Should there be a cap on attainable wealth?

[NLXSK1]

All wealth is based upon finite resources Rob - ALL of it. Paper money is not wealth, land, diamonds, oil are all representations of potential wealth. You can grow only so many chickens and vegetables on the land you own.

I have a long reading list.

We have not come close to reaching the end of any finite resource. Theoretically we might at some point but that would be long after everyone posting here is dead.

Thus, your argument is pointless...

Not to mention renewable resources.

 

[budlover13]

We have not come close to reaching the end of any finite resource. Theoretically we might at some point but that would be long after everyone posting here is dead.

Thus, your argument is pointless...

Not to mention renewable resources.

Here comes the social "save it for the kids" argument.......

Not that i totally disagree but......

 

[NLXSK1]

Here comes the social "save it for the kids" argument.......

Not that i totally disagree but......

Bud... We are maybe within 100 years of being able to harvest asteroids with robotic ships. I am SERIOUSLY not worried about finite resources. The solar system is full of them much less the galaxy.

People have no clue how small our world is.

 

[budlover13]

Bud... We are maybe within 100 years of being able to harvest asteroids with robotic ships. I am SERIOUSLY not worried about finite resources. The solar system is full of them much less the galaxy.

People have no clue how small our world is.

While i agree that people think they mean more to this universe than a solar fart, i want to be mining asteroids before we exhaust our resources here.

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush imo.

 

[Canna Sylvan]

Here comes the social "save it for the kids" argument.......

Not that i totally disagree but......

I saw that bullshit on a t-shirt, "Not for us, but for our children." How does that work? When does it end? You force your children into believing the same cultist thinking? At least with Jesus and Mahmud, you get paradise when you die for your pure boring life. What does a leftist get?

 

[NLXSK1]

While i agree that people think they mean more to this universe than a solar fart, i want to be mining asteroids before we exhaust our resources here.

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush imo.

What are we in danger of running out of at the moment?

We have only had cars for 200 odd years. Computers will revolutionize every part of society. Our programming is far below our hardware capabilities ATM. The computer age has just begun. We already have aircraft that can land themselves, drones, etc. Not hard to imagine pilotless space craft to survey and mine asteroids. I would think they would just send out a big engine to push the asteroid to earth orbit and mine locally rather than go long haul but who knows?

All that needs to happen is a profit motive and there will be miners headed for the asteroids. I think 100 years is too long actually.

 

[budlover13]

What are we in danger of running out of at the moment?

We have only had cars for 200 odd years. Computers will revolutionize every part of society. Our programming is far below our hardware capabilities ATM. The computer age has just begun. We already have aircraft that can land themselves, drones, etc. Not hard to imagine pilotless space craft to survey and mine asteroids. I would think they would just send out a big engine to push the asteroid to earth orbit and mine locally rather than go long haul but who knows?

All that needs to happen is a profit motive and there will be miners headed for the asteroids. I think 100 years is too long actually.

People rarely worry about scarcity until they start running out. As a toker, you should know this.i DO question trying to bring asteroids into earth orbit though. Can you imagine the possible catastrophe on a global scale if a microchip burned out?

 

[canndo]

We have not come close to reaching the end of any finite resource. Theoretically we might at some point but that would be long after everyone posting here is dead.

Thus, your argument is pointless...

Not to mention renewable resources.

Useable coastline - precious metals, fresh water, oil - just some of the items that are finite in operation. When it takes more and more to get less and less, then that can be deemed as finite for all intents and purposes.

 

[canndo]

Bud... We are maybe within 100 years of being able to harvest asteroids with robotic ships. I am SERIOUSLY not worried about finite resources. The solar system is full of them much less the galaxy.

People have no clue how small our world is.

There must certainly be gobs of gold in outer space - but that fact doesn't seem to affect the price of it here.

 

[canndo]

What are we in danger of running out of at the moment?

