GeekSpeak

[Vulcan Viper]

2022, the year of the Starship!

Early this year we will see the Starship from SpaceX take off. It will be one of the most powerful things you will ever see.

Starship is bigger than the Saturn-5 rocket, and it can land. It will be able to carry 150 tons of cargo to the moon. It has several contracts already for commercial launches. Future launches will catch the returning booster rockets with a giant tower equipped with catch arms, so that they can launch again after only a few hours for refueling.

This will get humans into space big time, if we are ever to go at all. So 2022 is the year in which we become a space-going species. Hold your helmet, it will go very fast. Join us at noon SLT on January 1st to discuss it. Bring your Kerbal friends.

When: GeekSpeak is held every Saturday at 12:00 pm Pacific (SLT)
Where: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/149/129/51

[Fritigern Gothly]

5 minutes ago, Vulcan Viper said:

Early this year we will see the Starship from SpaceX take off.

Assuming it won't go boom.

[Nick0678]

25 minutes ago, Vulcan Viper said:

2022, the year of the Starship!

Yeah... i wouldn't bet my money on the release date, might release it at the same time as Tesla Roadster.

(*still taking reservations btw, only US$50,000 to reserve a 2019 car which won't be build earlier than 2023.)

[Vulcan Viper]

Should Elon Musk end World Hunger?

Recently Musk was asked to donate $6 billion to end world hunger.  Would that be possible?  Would there be no more starvation if a few billionaires gave some money?

If it can’t be solved in that way, how are we to end world hunger?  If new inventions guarantee free access to information for everyone, would that help?  Or how about efficient worldwide transport, to distribute the food properly?  Or how about a social change?  Should we all start thinking that it is unacceptable that anyone, anywhere, should die of starvation?

What technology are we hoping for?  Or maybe, what change in the law?

How many years will it take to solve world hunger?  5, 20, 100?  Or will it never be solved?

Join us at GeekSpeak, at noon SLT this Saturday.  Admission free, bring your kids!

When: GeekSpeak is held every Saturday at 12:00 pm Pacific (SLT)
Where: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/149/129/51

[Vulcan Viper]

Are you enjoying Veganuary?

 

Veganuary – a month living as a vegan! Many people are doing it. Are you? Or are you doing Dry January – a month without alcohol? Or both?

 

Should we all learn how to live as vegans? Is it immoral to live in any other way? Or do we need to be vegans because of climate change and the increasing population? Will meat be priced out of existence in the future? Will anyone still eat animals 100 years from now? Or are vegans just a moralistic pest?

 

Will science come to our rescue with lab-produced meat? Or will we add things like seaweed or insects (not vegan) to our menu? Or the McPlant? Or will we live on pills produced by our personal AI?

 

Come and discuss the future of food this Saturday at noon SLT. Bring a spoon!

 

When: GeekSpeak is held every Saturday at 12:00 pm Pacific (SLT)

Where: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/149/129/51

[Vulcan Viper]

War! What causes it?

Why do we fight wars? Why do people who could be good friends try to solve their differences by killing each other? Are wars always about resources, or religion, or justice, or revenge? Can they be about something that no one outside the conflict can understand?

What will the wars of the future be about? Will future wars be over almost as soon as they start? Or will the next war last for 10,000 years? Can we prevent wars? Will wars end if we feed everyone properly? Or are they in our nature?

Come and discuss the best way to peace at GeekSpeak this Saturday at noon SLT. Bring all your fellow humans. Guns not allowed.

When: GeekSpeak is held every Saturday at 12:00 pm Pacific (SLT)

Where: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/149/129/51

[Vulcan Viper]

How do you kill a bot?

Will Asimov’s laws protect us? When robots become intelligent enough to roam the streets there could be armies of bad bots roaming around too. How can we protect ourselves? Can we make sure that robots are never programmed to do evil? That no one ever makes bots without the 3 laws of robotics?

Will the 3 laws be enough? Even Asimov thought they could fail in the end.

Can we prevent a terminator scenario before it happens? What options do we have? Could we all emigrate to Mars after checking the ship for stowaway bots? Is there a better solution? Or do you think robots will never be a danger to us?

Come to GeekSpeak at noon SLT on Saturday to talk about it. Bring all your robots.

