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I tend to agree -- there's no compelling need to get to Mars. But there are many large problems that would be worth working on. Food supplies and distribution,

by clebio 14y ago

I tend to agree -- there's no compelling need to get to Mars. But there are many large problems that would be worth working on. Food supplies and distribution, renewable energy, poverty, basic education, civic engagement, etcetera. Self-sufficient robots might be nice-to-have too, but I'm less convinced about the social utility. That just sounds to me like either teleconferencing robots[1] or UAVs for war. The concern is that we've given up on trying to mobilize during peacetime. That collective amnesia has lulled us to complacency based on large, flat-screen TVs and high-speed internet, forgetting that fiber networks and LCD technology took decades of concerted effort, institutional-scale labs, and principled scientific methods. [1]: http://www.doublerobotics.com/ http://www.doublerobotics.com/

randomdata 14y ago
Food supplies and distribution, renewable energy Those sound like deep political nightmares. I can see why they would want to steer clear. Just the other day I heard someone complaining about the use of mined fertilizers in agriculture. Farmers used to have a renewable resource for fertilizer in grasses, but the market for cattle fell out because raising them was unsatisfactory to the population, so there is relatively little need to grow those grasses anymore. Renewable energy is an even bigger minefield right now. Neighbours who were once great friends are now mortal enemies just because one party decided to erect a wind turbine. The rallies against them are growing stronger by the day, and wouldn't be surprised to hear about violence as a result of them soon. I'm not suggesting the above are the right solutions, just examples of resistance at every turn in our attempts to find the right solution. The perfect solution doesn't arrive overnight, and even if it were to, I'm not certain half the population would even accept it. Even it would come with some drawback that someone doesn't like, making it seem like the of the world if you try to implement it.

by clebio 14y ago

randomdata 14y ago

Food supplies and distribution, renewable energy Those sound like deep political nightmares. I can see why they would want to steer clear. Just the other day I heard someone complaining about the use of mined fertilizers in agriculture. Farmers used to have a renewable resource for fertilizer in grasses, but the market for cattle fell out because raising them was unsatisfactory to the population, so there is relatively little need to grow those grasses anymore. Renewable energy is an even bigger minefield right now. Neighbours who were once great friends are now mortal enemies just because one party decided to erect a wind turbine. The rallies against them are growing stronger by the day, and wouldn't be surprised to hear about violence as a result of them soon. I'm not suggesting the above are the right solutions, just examples of resistance at every turn in our attempts to find the right solution. The perfect solution doesn't arrive overnight, and even if it were to, I'm not certain half the population would even accept it. Even it would come with some drawback that someone doesn't like, making it seem like the of the world if you try to implement it.