We have only had cars for 200 odd years. Computers will revolutionize every part of society. Our programming is far below our hardware capabilities ATM. The computer age has just begun. We already have aircraft that can land themselves, drones, etc. Not hard to imagine pilotless space craft to survey and mine asteroids. I would think they would just send out a big engine to push the asteroid to earth orbit and mine locally rather than go long haul but who knows?

All that needs to happen is a profit motive and there will be miners headed for the asteroids. I think 100 years is too long actually.

Your big problem is that abundance of.... gravity. At 11,000 dollars a pound just to get into low earth orbit, it's going to be a long time before sending mining gear into space will be worth the trouble.

 

[cannabineer]

Your big problem is that abundance of.... gravity. At 11,000 dollars a pound just to get into low earth orbit, it's going to be a long time before sending mining gear into space will be worth the trouble.

What's needed is something we do not have ... in practice or in theory. That's an affordable and scalable way from and to orbit. Chemical propulsion is at its limit emplacing geostationary satellites and boosting national prestige via manned space programs. cn

 

[NLXSK1]

Your big problem is that abundance of.... gravity. At 11,000 dollars a pound just to get into low earth orbit, it's going to be a long time before sending mining gear into space will be worth the trouble.

Not really... The pilot can be the size of a deck of cards now...

If they found an asteroid of solid silver, or platinum, or even copper, it could pay the bill easily.

 

[cannabineer]

Let's say they actually did find an asteroid of solid copper. How would you propose to make money off it, using current or in-ten-years tech? cn

 

[budlover13]

What's needed is something we do not have ... in practice or in theory. That's an affordable and scalable way from and to orbit. Chemical propulsion is at its limit emplacing geostationary satellites and boosting national prestige via manned space programs. cn

You're talking space elevator huh?

 

[cannabineer]

You're talking space elevator huh?

Actually, the more I think about a space elevator, the less I like it.

We cannot manufacture the necessary tensile element. We don't even have a material that could be used. The best known, long carbon nanotubes, lacks the necessary modulus.
We do not have a way of making the "trams" or elevator modules. Somebody once hosted a design contest for such, with the provision that the elevator cable issue was solved.
Finally, the amount of electrical energy needed to boost a ton to geosync (or to the far station, which is above planteray escape potential) is huge. Generating that inside the gravity well is a problem.

Ben Bova wrote a novel in which a half-finished space elevator was blown in two by terrorists. the re-entering portion caused nuclear-scale damage along a wide swath. This is no technology for a planetary society as young and foolish as ours ... and it's my hope that more direct travel modes will be available once we are peaceful enough. cn

 

[Harrekin]

Actually, the more I think about a space elevator, the less I like it.

We cannot manufacture the necessary tensile element. We don't even have a material that could be used. The best known, long carbon nanotubes, lacks the necessary modulus.
We do not have a way of making the "trams" or elevator modules. Somebody once hosted a design contest for such, with the provision that the elevator cable issue was solved.
Finally, the amount of electrical energy needed to boost a ton to geosync (or to the far station, which is above planteray escape potential) is huge. Generating that inside the gravity well is a problem.

Ben Bova wrote a novel in which a half-finished space elevator was blown in two by terrorists. the re-entering portion caused nuclear-scale damage along a wide swath. This is no technology for a planetary society as young and foolish as ours ... and it's my hope that more direct travel modes will be available once we are peaceful enough. cn

Ion drives.

 

[Padawanbater2]

Not really... The pilot can be the size of a deck of cards now...

If they found an asteroid of solid silver, or platinum, or even copper, it could pay the bill easily.

it could if we could extract it, but we can't with current tech

 

[NLXSK1]

it could if we could extract it, but we can't with current tech

Evil corporations will figure it out

 

[Harrekin]

Evil corporations will figure it out

Clearly even Tech 1 mining lasers would do the trick, they've a slow cooldown time but will extract enough minerals for the amateur pilot.

 

[cannabineer]

Ion drives.

A nice idea, but practical? Huge energy budget, amazingly expensive fuel, ultralow thrust. cn