When: GeekSpeak is held every Saturday at 12:00 pm Pacific (SLT)

Where: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/149/129/51

[Vulcan Viper]

Does an empire really work?

There are some terrible empires on this planet, like North Korea and Turkmenistan. There are also more moderate empires, like the West. But in both cases people want more freedom.

How much freedom should people have? If we all have complete freedom, is that not anarchy? Where is the ‘sweet spot’? What is the difference between being a slave and being free?

What is needed to bring bad empires down and good empires up? Could we live without empires?

Come and join us in GeekSpeak this Saturday at noon SLT, if your chain is long enough to get here. Bring all your free or unfree friends.

When: GeekSpeak is held every Saturday at 12:00 pm Pacific (SLT)

Where: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/149/129/51

[Vulcan Viper]

What will be the most profound technology in the next 10 years?

As a species we are facing a future with huge changes. AI, new materials, abundant energy, biotech, gen therapy, abundant internet, underpopulation, mass unemployment, all these and many more will make big differences in the next 10 years.

How will we deal with all this? Is Universal Basic Income the answer?

If not, will we see a ‘digital divide’ with an elite and a lot of people in the useless masses? And what is on the other side?

Come and discuss the future in GeekSpeak at noon SLT this Saturday. Your life depends on it.

Bring your friends!

When: GeekSpeak is held every Saturday at 12:00 pm Pacific (SLT)
Where: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/149/129/51

[Vulcan Viper]

Can we live without money?

There are some people who firmly believe that humanity should stop using money. They point to those who are homeless or starving or dying from lack of medical care and say that all these problems would be solved if we lived in a society that did not depend on money.

Many different forms of money have been used through the ages: beads, shells, cigarettes, gold. But has there ever been a society without any form of money at all? What would happen to us if we stopped using it? How would society work? Or perhaps you think it would not work at all?

Join us in GeekSpeak on Saturday at noon SLT to discuss a world without money. Would it be a utopia or a dystopia, or simply chaos? Bring your friends, and something to barter with.

When: GeekSpeak is held every Saturday at 12:00 pm Pacific (SLT)
Where: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/149/129/51

[Vulcan Viper]

Is this the Best Time to be Alive?

Would you rather live 1000 years in the past, or 100 years in the past, or maybe just 20 years in the past? In the past, ordinary people could understand the technology and see where we were heading and perhaps it was a more hopeful, and in many ways a more beautiful, world then.

Or would you like to live in the future? In the year 3000, or 2100 or maybe the year 2042? Will the future be better or worse than the present? Is there any way to tell? Can you see signs of what is to come? Or is the future completely unpredictable, determined by unknown ‘black swans’?

If we survive the next 20 years what world will we see? Will we wish we were back in 2022? Will we have to start all over again? Or will everything be better?

Join us in GeekSpeak at noon SLT on Saturday to see the future. Bring your crystal ball!

When: GeekSpeak is held every Saturday at 12:00 pm Pacific (SLT)
Where: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/149/129/51

[Vulcan Viper]

How much of the world is hidden from our senses?

We tend to think these days that we can observe and measure everything but there is a lot going on out there that we are not aware of.  There are birds that react to differences in air temperature and others that can detect magnetic fields.  There are animals that can see infrared or ultraviolet.  Plants can detect and respond to chemicals given off by other plants.

There are ecosystems deep in the ocean or underground that we know nothing about.  There are processes in deep space that are too slow for us to sense.  And some living processes, like birdsong, are too fast for us.

Join us in GeekSpeak at noon SLT on Saturday and re-learn how to see the world.  Let’s imagine how it might look if we had more and better senses.  Bring all your eyes and ears!

When: GeekSpeak is held every Saturday at 12:00 pm Pacific (SLT)
Where: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/149/129/51

[Vulcan Viper]

What will the Post-war World look like?

There is a war raging now that will change the world stage, maybe forever. What will happen to world politics and the world economy in the future?

Will the world convert quickly to solar power? Or will we start fracking? Or rely on nuclear power? Or dig for coal? What about oil prices? Will the war accelerate the trend to electric vehicles?

Will the Cold War start again? Will the war put an end to our efforts to stop global warming? Will we still be able to live as we do now?

And what will happen to the Space industry? Will we have to stop our journey into the universe?

Come to GeekSpeak at noon SLT on Saturday and discuss the changes that will reshape the world. Bring your friends!

