I read it as an exercise in science fiction, and imagining what will be possible with stuff that's not far beyond the current state of the art. Yes all of these

I read it as an exercise in science fiction, and imagining what will be possible with stuff that's not far beyond the current state of the art. Yes all of these ideas are unworkable right now. The shocking thing, when I stopped to think about it, is how much closer they are to being realistic than my gut instinct felt like they were. Sufficiently powerful computation, storage, and solar power are cheap and miniaturized. Hobbyists have used cameras tied to balloons to take video of the edge of space. Research projects have produced robots that can power themselves from biomass and sugars. All science fact. Ten years ago these ideas would have been obvious science fiction. Now it takes a bit longer to establish what parts are outlandish because so much of it is so much more plausible. It makes me think about how things will look in 2022. I don't have a strong expectation that any of these ideas in particular will come true. The future will likely be stranger still.