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...or UN organization, I believe I wrote. Because those are the two organizational forces that would have the wherewithal and resources to do this. Governments

...or UN organization, I believe I wrote. Because those are the two organizational forces that would have the wherewithal and resources to do this. Governments and corporations would never bother, for roughly the same reasons. I do not definitively know that it is not happening. But one also cannot definitively know that everything outside of one's field of view isn't the objects one's sense of object permanence expects but rather densely-packed Hitlers, as per the relevant SMBC [0]. I cannot allow myself the luxury of irrational hope, no matter how cool and Hollywood-filmy the idea of a secret saving-the-world agency might be. [0] https://www.smbc-comics.com/?id=3307 https://www.smbc-comics.com/?id=3307

mym1990 4y ago
I get the UN angle, but didn't understand why it has to be an influential billionaire...vs an uninfluential billionaire?
- revolvingocelot 4y ago
  The "UN angle"? Seriously? OK, sure. Many "billionaires" are merely people with big business empires. There's a difference between net worth and liquid capital; the former wouldn't suffice to enact the big backup. And then there's the difference between those who chase an ever-rising number to slake some unquenchable thirst in their heads, and those who amass gigantic fortunes to enact some non-financial end. The former would never even think to try this idea, as trying to save chunks of the ending world has nothing to do with making more money. Or maybe it's merely a matter of focus -- the media hangs on the words of the likes of Gates and Musk, but Bloomberg burned half a billion to learn that you can't meme your way into political power (or perhaps just that you can't do it with an ad blitz). Anyway, I'm presuming that any individual billionaire who might be financially able to try something like this would likely also need the social capital of a Musk or Gates to overcome the boring, staid, actuarial reality that we don't have the knowledge, technology, or social capital to do something like this.

mym1990 4y ago

I get the UN angle, but didn't understand why it has to be an influential billionaire...vs an uninfluential billionaire?

revolvingocelot 4y ago
The "UN angle"? Seriously? OK, sure. Many "billionaires" are merely people with big business empires. There's a difference between net worth and liquid capital; the former wouldn't suffice to enact the big backup. And then there's the difference between those who chase an ever-rising number to slake some unquenchable thirst in their heads, and those who amass gigantic fortunes to enact some non-financial end. The former would never even think to try this idea, as trying to save chunks of the ending world has nothing to do with making more money. Or maybe it's merely a matter of focus -- the media hangs on the words of the likes of Gates and Musk, but Bloomberg burned half a billion to learn that you can't meme your way into political power (or perhaps just that you can't do it with an ad blitz). Anyway, I'm presuming that any individual billionaire who might be financially able to try something like this would likely also need the social capital of a Musk or Gates to overcome the boring, staid, actuarial reality that we don't have the knowledge, technology, or social capital to do something like this.