When: GeekSpeak is held every Saturday at 12:00 pm Pacific (SLT)
Where: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/149/129/51

[Vulcan Viper]

Extreme Capitalism!

A few weeks ago we talked about a world without money, this week we will go to the opposite extreme and talk about a world where people are charged for absolutely everything.  Let’s imagine that the Ferengi from Star Trek landed on Earth and bought the world presidency.  Would that lead to a fairer world?

Everything would have a price.  You would have to pay for a chair in a bar or restaurant.  You can visit your friends if you pay them for every minute.  Standing in a bus shelter costs money and all bridges are taxed.  Country walks cost so much per mile and you can charge the neighbors for admiring your garden.

How would we be changed by such a world?  Would it be simpler than the mixed social setup we have now?  Come and discuss the world of money in GeekSpeak at noon SLT on Saturday.   Bring all your friends with money!

When: GeekSpeak is held every Saturday at 12:00 pm Pacific (SLT)
Where: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/149/129/51

[Vulcan Viper]

What is our purpose? Eat, Drink and be Merry?

What is your purpose in life? Is it enough to eat and drink and enjoy as much of life as you can? Or do we all need a higher purpose?

Do we need a purpose that is just for us? Does having your own purpose make you happier? Is it worth trying to find one? Will we still be looking for a purpose even if all our wishes on earth are met?

Can you find a purpose in the future of our species? In the colonisation of other planets perhaps? Or in the end of disease or war? Do duties and obligations provide a purpose?

Come and join us in GeekSpeak at noon SLT on Saturday to discuss what drives us and where we are going. Bring all your friends, and a map!

When: GeekSpeak is held every Saturday at 12:00 pm Pacific (SLT)
Where: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/149/129/51

[Vulcan Viper]

How much Free Speech do you want?

Would a completely open world where all speech is allowed function properly? It is tempting to think that if we allow everyone to say anything then those who trade in insults and abuse would sink to the bottom of the social ladder and people who give thoughtful, true information would rise to the top. But we do not see that happening now on social media. Why not? And what would make it happen?

Where would you draw the line where free speech is concerned? Are insults OK? Or calls for violence? Or calls to overthrow a dictator? Maybe you think there should not be a line at all?

Leave Twitter for a while and join us in GeekSpeak at noon SLT on Saturday to chat about free speech, with your friends!

When: GeekSpeak is held every Saturday at 12:00 pm Pacific (SLT)
Where: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/149/129/51

[Vulcan Viper]

Will we all be Perfect in the future?

With DNA editing we can improve the way our bodies function. With robotic enhancements we will be able to do things no human can do. Where will all these new powers take us?

Is it possible to be perfect? Or will there always be trade-offs? Should some enhancements be against the law? Who will decide for children?

Will humanity split into different species? The rich will be enhanced and the poor will remain normal perhaps? Will we see eugenics wars?

Join us in GeekSpeak at noon SLT on Saturday to explore what it will mean to be more than human. Bring all your humans. And robots are welcome.

When: GeekSpeak is held every Saturday at 12:00 pm Pacific (SLT)
Where: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/149/129/51

[Vulcan Viper]

Is the Age of Abundance coming?

There is a theory that in the coming years many essential items in the world economy will become (almost) free. Free food, clothes, housing, medicine, energy, education. Maybe even free transport, free computers, free holidays, free cosmetic surgery. An age of plenty is coming for everyone.

Will that happen? How will it happen? Will increasing technology and increasing knowledge mean that the cost of keeping 20 billion humans alive and happy will become marginal? Do you find it hard to believe in the Age of Abundance in a world where people still starve to death?

What will it be like to live in such a world, if it does happen? Come to GeekSpeak at noon SLT on Saturday and discuss our hopefully very near future. Bring all your stuff!

When: GeekSpeak is held every Saturday at 12:00 pm Pacific (SLT)
Where: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/149/129/51

Edited April 14, 2022 by Vulcan Viper
I added when and where GeekSpeak takes place.

[Vulcan Viper]

Is extreme Inequality of Wealth dangerous?

The battle between rich and poor will never end. Why are we not rich? What can we do about it? Do we mind that there are rich people in the world? Why do people hate the rich?

Billionaires are becoming more powerful all the time. What happens if they take over all social media, all broadcasting, all military establishments?

