4 ms·

Retarded about the platform. Why not use an island instead?

camccann 17y ago
If you know of an easy supply of islands that aren't already claimed by some country, I'm sure they'd love to hear about it.
- ErrantX 17y ago
  Could build one - shallow water (that might be the hard bit), artificial base then a thick layer of imported rock/soil. :)
  - cmars232 17y ago
    Shallow water would probably fall within another sovereign's nautical territory.
    - jhancock 17y ago
      agreed. I find it interesting that in light of this, the photo on the home page clearly shows the platform within some country's water.
    - ErrantX 17y ago
      yes, probably. Though they do discuss the fact that current plans will put the building within the USA's territorial waters.
      - stcredzero 17y ago
        Only as an interim step. I'd see if the island of Nauru would lend them their sovereignty in exchange for their continued existence as sea levels rise. The island would only become a mooring point, but as long as they could build up just one spot above sea level, they'd still exist.
  - kam 17y ago
    This has actually been done - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_Minerva http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_Minerva Unfortunately, Tonga claimed the island and kicked them out.
  - jws 17y ago
    The current set of countries are protective of their oligopoly. Generally, some nation will come and take it from you. Wolf Hilbertz developed an technique to electrically accrete limestone out of sea water and was using it to build a micronation, but it was almost certain that it would be seized by Mauritius when it broke surface. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saya_de_Malha_Bank#Artificial_island_project http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saya_de_Malha_Bank#Artificial_i...
heyitsnick 17y ago
Unsurprisingly, this and many other questions is covered in their FAQ and extended FAQ sections. This was 2 click away from the homepage in a very well thought-out and easy to navigate website. http://seasteading.org/book_beta/Alternative%20Strategies.html#whynotjustbuyanislandorpartofathird-worldcountry http://seasteading.org/book_beta/Alternative%20Strategies.ht...
stcredzero 17y ago
Retarded about the platform. Why not use an island instead? Actually their plans are very well thought out. (And apparently you didn't read them before you decided to critique.) Basing a platform on the principle of a Spar Buoy gives them immunity to just about any rogue wave or tidal wave nature, given enough clearance. Their larger designs could ride those out, while most buildings on an island would be toast. Also, nature's not making new sovereign islands at a particularly useful rate.
jacoblyles 17y ago
Actually, Patri's primary reason for building free floating nations is because of an economic concept he calls "dynamic geography". http://seasteading.org/seastead.org/new_pages/dynamic_geography.html http://seasteading.org/seastead.org/new_pages/dynamic_geogra... Basically, he postulates that the reason current governments suck is that there is a high barrier of entry into the industry and a high cost for consumers to switch providers. But a ruler of an archipelago of seasteads who passed an unpopular law might wake up to find all the residents have moved their platforms. Seasteading puts competitive pressure on the government industry and provides incentives to govern wisely. Also see Patri's Econ Talk podcast: http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2008/10/patri_friedman.html http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2008/10/patri_friedman.html

If you know of an easy supply of islands that aren't already claimed by some country, I'm sure they'd love to hear about it.

ErrantX 17y ago
Could build one - shallow water (that might be the hard bit), artificial base then a thick layer of imported rock/soil. :)
- cmars232 17y ago
  Shallow water would probably fall within another sovereign's nautical territory.
  - jhancock 17y ago
    agreed. I find it interesting that in light of this, the photo on the home page clearly shows the platform within some country's water.
  - ErrantX 17y ago
    yes, probably. Though they do discuss the fact that current plans will put the building within the USA's territorial waters.
    - stcredzero 17y ago
      Only as an interim step. I'd see if the island of Nauru would lend them their sovereignty in exchange for their continued existence as sea levels rise. The island would only become a mooring point, but as long as they could build up just one spot above sea level, they'd still exist.
- kam 17y ago
  This has actually been done - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_Minerva http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_Minerva Unfortunately, Tonga claimed the island and kicked them out.
- jws 17y ago
  The current set of countries are protective of their oligopoly. Generally, some nation will come and take it from you. Wolf Hilbertz developed an technique to electrically accrete limestone out of sea water and was using it to build a micronation, but it was almost certain that it would be seized by Mauritius when it broke surface. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saya_de_Malha_Bank#Artificial_island_project http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saya_de_Malha_Bank#Artificial_i...

heyitsnick 17y ago

Unsurprisingly, this and many other questions is covered in their FAQ and extended FAQ sections. This was 2 click away from the homepage in a very well thought-out and easy to navigate website. http://seasteading.org/book_beta/Alternative%20Strategies.html#whynotjustbuyanislandorpartofathird-worldcountry http://seasteading.org/book_beta/Alternative%20Strategies.ht...

stcredzero 17y ago

Retarded about the platform. Why not use an island instead? Actually their plans are very well thought out. (And apparently you didn't read them before you decided to critique.) Basing a platform on the principle of a Spar Buoy gives them immunity to just about any rogue wave or tidal wave nature, given enough clearance. Their larger designs could ride those out, while most buildings on an island would be toast. Also, nature's not making new sovereign islands at a particularly useful rate.

jacoblyles 17y ago

Actually, Patri's primary reason for building free floating nations is because of an economic concept he calls "dynamic geography". http://seasteading.org/seastead.org/new_pages/dynamic_geography.html http://seasteading.org/seastead.org/new_pages/dynamic_geogra... Basically, he postulates that the reason current governments suck is that there is a high barrier of entry into the industry and a high cost for consumers to switch providers. But a ruler of an archipelago of seasteads who passed an unpopular law might wake up to find all the residents have moved their platforms. Seasteading puts competitive pressure on the government industry and provides incentives to govern wisely. Also see Patri's Econ Talk podcast: http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2008/10/patri_friedman.html http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2008/10/patri_friedman.html