They are the problem. Things are rarely developed for the "good". We are told they are - and believe it.
The "internet" traffic (ADnet) is 95% spam and ads. If it was even at the 90's level , 1/20th of the present infrastructure could keep
the world up and running.
Not much "innovation" either , Win2K --->W10/11 - no real advancements , just bloat and "mission creep".
Holds true with space X , take old cold war subsidized tech and commercialize it. "Paypal in space".
OS
Of course, the concept was proven by the Thunderbirds with their Tunderbird One rocket, back in 1965.
It is interesting how fiction predicts the future. Someone else mentioned Flip-open communicators. Remember the transporters.? "Beam me up Scotty" that may be the exact way we travel to Mars, not in space X.
Exactly this.
Anyone read Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy?
We have to find a way to backup the human race. Mars? Why not?
I worry about biosecurity of whatever is brought back from Mars.
I went form manual drafting to AutoCad under Win2K, that was a huge advancement. I still use it and my original Pentium 4 that I purchased in 2000, that machine never sees the internet and runs flawlessly.
I've worked with later versions of AutoCad under Windows 7, etc., just "bloat" as you say, more bells and whistles that just get in your way. Not only that, after 2005 AutoDesk became subscription based, so you need to dish out over 1.5K or so per year to keep using it. I prefer my self-contained system.
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Nobody is going to Mars. Anybody sent into deep space for more than 6 weeks would go insane. Never mind 18 months. Forget it. We are the last there is. Enjoy it while it lasts.
We have been looking into the cosmos for a good while and, so far, have zero credible evidence that there is anyone else out there. It seems there are three possibilities:
1. We alone in the entire galaxy (Universe?) have evolved to reach the state of looking outward for others.
2. Others have evolved but the average duration of an intelligent species is sufficiently short that there are none existant simultaneously.
3. The realities of interstellar distances, very sub-light speed travel, the frailty of organic creatures and the hostility of interstellar space effectively confine the thin galactic (Universal) population of intelligent species to their home world and perhaps allow for fortuitously habitable nearby planets.
I'm betting on #3.
1. We alone in the entire galaxy (Universe?) have evolved to reach the state of looking outward for others.
2. Others have evolved but the average duration of an intelligent species is sufficiently short that there are none existant simultaneously.
3. The realities of interstellar distances, very sub-light speed travel, the frailty of organic creatures and the hostility of interstellar space effectively confine the thin galactic (Universal) population of intelligent species to their home world and perhaps allow for fortuitously habitable nearby planets.
I'm betting on #3.
The first person to go nuts with be turned into soylent green to feed the remaining crew. 😉
jeff
"Soylent green" are a plenty here on earth, the few meat scandals now and then surfacing is just top of the iceberg.
Rather benign but annoying thing over here is the excessive use of fish scrap feed for the chickens, so virtually all chicken meat and eggs sold here have a fish scent, have to scrape of the crust of the croissant because of the brushed on egg wash.
Several years ago every now and then some batch of chicken meat would have a strong mink feed scent so back then whenever an article in msm appeared touching upon chickens, eggs etc, for a period I would comment about the mink feed in the comment section and reminding of CJD / "mad cow" like disease in minks, after some time that kind of mink scented chicken meat actually disappeared, but once in a while there's still some batches with a very odd scent one can only wonder what was fed to the chickens.
Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease and Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
Rather benign but annoying thing over here is the excessive use of fish scrap feed for the chickens, so virtually all chicken meat and eggs sold here have a fish scent, have to scrape of the crust of the croissant because of the brushed on egg wash.
Several years ago every now and then some batch of chicken meat would have a strong mink feed scent so back then whenever an article in msm appeared touching upon chickens, eggs etc, for a period I would comment about the mink feed in the comment section and reminding of CJD / "mad cow" like disease in minks, after some time that kind of mink scented chicken meat actually disappeared, but once in a while there's still some batches with a very odd scent one can only wonder what was fed to the chickens.
Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease and Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
History of flight very similar as well.
Man dreams of flying.
But was deemed impossible to do.
Many prior attempts rather big disasters and deaths
Eventually they got it.
Leaving Earths gravity takes incredible energy.
So to carry the fuel needed to leave. Then a full mission
to Mars. Very close to impossible. As Far as a one trip, one fuel tank
concept.
Now with small quick launching rockets.
Once in Orbit. Another Rocket is sent to refuel.
Then you continue on.
Rather we colonize Mars or not has acceptable restraints.
But the initial transport system to make it even feasible.
Is coming very soon.
Man dreams of flying.
But was deemed impossible to do.
Many prior attempts rather big disasters and deaths
Eventually they got it.
Leaving Earths gravity takes incredible energy.
So to carry the fuel needed to leave. Then a full mission
to Mars. Very close to impossible. As Far as a one trip, one fuel tank
concept.
Now with small quick launching rockets.
Once in Orbit. Another Rocket is sent to refuel.
Then you continue on.
Rather we colonize Mars or not has acceptable restraints.
But the initial transport system to make it even feasible.
Is coming very soon.
Those that prefer to think in (their) solutions may be also those that create problems for others.
As I worked in a few “green” technology sectors I learned that quite a few of the there designed/produced solutions are after all more problems to solve. Also extremely talented people can make huge thinking mistakes. On the other hand complete laymen sometimes see those mistakes.
All solutions are better judged by many from various angles before realisation.
Asbestos, DDT, agent orange, glyphosate, plywood with formaldehyde, sinking outdated nuclear submarines, the use of cadmium to coat steel, uranium in ammunition, softenon, everything running on batteries….all once seemed solutions.
Launching rockets burning vast amounts of fuel while producing “green” cars is maybe also such an item.
All solutions are better judged by many from various angles before realisation.
Asbestos, DDT, agent orange, glyphosate, plywood with formaldehyde, sinking outdated nuclear submarines, the use of cadmium to coat steel, uranium in ammunition, softenon, everything running on batteries….all once seemed solutions.
Launching rockets burning vast amounts of fuel while producing “green” cars is maybe also such an item.
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In the area where I live atm, just over the border in the Netherlands, I am literally surrounded by solar farms, the largest of them measuring 2000 x 350 meters, having (estimated) some 100,000 panels. In mid summer during daytime energy price turns negative, and I get paid for turning on the heating or airco. So people are investing in domestic airco now, while this is not really necessary in the Dutch climate.
If a civilization is going to become space-faring, it needs to find a way to make space vehicle launches “greener”. That will never happen until it is needed. But if you can make rocket launches less environmentally hazardous, certainly keeping the electricity on can be made greener too - without costing a dollar and a half a kWh.
We can all just sit here on earth, and argue about how the resources/wealth are to be redistributed, or wait till half the population voluntarily turns its lights off and stops eating. And wait with baited breath for the next iPhone release. Or continue with exploration and hope that it spurs on the necessary technology to solve those problems another way. We don’t know what that way IS yet. The obvious solutions using todays technology are simply not palatable, and even mentioning them is probably a violation of forum rules.
Or until someone sees a way to make a buck. Whichever comes first.
Agree to the whole post.
Jan
When the first railways were being built there was real concern about the medical effects of rail travel. There was this article in the UK medical journal The Lancet
I think people have been buzzing around in the ISS, and in experimental isolation on earth for periods much longer than the journey time to Mars.
I thought that was at least in part the driving force behind the NASA and SpaceX initiatives to produce a fully reusable launch system.
- Of course that'd be a reason to go to the moon. Low gravity and dramatically reduced launch costs.
- Building the interplanetary vehicle in orbit.
- The space elevator.
- Even a variation on a rail gun.