Future Discussion thread

[RazzyJam 1,519]

In light of my previous activity on the forums, I decided to do start writing about the future. Ive been posting this on my blog because I make updates to it more frequently, but It was suggested that I make a thread so that it gets more views and feedback. So this thread is going to be an almost copy paste of my blog entries, so that they are organized and all in one place for you to peruse.

 

So Im really interested about the future and future technologies and Ideas. Ive decided to write about all that I know on my blog, which I will update every day here:http://mlpforums.com...iscussion-blog/. Be sure to follow it if this interests you, as Info will get there first, and it will help with my self esteem issues . I got this Idea after talking to others about the space elevator Feld0 is presently involved in. Engineering and physics are a major interest of mine, so I figured I could appeal to you all by using my interest and knowledge to talk with you folks about the future progression of mankind! Sounds exciting!

 

UPDATE! New topics every Wednesday! Check the blog for more!

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Here are all the categories and each post from my blog that corresponds so far. Note, this will never be up to date.

 

Energy!

 

 

Nuclear Reactors:

 

 

Im going to start with opinions on nuclear reactors <3. I personally love the Idea of them. They are clean, efficient, and under moderation, extremely safe. Compared to renewable energy sources, This is the most space efficient, high energy yielding plant humans have ever invented. (Whats ironic is it still runs on the same machine that humas have been using for centuries, the steam generator. Kind of cool how something so simple is still at the forefront of human technology). Now of course, nuclear reactors are notorious for stereotypes of exploding, and being radioactive. while there is some truth to this, it isn't as big a deal as people would make it out to be.

 

Nuclear reactors dont explode, they have meltdowns. Thats exactly what it sounds like. It melts down... Through the reactor... Through the Reactor chamber... through the earths crust...

The only time one of these plants ever esplode, is if you are using a graphite reactor, akin to the design used by the Russians in the 60s, especially in the Chernobyl Incident, and another accident involving a nuclear submarine that never left the harbor.

These plants use radioactive materials, but it emits nothing more than that of what the sun puts out. The only difference is that Earth has a magnetic shield to defend us, whereas we need lead and concrete to shield us from the radioactivity. Currently, this source is Uranium, which you may or may not know that we are running out off. Actually, Uranium is about as rare as platinum or gold (could you imagine burning gold? )

 

So where does the future come into all this? What if I told you that there was an element as common as dirt, that you could hold a lifetime supply of energy of this element in your hand, and it has a more badass name than Uranium? It exists, its not science fiction. This magical element is called Thorium (like the god of thunder), and over 500,000 tonnes are thrown out per day. That much thorium could power the earth for Centuries. CENTURIES! And we are throwing it away!

 

The fantastic part is we could utilize this element with little modification to our current nuclear facilities. It all involves a reactor called LFTR (lifter). I could talk about this thing for eons, but Id rather leave you a link to a video that explains it all in under 5 minutes:

http-~~-//www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=uK367T7h6ZY

 

 

Green Energies:

 

 

So because it was brought up in a previous blog post of mine, I thought Id bring up a new debate to the engineering world, and that is the discussion of green energy. There is a lot of political push for eco-friendly technologies, and energy production is a huge part of it. In the next 50 years we are looking at growing to a population of 9 billion. To put that in perspective, the estimated population cap is around 10 billion. How are we supposed to provide for that many people and still keep the planet clean? Obviously the consideration of eco friendly energies is a valid point, but we need to understand the efficiency behind each of these energy sources before we can consider them to be a solution.

 

Lets start with the three obvious ones, in order of efficiency. First of the bat, we have the almighty hydroelectric power. This is arguably the most efficient machine man has built (next to that magical steam engine if you read my lasts post ), given that it requires nothing but the flow of water. This flow can come in different forms, but lets start with hydroelectric dams. Hydroelectric dams are pretty dam cool, given they are naturally resupplied by the earths water cycle. This means we maximize the amount of energy produced, because we have near unlimited resupply to the input of the dam. The issue is that we have already dammed every river that is possible to build a dam on. The other form would be to harness tidal motion in oceans and oceanic currents. This is a very inefficient method of creating energy, as you would have to cover the entire Gulf of Mexico in buoys before you have enough energy to power a city. Ocean current turbines are a better solution, but these too lack the efficiency required to power a small city.

 

Wind energy! Something that has been used almost since the dawn of man. Its a simple concept, efficient in theory for powering small areas, but when we get to a larger scale, things become much more interesting. If we were to power the entire US of A on wind energies, we would have to cover both North and South Dakoda in turbines (assuming the standard turbine that is in use is utilized, switching to a space efficient Vertical Tower Turbine would change this statistic.) While the space exists to do such a thing, the price is not very reasonable. the cost to build that many turbines would be more than the cost of the energy they produce.

