Seeing Farther Through Science
Visionary memes about the future of the human race and our potential.
Folksonomies: enlightenment science vision
Memes
29 NOV 2016
The Destiny of Earthseed
The Destiny of EarthseedIs to take root among the stars.It is to live and to thriveOn new earths.It is to become new beingsAnd to consider new questions.It is to leap into the heavensAgain and again.It is to explore the vastnessOf heaven.It is to explore the vastnessOf ourselves.
We are Earthseed.We are flesh—self aware, questing, problem-solving flesh.We are that aspect of Earthlife best able to shape God knowingly.We are Earthlife maturing,Earthlife preparing to fall away from the parent ...
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28 MAY 2013
Turning Asteroids into Terreriums
With the hefty biomass created by a marsh, you can then build up land using some of your excavated materials, saved on the surface of the asteroid for this moment. Hills and mountains look great and add texture, so be bold! This process will redirect your water into new hydrologies, and this is the best time to introduce new species, also to export species you no longer want, giving them to newer terraria that might need them.
Thus over time you can transform the interior of your terrarium t...Folksonomies: futurism space exploration
Folksonomies: futurism space exploration
Instructions from a fictional booklet on hollowing out asteroids to fill them with biomes.
28 MAY 2013
Actuarial Escape Velocity
actuarial escape velocity is defined as occurring when a year of medical research adds more than a year’s worth of longevity to the total population. Nothing even close to this has ever been achieved, and emerging signs of an asymptotic curve in progress suggest this velocity may neverA medical concept, when medical research extends lifespans at a rate of more than one year per one year of research.
13 MAY 2013
Dyson Spheres
The purpose of this report is to point out other possibilities which ought to be considered in planning any serious search for evidence of extraterrestrial beings. We start from the notion that the time scale for industrial and technical development of these beings is likely to be very short in comparison with the time scale of stellar evolution. It is therefore overwhelmingly probable that any such beings observed by us will have been in existence for millions of years, and will have already...
1 An extraterrestrial civilization grown to a certain population will need to harvest the full resources of it's environment. By converting a planet like Jupiter into a shield around the system's star, the civilization could maximize the use of the sun's output.
16 AUG 2012
Benjamin Franklin on Future of Science
The rapid progress true science now makes occasions my regretting sometimes that I was born so soon. It is impossible to imagine the Height to which may be carried, in a thousand years, the Power of Man over Matter...Agriculture may diminish its Labour and double its Produce; all Diseases may, by sure means, be prevented or cured, not even excepting that of Old Age, and our Lives lengthened at pleasure even beyond the antediluvian Standard. O that moral Science were in as fair a way of Improv...Folksonomies: prescience optimism
Folksonomies: prescience optimism
An optimistic vision of the future of man and a lament that he won't be able to see it.
06 AUG 2012
Our Improvement Through Education is Limitless
It has never yet been supposed, that all the facts of nature, and all the means of acquiring precision in the computation and analysis of those facts, and all the connections of objects with each other, and all the possible combinations of ideas, can be exhausted by the human mind. The mere relations of magnitude, the combinations, quantity and extent of this idea alone, form already a system too immense for the mind of man ever to grasp the whole of it; a portion, more vast than that which h...A vision of the future. Although we may never change physically or in our mental capacity, our innovations and amassing of knowledge will provide us with limitless potential for intellectual growth.
23 JUN 2012
A Better Future for Our Children
Our children will enjoy in their homes electrical energy too cheap to meter. ... Transmutation of the elements, unlimited power, ability to investigate the working of living cells by tracer atoms, the secret of photosynthesis about to be uncovered, these and a host of other results, all in about fifteen short years. It is not too much to expect that our children will know of great periodic famines in the world only as matters of history, will travel effortlessly over the seas and under the an...Our children will experience a world made better through science.
17 MAY 2012
Benjamin Franklin's Forsight
I always rejoice to hear of your being still employed in experimental researches into nature, and of the success you meet with. The rapid progress true science now makes, occasions my regretting sometimes that I was born so soon: it is impossible to imagine the height to which may be carried, in a thousand years, the power of man over matter; we may perhaps learn to deprive large masses of their gravity, and give them absolute levity for the sake of easy transport. Agriculture may diminish it...He sees the future of science and the possibilities, but laments that it will not change the morals of man.
12 APR 2012
Intelligent Life May Have Appeared in the Universe Billio...
[W]e might expect intelligent life and technological communities to have emerged in the universe billions of years ago. Given that human society is only a few thousand years old, and that human technological society is mere centuries old, the nature of a community with millions or even billions of years of technological and social progress cannot even be imagined. ... What would we make of a billion-year-old technological community? Folksonomies: extraterrestrials alien life
Folksonomies: extraterrestrials alien life
Considering the age of the universe. The technological progress of such extraterrestrials would make them godlike.
