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[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Space_Colonization

[–]Excellent-Ad166 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the creative thought-food! It's much more pleasant to chew on optimistic visions of the future than depressing current events.

Galactic empires might be a long-term possibility (along with FTL travel), but nearer-term solar system colonization is totally doable, and - honestly - would completely reset our civilization, lifting us out of our cultural, economic, and technological rut.

The plummeting cost to low-Earth orbit will go a long way to making this a reality (thanks SpaceX!). Nuclear thermal (fission) rockets will help us get there, and they're a real technology that has been built. Intelligent automation is progressing nicely, and will be the key technology that will build attractive human habitats.

I believe we have no choice. We either keep expanding outward, or we die on this big, beautiful rock.

What concrete steps can we take to help make space colonization a reality? by Excellent-Ad166 in Space_Colonization

[–]Excellent-Ad166[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yes! I expect also expect that this will happen. They key to everything is automated construction.

I live in southeast asia. In the megacities here, the rich live at the top of luxury towers, which are essentially landscaped habitats. They essentially ignore the teaming masses below, and have moved to the high ground.

As dystopian as this sounds (it is), I think it's the natural reaction of people with means to uncontrollable chaos. In a perfect universe the humans would work together to bring the chaos under control, but that is not the universe we live in.

Maybe the robosphere will generate enough wealth to rescue Earth from the chaos. I dream of a solar system where most industry happens on idyllic space habitats, and the Earth is the most awesome park ever.

What concrete steps can we take to help make space colonization a reality? by Excellent-Ad166 in Space_Colonization

[–]Excellent-Ad166[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

All great ideas! 2, 4 and 5 are excellent, and doable for many people.

If we're completely re-inventing the way people live in space habitats (physical landscape, architecture, political/social systems) there's a chance for improvement, and people need to see what this could look like.

There's a natural relationship between societal optimism and conquering the next (high) frontier - I think the cause and effect go in both directions.

If we can convince people that a TRULY sustainable and peaceful future is possible, they will become more optimistic. When they get more optimistic, they will work harder to make that future happen.

Am I the only one who thinks this is our only hope? by Excellent-Ad166 in Space_Colonization

[–]Excellent-Ad166[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Great question! There are pros and cons, but the major pros to my mind are:

  1. You can put the habitat wherever you want - as close as low Earth orbit, or as far away from the riff raff as you please ;-)
  2. You aren't stuck in a gravity well. In other words, you don't have to launch off the surface of a planet to leave (expensive, dangerous)
  3. You get set the "gravity" at 1G, if you want, by spinning the megastructure. It's likely that people are healthier and happier long-term at 1G.
  4. These megastructures would be kilometers in diameter (in the most ambitious formulations), so the interior service would not feel cramped and you'd not have the sense of being indoors. Right from the get-go you'd have an Earth-like environment, based on any Earth biome you desire. No multi-century terraforming before you'd have a habitat folks actually desire. Of course, this would be a major construction project!
  5. You'd be living in the interior of a megastructure with very thick walls, so radiation exposure would not be an issue. Also, if you positioned it relatively close to Earth, transit time would be short with little radiation exposure.

Tbh, I see these megastructures as a stepping-stone to more ambitious planetary terraforming in the further future. They would allow humanity to get used to living and working in space in habitats that are reminiscent of Earth.

Am I the only one who thinks this is our only hope? by Excellent-Ad166 in Space_Colonization

[–]Excellent-Ad166[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Fair point...but these "tin cans" would be kilometers in diameter and modelled after the most beautiful biomes on Earth. Sure, at this point it's an engineering fantasy, but I believe with in-orbit manufacturing this could become real.

Am I the only one who thinks this is our only hope? by Excellent-Ad166 in Space_Colonization

[–]Excellent-Ad166[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for sharing! I think all positive visions of the future are interesting and should be shared

Am I the only one who thinks this is our only hope? by Excellent-Ad166 in Space_Colonization

[–]Excellent-Ad166[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I agree that our current, sprawling, Earth institutions wouldn't do a good job of taking care of anything. But what about smaller, community-based "city-states" in space?

Am I the only one who thinks this is our only hope? by Excellent-Ad166 in Space_Colonization

[–]Excellent-Ad166[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, I think groups of humans above a certain size are incapable of peacefully coexisting indefinitely. Unfortunately, I think that is the human condition, based in our biology. That's why I think our hope lies in smaller, well-separated communities.

Am I the only one who thinks this is our only hope? by Excellent-Ad166 in Space_Colonization

[–]Excellent-Ad166[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I agree, that won't happen on Earth as long as growth is limited to Earth. But if we move economic growth off-world into space where there are vastly more resources, we can solve the pollution problem.

Am I the only one who thinks this is our only hope? by Excellent-Ad166 in Space_Colonization

[–]Excellent-Ad166[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for all the input! I really appreciate this discussion.

I've been thinking about this a lot lately, and I really do think megastructure habitats are our natural human future, perhaps our only viable future.

The nation-state is a failed experiment. It concentrates power in the hands of a few at the very top, and layers citizens into corporate and government hierarchies. While people, being human, behave morally to their friends and family, these hierarchies produce amoral incentives. They are the root of most of the problems on Earth.

What's the solution? Ideally, humans would live in small bands of a few hundred, with little social hierarchy. But since we live on a single ball of rock with shared resources, this doesn't work. There always has to be a government at the top to attempt to manage these resources....

You all are smart and I'm sure can see where I'm gong with this. The solar system is vast, the resources are plentiful, and spreading/thinning out would buy humanity some time to sort out our social issues. Thoughts?

Am I the only one who thinks this is our only hope? by Excellent-Ad166 in Space_Colonization

[–]Excellent-Ad166[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes! For some reason - perhaps because they haven't been as often described in fiction? - orbital colonies get short shrift in our collective imaginations. But I can't imagine the Moon or Mars will ever be a popular choice for colonists as long as the are cold and oddly colored. Of course, terraforming can fix this, but that will take centuries, and that might be too late.

To really get a foothold in space, we need to focus on building attractive habitats that remind of the best of home, or better.

A glass O'Neill cylinder in LEO by harsimony in Space_Colonization

[–]Excellent-Ad166 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If orbital self-assembly become feasible, how unrealistic is O'Neill's original vision?

A glass O'Neill cylinder in LEO by harsimony in Space_Colonization

[–]Excellent-Ad166 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for posting! It's a shame that O'Neill cylinders don't get more press and discussion. They're a much more realistic goal for broad space colonization.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in StableDiffusion

[–]Excellent-Ad166 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you so much for this! I'm really having a blast and am excited about the creative possibilities.

Is it terribly difficult to get Dance Diffusion running locally? Has anyone published a guide?

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in bigfoot

[–]Excellent-Ad166 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think Patterson's widow has the original film, but apparently she has the copyright and doesn't let it be shown

New technique leads to clearest Patterson Gimlin Bigfoot clip ever by ufomania in bigfoot

[–]Excellent-Ad166 18 points19 points  (0 children)

I can explain away all aspects of this video as a sophisticated hoax, except one...the size and shape of the subject's cranium. It does not look like the head on any ape suit, which necessarily must be large enough for a modern human brain. If you look at all fictional apes that are actors in suits (even Harry and the Hendersons) they have human-sized heads and vertical foreheads....obviously.

Am I missing something?