5 ms·

Good idea. As a civilization, we're a bit behind on the big stuff. Personally, I'm starting NUBE: Nerds United for a Better Earth. We'll use nanotech to turn th

Good idea. As a civilization, we're a bit behind on the big stuff. Personally, I'm starting NUBE: Nerds United for a Better Earth. We'll use nanotech to turn this planet into a death star, thereby mooting all of that space-related effort. Why build ships when we can just make the planet go?

pavel_lishin 15y ago
How do you plan on heating the planet and protecting it from space debris? Let's just borrow a chapter from Ringworld, and move the Sun, dragging the Earth along. I don't have enough napkins for a calculation, but it may be possible to just trail the star as it clears debris ahead of us, while also keeping us warm. (Naturally, the exhaust would have to be redirected around Earth - I don't know if it would be easier to build something around the sun to do this, or to place a shield around the planet.)
- ThaddeusQuay2 15y ago
  How should I know any of that? I'm still busy designing NUBE's logo! Although, if we were to have lunch at a place which was cognizant enough of our needs to provide copious napkins, I would guess that one way to accomplish the goals of which you speak, would be to accrete, around the Earth, a solid shell consisting of asteroids, with plenty of space between the planet and the shell. The planet's surface would be heated due to a combination of the heat which escapes the core, and through the use of nuclear energy, in some fashion, because both of those sources would be trapped by the shell. The shell would obviously protect from space debris, and less obviously, due to its thickness and density, it would protect from the radiation likely to be encountered in deep space. AsteroidShell = 3For1Deal!
  - pavel_lishin 15y ago
    If you live in NYC, I'd actually be glad to meet you for lunch. But we MUST discuss this idea, using only napkins for paper.
    - ThaddeusQuay2 15y ago
      I live in Philadelphia, PA. http://idea-sandbox.com/blog/2007/11/cocktail-napkin-notebooks http://idea-sandbox.com/blog/2007/11/cocktail-napkin-noteboo...
      - pavel_lishin 15y ago
        Dang, well, let me know if you come up here :P

pavel_lishin 15y ago

How do you plan on heating the planet and protecting it from space debris? Let's just borrow a chapter from Ringworld, and move the Sun, dragging the Earth along. I don't have enough napkins for a calculation, but it may be possible to just trail the star as it clears debris ahead of us, while also keeping us warm. (Naturally, the exhaust would have to be redirected around Earth - I don't know if it would be easier to build something around the sun to do this, or to place a shield around the planet.)

ThaddeusQuay2 15y ago
How should I know any of that? I'm still busy designing NUBE's logo! Although, if we were to have lunch at a place which was cognizant enough of our needs to provide copious napkins, I would guess that one way to accomplish the goals of which you speak, would be to accrete, around the Earth, a solid shell consisting of asteroids, with plenty of space between the planet and the shell. The planet's surface would be heated due to a combination of the heat which escapes the core, and through the use of nuclear energy, in some fashion, because both of those sources would be trapped by the shell. The shell would obviously protect from space debris, and less obviously, due to its thickness and density, it would protect from the radiation likely to be encountered in deep space. AsteroidShell = 3For1Deal!
- pavel_lishin 15y ago
  If you live in NYC, I'd actually be glad to meet you for lunch. But we MUST discuss this idea, using only napkins for paper.
  - ThaddeusQuay2 15y ago
    I live in Philadelphia, PA. http://idea-sandbox.com/blog/2007/11/cocktail-napkin-notebooks http://idea-sandbox.com/blog/2007/11/cocktail-napkin-noteboo...
    - pavel_lishin 15y ago
      Dang, well, let me know if you come up here :P