12 JAN 2012
The Universe is a Machine for Making Gods
Mankind lies groaning, half-crushed beneath the weight of its own progress. Men do not sufficiently realize that their future is in their own hands. Theirs is the task of determining first of all whether they want to go on living or not. Theirs the responsibility, then, for deciding if they want merely to live, or intend to make just the extra effort required for fulfilling, even on their refractory planet, the essential function of the universe, which is a machine for the making of gods. And we realize this when we realize we have the power of our future.
01 JAN 2012
Dyson Spheres
The
mathematician Freeman Dyson, of the Institute for Advanced Study, offers a
scheme in which the planet Jupiter is broken down piece by piece, transported to
the distance of the Earth from the Sun, and reconstructed into a spherical shell – a
swarm of individual fragments revolving about the Sun. The advantage of Dyson's
proposal is that all of the sunlight now wasted by not falling upon an inhabited
planet could then be gainfully employed; and a population greatly in excess of that
which n...Folksonomies: extraterrestrials solar power
Folksonomies: extraterrestrials solar power
A hypothetical sphere surrounding a star, harnessing all of its power.
01 JUL 2011
A 1985 View of Science and Technology in Year 2000
The glib words of years past from our politicians are hollow
nightmares indeed when we are confronted with the staggering
realities of what has to be done. But the key is there--technology,
using it-and we hardly do now. The future may be unpredictable,
but we can make a few well-aimed guesses about what life will
be like in the year 2000. We’ll fly on supersonic transports, or
more likely hypersonic transports, for which the ground work (or
should I call it air work) has already been laid at...Folksonomies: futurism
Folksonomies: futurism
Prescient with the qualifier that these things will only happen if America puts emphasis on science and technology education.
02 JUN 2011
Randal Monroe on Space Flight
The universe is probably littered with the one-planet graves of cultures which made the sensible economic decision that there's no good reason to go into space--each discovered, studied, and remembered by the ones who made the irrational decision.Envisioning a universe filled with the planetary grave sites of civilizations that did not see the economic worth of space exploration.
01 JUN 2011
Humanity is an experimental initiative of Universe
Humanity is an experimental initiative of Universe. The experiment is to
discover whether the complex of cosmic laws can maintain the integrity
of eternal regeneration while allowing the mind of the species homo
sapiens on the little planet Earth to discover and use some of the
mathematical laws governing the design of Universe, whereby those humans
can by trial and error develop subjectively from initial ignorance into
satisfactorily informed, successful local-Universe monitors of all
physic...Can humans use their minds to discover and use the laws of the Universe to survive?
28 MAY 2011
The Thrill of Landing on a New Planet
To ANYONE who has been in space and experienced its changelessness, the real excitement of space flight comes when it is time to land on a new planet. The ground speeds backward under you as you catch glimpses of land and water, of geometrical areas and lines that might represent fields and roads. You become aware of the green of growing things, the gray of concrete, the brown of bare ground, the white of snow. Most of all, there is the excitement of populated conglomerates; cities which, on ...Folksonomies: space travel adventuring
Folksonomies: space travel adventuring
Each planet has its own distinct characteristics that are a welcome sight after spending a long time in the abyss of space.
29 MAR 2011
Humans Are Strong, Civilization is Fragile
We have confidence in our science-based civilization and think it has tenure. In so doing, I think we fail to distinguish between the life-span of civilizations and that of our species. In fact, civilizations are ephemeral compared with species. Humans have lasted at least a million years, but there have been 30 civilizations in the past 5000 years. Humans are tough and will survive; civilizations are fragile. It seems clear to me that we are not evolving in intelligence, not becoming true Ho...Humans will survive the death of civilization, which has happened 30 times over the centuries.
03 MAR 2011
The Flow of Semen Every Sixty Seconds
Humanity pumps 53.4 billion liters of bloodper minute, but that red river is not surprising; it must flow to sustain life. At the same time, humanity's male organs eject forty-three tons of semen, and the point is that though each ejaculation is also an ordinary physiological act, for the individual it is irregular, intimate, not overly frequent, and not even necessary. Besides, there are millions of old people, children, voluntary and involuntary celibates, sick people, and so forth. And ye...While this statistic is fictional, it is plausible and thought-provoking considering how Stanislaw Lem philosophizes on it.
02 MAR 2011
Carl Sagan's Vision of the Human Race's Future
We were hunters and foragers. The frontier was everywhere. We were bounded only by the Earth and the ocean and the sky. The open road still softly calls. Our little terraqueous globe as the madhouse of those hundred thousand millions of worlds. We who cannot even put our own planetary home in order, riven with rivalries and hatreds, are we to venture out into space?
By the time we're ready to settle even the nearest other planetary systems, we will have changed. The simple passage of so many...Inspiring.