Politicians can be rich but, in democratic societies, they can be voted out. Billionaires can’t be.

Should the rich be forced to pay 100% tax when they die? What would happen then?

Come to GeekSpeak on Saturday at noon SLT to discuss inequality and what to do about it. Bring all your friends, rich and poor!

When: GeekSpeak is held every Saturday at 12:00 pm Pacific (SLT)
Where: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/149/129/51

[Vulcan Viper]

What if we were all Vulcans?

A few weeks ago we discussed what life would be like if we were all Ferengi.  This week let’s try to imagine what the world would be like if we were all Vulcans.  All emotions suppressed, ruled by logic and reason only.

Vulcans seem to be ideally suited to science, with all questions being decided on the basis of evidence and logic.  Would science progress faster if we were Vulcans?  With fewer sidetracks and dead ends?  Would we over-engineer the planet perhaps?

Would we still sing songs and make music or art?  Would we play games?  Would we be happy?  Can a Vulcan ever be really happy?

Come to GeekSpeak this Saturday at noon SLT and live like a Vulcan for a while.  Since the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, bring all your friends!

When: GeekSpeak is held every Saturday at 12:00 pm Pacific (SLT)
Where: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/149/129/51

Edited April 28, 2022 by Vulcan Viper
just removing some superfluous carriage returns.

[Love Zhaoying]

Then we'd have 3 ears, like Spock.

[Vulcan Viper]

Will China fall apart?

China has so many problems that it is possible that a big change is around the corner.  What form will it take?  Regime change, civil war, the country splitting into different regions?

When we hear about the social control in China, the vicious lockdowns, we may want to ask why China is so different from the rest of the world.  What is really happening there?  How can we find out?

Come to GeekSpeak on Saturday at noon SLT and let’s talk about why China might fall in the next few years.  What will happen to the rest of the world if it does?  Will it slow down human progress or speed it up?

Let’s talk China.  Bring all your Chinese friends!

When: GeekSpeak is held every Saturday at 12:00 pm Pacific (SLT)
Where: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/149/129/51

[Vulcan Viper]

What will the first Space Factory look like?

Believe it or not, the first space factory will be launched this year.  It will be the start of a huge industry.  What will be made first in space?  3d printed kidneys?  Metal alloys that can be perfectly mixed in an environment without gravity?  Data centers?

How about space hotels for the new space tourism industry?  When will ordinary people start to go into space?  Do you expect to go, either as a tourist or as a factory worker?  If you are really lucky, you may get a job as a window cleaner.

What will space manufacturing look like?  Come to GeekSpeak on Saturday at noon SLT to discuss your future job.  Bring all the astronauts you know!

When: GeekSpeak is held every Saturday at 12:00 pm Pacific (SLT)
Where: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/149/129/51

[Vulcan Viper]

What if we could all understand each other?

Will we all speak just one language in the future?  Will that one language co-exist with thousands of local languages? Or will it be the only language we know?

Or will we understand each other because we have AI devices, either external or internal, that can translate anything?  Will that revolutionize the world?  Suddenly you can have a deep discussion about Shakespeare with your Iranian neighbor or watch a football game with your Norwegian friends.  People will even be able to invent their own languages.  Will this AI bring peace to the world or will it bring more problems?  What happens if the AI devices suddenly stop working?  Babel AI?

Come to GeekSpeak at noon SLT on Saturday to discuss the world of words.  Bring a dictionary and your friends!

When: GeekSpeak is held every Saturday at 12:00 pm Pacific (SLT)
Where: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/149/129/51

[Vulcan Viper]

How do we fight misinformation?

Misinformation is the problem of our era.  All the time people post untruths for political, ideological, or financial reasons, or just for fun.  Millions of people believe things that are not true.  The situation will get worse as technology improves and deepfakes become common.

The worst examples of false information come from North Korea and Russia but there are plenty from the West as well.  How can we trust anything?

How do we fight it?  Could AI help, perhaps by checking everything posted?  But why would we trust AI?  Or the people who program AI? Are there other solutions?

Will there ever be a time when people can rely on information?  Was there ever such a time?

Come to GeekSpeak on Saturday at noon SLT to ask if we are lost.  Bring your factsheets and your friends!

When: GeekSpeak is held every Saturday at 12:00 pm Pacific (SLT)
Where: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/149/129/51