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> Earth being embedded in a vast ocean of resource This reads like prosperity gospel and law of attraction nonsense rolled together and repackaged for a techni

> Earth being embedded in a vast ocean of resource This reads like prosperity gospel and law of attraction nonsense rolled together and repackaged for a technical audience. A kilogram of anything from space is orders of magnitude more expensive to acquire than a kilogram on Earth. No technology will change that within my lifetime. If there are no physics-redefining advances in nuclear fusion and/or nuclear fission, my grandchildren will probably be able to make the same claim.

pixl97 7y ago
>A kilogram of anything from space is orders of magnitude more expensive to acquire than a kilogram on Earth. Eh, that's because you, like most of humanity, like to hide 99% of the cost. What is the cost of pollution? What is the cost of environmental destruction? Once you destroy a habitat on earth, there is no more cost associated with it, it's just gone and no amount of money can ever bring it back.
- slumdev 7y ago
  You're responding to something I didn't write. You have an obvious great respect for the environment. I do, too. Mining asteroids and colonizing other planets will do more to destroy Earth's environment than just building nuclear, solar, wind, and hydro, and improving battery technology without leaving this planet.
dTal 7y ago
>A kilogram of anything from space is orders of magnitude more expensive to acquire than a kilogram on Earth. This is true, if you are on Earth and wish to remain there. If you are in space already, and don't have deal with pesky things like gravity and friction, it could conceivably be way easier to chip a lump of metal off an asteroid and hurl it in the general direction of where it needs to be, than to dig it up and put it on a boat. It's a bit chicken and egg, but it's easy to imagine a scenario where off-world becomes the new Shenzen.
- 0xffff2 7y ago
  > It's a bit chicken and egg, but it's easy to imagine a scenario where off-world becomes the new Shenzen. So easy to imagine that we've been doing so for 40 years [0]. In fact, the basic technology seems to have been in place for 40 years as well, but no economic incentive to execute on these grand plans for permanent human habitation in space has yet been found. Furthermore, I have yet to see any evidence that such incentive will ever be found. [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_High_Frontier:_Human_Colonies_in_Space https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_High_Frontier:_Human_Colon...
TeMPOraL 7y ago
I believe GP meant "human ingenuity" is the "resource" making this "vast ocean" in which we swim. I think that because I've seen this phrasing before. Of course it makes absolutely no sense to put "human ingenuity" in the same category as oil, metals or fertile land. It's just a way for entrepreneurs to justify their entrepreneurship.

pixl97 7y ago

>A kilogram of anything from space is orders of magnitude more expensive to acquire than a kilogram on Earth. Eh, that's because you, like most of humanity, like to hide 99% of the cost. What is the cost of pollution? What is the cost of environmental destruction? Once you destroy a habitat on earth, there is no more cost associated with it, it's just gone and no amount of money can ever bring it back.

slumdev 7y ago
You're responding to something I didn't write. You have an obvious great respect for the environment. I do, too. Mining asteroids and colonizing other planets will do more to destroy Earth's environment than just building nuclear, solar, wind, and hydro, and improving battery technology without leaving this planet.

dTal 7y ago

>A kilogram of anything from space is orders of magnitude more expensive to acquire than a kilogram on Earth. This is true, if you are on Earth and wish to remain there. If you are in space already, and don't have deal with pesky things like gravity and friction, it could conceivably be way easier to chip a lump of metal off an asteroid and hurl it in the general direction of where it needs to be, than to dig it up and put it on a boat. It's a bit chicken and egg, but it's easy to imagine a scenario where off-world becomes the new Shenzen.

0xffff2 7y ago
> It's a bit chicken and egg, but it's easy to imagine a scenario where off-world becomes the new Shenzen. So easy to imagine that we've been doing so for 40 years [0]. In fact, the basic technology seems to have been in place for 40 years as well, but no economic incentive to execute on these grand plans for permanent human habitation in space has yet been found. Furthermore, I have yet to see any evidence that such incentive will ever be found. [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_High_Frontier:_Human_Colonies_in_Space https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_High_Frontier:_Human_Colon...

TeMPOraL 7y ago

I believe GP meant "human ingenuity" is the "resource" making this "vast ocean" in which we swim. I think that because I've seen this phrasing before. Of course it makes absolutely no sense to put "human ingenuity" in the same category as oil, metals or fertile land. It's just a way for entrepreneurs to justify their entrepreneurship.