 

Last but not least, that illusive solar energy. This is the only way of generating electricity without a generator, which is truly a marvel in itself. The only problem we encounter with solar energy, is that it is big and HOT. Enough panels in one area could actually melt the energy pylon, and this is often why not all panels are put in perfect alignment to the energy pylon. Also the amount of space needed for one of these things is monumental, not even to mention the cost.(Again, this is assuming a reflective solar power plant, which is the highest efficiency plant we have.)

 

So we have these green energies that are nice for the environment, but not so nice to our wallets. While there are some efficiencies and bonuses to these energy solutions, the benefits do not outweigh the costs.

 

 

 

 

 

Space! The Final Frontier!

 

 

Terraforming!

 

 

Well here it is! A whole topic on terraforming! i feel like a lot of alliteration is about to go down.

 

Because this is such a large and broad topic, im going to start with defining terraforming processes and then talking about the ethics of it all and then I will talk specifically about terraforming Mars, as it is the easiest to do and requires the least amount of work to type about and also to literally terraform

 

So first things first, what is terraforming? Well, it is exactly what it sounds like; the latin root terra means Earth, and then the verb to form follows, so terraforming literally means 'to shape like Earth'.

Terraforming is a lengthy process depending on the planet in question. It would involve creating a proper atmosphere for the plannet, allowing for liquid water to form by melting ice caps or cooling temperatures to allow for condensation of water. Basically, one would have to recreate the conditions of earth on another planets surface. This is not limited to the whole surface of the planet, there are other forms of terraforming, such as the construction of a large geodesic dome and then the monitoring of that areas internal atmosphere. This obviously requires much less work, but at the same time, it costs more resources, especially in the sense of terraforming Mars. But before we get to into detail on that, lets talk ethics.

 

Normally one would assume, "This is great! We are creating new areas to sustain life! What could possibly be unethical about this?". Well, basica biology has proven that life is extremely adaptable. There is life at the hottest, most pressurized depths of the oceans, and scientists have brought organisms into the vacuum of space and found that they can survive the harsh environments there as well. With this knowledge, we need to consider what exists on the planet being terraformed. For example, recent studies of the martian surface have shown methane leaks from vents in the ground. Theories have sprouted about this being anything from a geological to possibly a biological occurrence. Methane is a gas produced by some bacteria here on earth as a biproduct of biochemical processes. So if the environment on mars were the be changed, how could this effect the possible organisms that already exist there?

Of course, there are other minor arguments against such action, such as the human race taking on the role of God and other similar arguments. However, all religious scripture points out that our Gods have made us the rulers and protectors of life on Earth, so perhaps it is our duty to terraform other planets in our quest to protect life. Let me know your thoughts on this below.

 

Now, we have discussed that terraforming is a rather simple concept, and we have analyzed the arguments that involve such processes. But how would such a task be done?

There are many lengthy descriptions on how such a thing could be done, but Im going to spoon feed this to you in the most simple Way I can, and I will start with a pretty picture:

Everyone at once: "Oooooh... Aaaahhhh..."

There are a bunch of ideas out there to make something like this happen on mars, such as wrapping the plannet in tin foil, shooting it with lasers, and other such ridiculous sounding suggestions to heat the planets surface. Such a feat is already plausible given the atmosphere, the frozen water on the surface, and the possibility of liquid and semi-solid H2O under the martian surface, the problem is heating the planet to get that water to appear on the surface. There is one solution that is already proven to work at terraforming planets, and could possibly produce a pristine environment on Mars. Care to take a guess?

 

The greenhouse effect, caused by the production of CO2 that traps solar heat in atmosphere is already in action on Earth. It has been for millions of years mind you, so keep your pants on. But the idea that releasing CO2 on the martian surface could cause an earth-like environment is very possible. One would not have to burn fossil fuels, but rather there is already carbon dioxide gas trapped beneath the martian surface, a small heating of this planet could cause some gas to escape, and start a chan reaction that would alter the surface of Mars. This is where the giant mirrors and tin foil starts to sound logical. But still heating the planet from orbit would be quite a challenge. An alternate, cheaper solution would to be to start mineral extraction and processing on the planet surface. Mining operations could increase heat and yield mineral resources that could better the economy and be utilized in sustaining a martian mining operation. This is just my own personal Idea, as I love the concept of taking apart celestial objects for mineral resources, and Mars seems like a logical first step, as a biproduct could be another biological habitat.

 

 

 

 

 

Stuff

 

 

3D Printing!

