, we can ensure humanity’s long time survival in the universe.

As my final act as president of the world, I am tripling the global science fund.