References
29 NOV 2016
Parable of the Sower (Earthseed, #1)
Books, Brochures, and Chapters>Book: Butler, Octavia E. (1993111), Parable of the Sower (Earthseed, #1), Retrieved on 2016-11-29
Folksonomies: science fiction
Folksonomies: science fiction
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25 MAY 2013
2312
Books, Brochures, and Chapters>Book: Robinson, Kim Stanley (2012-05-22), 2312, Orbit, Retrieved on 2013-05-25Source Material [books.google.com]
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13 MAY 2013
Search for Artificial Stellar Sources of Infrared Radiation
Periodicals>Journal Article: Dyson , Freeman (June 18, 1960), Search for Artificial Stellar Sources of Infrared Radiation, Science, Vol. 131, June 3, 1960, pp. 1667-1668., Retrieved on 2013-05-13Source Material [www.islandone.org]
Folksonomies: speculation extraterrestrial. seti
Folksonomies: speculation extraterrestrial. seti
1
16 AUG 2012
The Autobiography and Other Writings
Books, Brochures, and Chapters>Book: Franklin, Benjamin and Silverman , Kenneth (2003-04-01), The Autobiography and Other Writings, Penguin Classics, Retrieved on 2012-08-16Source Material [books.google.com]
1
06 AUG 2012
Outlines of an Historical View of the Progress of the Hum...
Books, Brochures, and Chapters>Book: Condorcet, Jean-Antoine-Nicolas de Caritat (1795), Outlines of an Historical View of the Progress of the Human Mind, Retrieved on 2012-08-06Source Material [oll.libertyfund.org]
Folksonomies: philosophy
Folksonomies: philosophy
34
23 JUN 2012
Abundant Power From Atom Seen
Periodicals>Newsletter Article: Strauss, Lewis (1954), Abundant Power From Atom Seen, New York Times , (17 Sep 1954) 5. , Retrieved on 2012-06-23
1
17 MAY 2012
Memoirs of Benjamin Franklin
Books, Brochures, and Chapters>Book: Franklin, Benjamin (1839), Memoirs of Benjamin Franklin, Retrieved on 2012-05-17Source Material [books.google.com]
1
12 APR 2012
Are we alone?
Books, Brochures, and Chapters>Book: Davies , P. C. W. (1995-06-23), Are we alone?, Basic Books, Retrieved on 2012-04-12Source Material [books.google.com]
Folksonomies: science
Folksonomies: science
1
12 JAN 2012
The two sources of morality and religion
Books, Brochures, and Chapters>Book: Bergson , Henri (1963), The two sources of morality and religion, Univ of Notre Dame Pr, Retrieved on 2012-01-12Source Material [books.google.com]
Folksonomies: philosophy
Folksonomies: philosophy
1
01 JAN 2012
Carl Sagan's cosmic connection
Books, Brochures, and Chapters>Book: Sagan , Carl (2000-10-23), Carl Sagan's cosmic connection, Cambridge Univ Pr, Retrieved on 2012-01-01Source Material [books.google.com]
Folksonomies: science
Folksonomies: science
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19 JUN 2011
Accomplishments of Science by the Year 2000
Books, Brochures, and Chapters>Book Chapter: Bergman, Jules (1985), Accomplishments of Science by the Year 2000, Langley Research Center, Washington, DC, Retrieved on 2011-06-19
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02 JUN 2011
65 Years
Electronic/World Wide Web>Blog: Monroe, Randall (2011), 65 Years, xkcd, Retrieved on 2011-06-02Source Material [xkcd.com]
Folksonomies: exploration space flight
Folksonomies: exploration space flight
1
01 JUN 2011
Grunch of Giants
Books, Brochures, and Chapters>Book: Fuller , R. Buckminster (2008), Grunch of Giants, Design Science, Retrieved on 2011-06-01
8
28 MAY 2011
Foundation and Earth
Books, Brochures, and Chapters>Book: Asimov, Isaac (2004-08-31), Foundation and Earth, Spectra, Retrieved on 2011-05-28
Folksonomies: science fiction gaia
Folksonomies: science fiction gaia
7
29 MAR 2011
A Book For All Seasons
Electronic/World Wide Web>Internet Article: Lovelock, James (8 May 1998), A Book For All Seasons, Science, Vol. 280 no. 5365 pp. 832-833, Retrieved on 2011-03-29Source Material [www.sciencemag.org]
5
03 MAR 2011
Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space
Books, Brochures, and Chapters>Book: Sagan , Carl (1997-09-08), Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space, Ballantine Books, Retrieved on 2011-03-03Source Material [books.google.com]
3
03 MAR 2011
One Human Minute
Books, Brochures, and Chapters>Book: Lem , Stanislaw (1986-11-24), One Human Minute, Mariner Books, Retrieved on 2011-03-03
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