 

 

First off, the whole idea of model printers has been around for a long time. The concept was thought of in the late 50s in one of the many Futurist movements. It wasn't until recently that the technology became compact enough to reach a public market. Now desktop laser cutters, CNC mills, and Extrusion machines all are available to the public, bringing manufacturing right into your office. And, thanks to the rise of computers and free distribution of software, it is now possible to create - anything - right in your house. Websites like thingiverse literally distribute objects that you can just download right onto your computer and print. If I wanted, I could just go online, find a 3D model of Pinkie Pie, and BANG a little piece of Equestrian is now in my home. I could literally, email you a spoon. If that doesn't blow your mind I dont know what does.

 

This all really sounds like science fiction, but it exists. Today even. If we can print anything from Lego bricks to car parts in our homes now, what does the future hold, and how could this device change the way we live?

 

Lets start with where this device is going, because it is more certain than some of the more interesting and controversial subject matter that should be addressed later. As of right now, right at this moment, Scientists and doctors are working together to create Bio-Printers. Say you need a heart transplant or you drank yourself shifted and now you need a new liver or kidney, In the near future, doctors will be able to take YOUR genetic code and print you a brand new heart or liver or kidney. This technology sounds insane, but it is being worked on right now. Food companies are even looking into the technology so that you can print meats and edibles. Imagine just being able to print out bacon. The internet would rejoice!

Some of these technologies involve the use of stem cells, this is something that will most likely not be an issue in the future, considering the positives outweigh the negatives of the introduction of the technology. This is one minor controversy of the 3D printer, but what if I told you that the world could soon have to restructure its governments because of the 3D printer?

 

Recently there were some issues that involved 3D printing and corporation copyrights. If you are unfamiliar with Games Workshop's Warhammer, I suggest you look at their website, and see how awesomely expensive all of their awesomeness is. But because that it is cheaper to print 50 dollar models at home for under 5 dollars, hobbyists did just that. Games Workshop filed a law suit because their intellectual property was being stolen. But the question is... by who? If people just make a 3D model thats fine, but once it is distributed and downloaded how do you monitor that? Now before I jump ahead of myself and suggest that 3D printers are going to usher in some sort of Marxist Communism, allow me to blow your minds further. Thats right. there is Moar!

 

In Australia, hobbyists in possession of 3D printers have been printing weapons. Defense Distributed has 3D models of ACRs. Working ACRs that can be printed right at home. This goes against Australian Gun control laws, so naturally, something needed to be done. But once again, there is no one specific person that can be nailed down for distributing guns over the internet, and once these files are out there, there is no getting them back. It is now possible for armed revolutions to be staged on literal home fronts; Liberty could be yours at the click of a button.

 

 

 

 

 

If there is something you would like to hear about, odds are I have an idea or facts about it! Post in comments if you have anything - thoughts, opinions, ideas, questions - about the future! Thanks for reading and Happy Forum Surfing to you!

Edited October 8, 2012 by WingedRatchet

[null1 606]

Other than alot of stuff dealing with space that I like (elevators, colonization, privatization), there's one thing that we already have that is going to explode into main-mainstream sooner or later.

 

 

 

3D Printing

 

Here is a good example, there's tons more on YouTube. They print an entire wrench in one printing session.

 

http-~~-//www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmDz7Q9_h6c

 

 

3D printing is still small, but I can see it expanding soon. Many companies use 3D printing to create physical prototypes of a product, toy, or part. Metal 3D printing can be done as well, which has led to higher standards in precision metal parts with the printer. I can imagine in the future that 3D printers will be as common as say a copier machine or a washer, people can download schematics for say, a tool, and have it printed in their home. Brings a whole new meaning to DLC. With the CAD software, people could also even create anything that could fit inside the printer, like a two headed action figure.

 

We could print our own MLP figures at home without embarrassing ourselves at the store.

 

I also remember hearing something about 3D printing organic material, like hearts and kidneys.

 

 

 

Edited September 22, 2012 by DeltaTangent

[RazzyJam 1,519]

Other than alot of stuff dealing with space that I like (elevators, colonization, privatization), there's one thing that we already have that is going to explode into main-mainstream sooner or later.

 

 

 

3D Printing

 

Here is a good example, there's tons more on YouTube. They print an entire wrench in one printing session.

 

http-~~-//www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmDz7Q9_h6c

 

 

3D printing is still small, but I can see it expanding soon. Many companies use 3D printing to create physical prototypes of a product, toy, or part. Metal 3D printing can be done as well, which has led to higher standards in precision metal parts with the printer. I can imagine in the future that 3D printers will be as common as say a copier machine or a washer, people can download schematics for say, a tool, and have it printed in their home. Brings a whole new meaning to DLC.

 

I also remember hearing something about 3D printing organic material, like hearts and kidneys.

 

 

 

 

Ah! Now this is something i can really relate to! 3-D Printing is the bane of Corporations, every government's worst nightmare (save for anarchy), and the pathway to a post scarcity world. Its really a fascinating concept, and I could talk about it for quite some time, so perhaps this will become tomorrows topic.

 

This is really awesome, as it is a topic in the news recently regarding Australia's Anti-Gun laws. People were actually distributing ACRs into Australia over the internet in 3D printable files. People were LITERALLY printing out fully functional semi automatic rifles.

There was also an issue with Games Workshop. People were printing models of Warhammer 40K figures for next to nothing.

 

This is definitely something I MUST go in depth on! Thanks for the idea! Follow the blog if you would like to see the whole breakdown tomorrow

Edited September 22, 2012 by WingedRatchet

[Dimitri Hammer 3,645]

I want some holograms and a hover board. According to Back to the Future 2 we should have those things in about three years. I'd also like some of that hologram chess from Star Wars a New Hope!

 

 

Seriously though, I can't wait for those cool military robots DARPA is working on. The LS3's (Legged Squad Support System.)

Edited September 22, 2012 by Comrade-Dimitri-Hammer

[null1 606]

This is really awesome, as it is a topic in the news recently regarding Australia's Anti-Gun laws. People were actually distributing ACRs into Australia over the internet in 3D printable files. People were LITERALLY printing out fully functional semi automatic rifles.

There was also an issue with Games Workshop. People were printing models of Warhammer 40K figures for next to nothing.

 

I'm a little curious though, but when it comes to printing metal, I'm not sure about creating the more heavy wear and tear parts for guns, like the barrel and the bolt. Wouldn't these need to be tempered for use? Wouldn't the metal be brittle too? I looked up the article of the guy printing out a gun in Australia and firing it, they said it was a .22, which is a small, weak round. If the barrel was plastic, I don't think it could handle a larger round with more pressure, like a hot .308 cartridge.

 

But if people can print fully working weapons at home, that'll rustle the anti-gun nut's jimmies. Then again, they would need to get ammo too.

[Silverhoof 2,844]

Frankly I would love to terraform Mars. I would volunteer to colonize the planet. Its close to the asteroid belt so the economy already has unlimited mining wealth just waiting to be exploited.

[RazzyJam 1,519]

Before this wednesday, I need an Idea on a new topic. Lemme know what you want to hear about so that I can do research and formulate my thesis!

[Dusty Soul 2,611]

The future will be greener then what we are now. I think the sidewalks will have sensors underneath, that when people step on them, they convert the pressure of the step into energy. Then there are cities built into one tower. Then there are holograms that are 3 dimensional, and that we can interact with.

[Croaks 251]

BE WARNED!

I AM ABOUT TO TRAVEL INTO THE PAST TO UNDO CERTAIN EVENTS. THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. YOU SHALL KNOW THAT I AM SUCCESSFUL IF GERMANY LOSES WWII AND THURSDAY COMES BEFORE FRIDAY. WISH ME LUCK.

Edited October 1, 2012 by Croaks

[null1 606]

BE WARNED!

I AM ABOUT TO TRAVEL INTO THE PAST TO UNDO CERTAIN EVENTS. THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. YOU SHALL KNOW THAT I AM SUCCESSFUL IF GERMANY LOSES WWII AND THURSDAY COMES BEFORE FRIDAY. WISH ME LUCK.

 

You... did it. You are the Hero of Time! YOU ARE A WINNAR!

 

On the other note,@, maybe Terraforming can be a subject to be delved into. Lots of discussions.

 

Or maybe something like Private Space Industry.

[RazzyJam 1,519]

You... did it. You are the Hero of Time! YOU ARE A WINNAR!

 

On the other note,@, maybe Terraforming can be a subject to be delved into. Lots of discussions.

 

Or maybe something like Private Space Industry.

 

Terraforming could be something I look into this week. I know there are lots of myths out there like "the global warming happening on earth could terraform mars", So I can definitely look into it

 

The private space industry... so many mixed feels

[null1 606]

The private space industry... so many mixed feels

 

SpaceX did so much in less than one decade compared to the Constellation Progam. Constellation got one test rocket up, then they were nailed, cancelled, KERPLAA!

[RazzyJam 1,519]

SpaceX did so much in less than one decade compared to the Constellation Progam. Constellation got one test rocket up, then they were nailed, cancelled, KERPLAA!

 

It was horrible, I cant believe they canceled that program. A country that doesnt invest in science is a dead country

 

Side note, I have the terraforming post FINALLY researched and done, it is going up in the next 10 minutes!

[OkBuddy 586]

Gee, in the future, I'd like to have a holographic TV. I can also picture the cloning business become more mainstream. That's what I picture for the future.

[RazzyJam 1,519]

Finally posted terraforming! Go and read it and enjoy it beautiful people! Next Wednesday we are looking at infos onCommies and then the next one is up to you! Post in comments what you want to hear about!