My point for years now is "It will be able to do EVERYTHING." It doesn't matter what you think it can't do; it will do that too... or it will at least so perfectly mimic it as to not matter. People constantly say "Well, it can't create a freeform soulful bluesy prog-rock album" and that's one of the first things it did years ago with OpenAI's Jukebox. It can't create a Jackson Pollock painting with the same energy and chaos, and I say "Literally just give it time."
I wholeheartedly agree.
And that's a very scary thought, because it just feels wrong in so many ways. My perspective has always been "But WHY does it feel wrong? Is it because it actually is, or because it's continuing the trend that started centuries ago of displacing humanity from thinking he is the center of the universe?"
WOW. Amazing take.
I really just don't know how the current anti-AI contingent is going to react to that. They have no idea that these are quite literally the waning days of even being able to seriously argue that AI is a nothingburger. And by the time that AI shows clearly that it's not the scam or fake trend so many seem convinced it is, it'll be too late to ban it or do anything to stop it.
This is one of the many things that irks me about these people. Their opponent (AI) is both super powerful and scary and super useless at the same time (jump between each as is convenient). Reminds me of how Trumpers characterized Joe Biden
I don't know where to put this, so I'm figuring this is the best place (hopefully). Since my twenties, I've been fascinated by "The Seasteading Institute." It isn't perfect and there have been issues in the past and now, but I recently saw this video they emailed me about. I am so shocked the idea has gotten to the stage where this is possible! I thought it was a long way out yet. Most of the questions and criticisms I initially had about the project seem to be answered by "Ocean Builders" explanations. While it still isn't perfect (for example, smart everything can lead to a lack of privacy or issues if the network goes down, etc, I'm so incredibly inspired by what they have been able to do and figure out, even if initially attempts fail ultimately). Also, sorry about the cheesiness of some of the parts of this video and the connection to some dubious things like "EMF frequencies" and "Starlink." Also, "Thiel" has funded "The Seasteading Institute" in the past, and it has a strong libertarian bent. Still, I'm fascinated that the "Ocean Builders" group has gone with attempts to make it sustainable for the ocean too, did not expect that from more libertarian-minded folks. Also, I should note that "Ocean Builders" which is the project this is referencing does not have clear ties to "The Seasteading Institute" from what I have seen (the project is listed on their website, but I'm not sure what the connection is). I consider "The Seasteading Institute" to be more of the philosophical idea and concept behind stuff like this.
If I had been smart (and less religious) when I was younger, I would have gone to college to study marine biology and genetics (as a combo) and then done research projects about the ocean. I would have loved to have been a part of this project or something similar, despite the flaws.
Some of my initial skepticism:
Food? - Drone delivery system they have set up themselves with a 5 km range (for now).
Hurricanes? - Only in "hurricane safe" areas for now, but are building models that can handle hurricanes.
Water? - The roof catches water that goes through an advanced filtration system for drinking.
Waste water? - Grey water systems for most waste water, 70 percent is able to be recycled, similar process used to water treatment plants.
Waste, like toilet waste? - Solids go through an additional waste system that turns the waste into ash and remaining grey water waste from these systems joins the other recyclable water.
Trash? - A trash collecting robot comes to collect it, that also cleans up the ocean surface of trash. Recyclables are taken to recycling plants on land and trash to landfills or other trash processing places on land.
Power? - Solar power with a backup generator.
Temperature control? - AC with large windows that can be opened to provide help with the temperature so the AC doesn't have to do all the work, also there is a sunroof that opens to help as well (closes automatically during rain).
Ocean sustainability? - The underside of the design is made to allow sea life to hide in and around, bolstering coral reefs and/or ocean hideouts and hang outs for fish.
Erosion? - Special design that creates vibrations on solid steel that prolong the lifetime of the metal in sea water, while also having apparently a positive impact on coral reefs.
Emergencies? - Most of them are close to land for now, but they are designing them with a helipad on the roof for helicopters and maybe eventually drones that can carry people (in the future).
Lol! That actually makes more sense for a Libertarian-run organization or idea. I did think there were still some major flaws, as the system would have never been independent of land, and the technology to run such a self-sufficient habitat is not feasible yet. Plus the right-wing connections and money are not giving a good look (for me anyway). I still follow the idea simply because I'm curious if anyone ever will pull it off, but looks like it is a long way off yet, especially making it sustainable or self-sufficient from land. Anyway, thanks for the critique that is more well-rounded than what I was looking at. I do appreciate it.
Ocean builders is flawed but it will be a good test of sovereignty rights in international waters if some of these rich guys start posting up offshore in them. In the future we could genetically modify coral to create floating living islands the size of small countries that add habitat to the ecosystem and provide living space. In Greg Egan's novel Distress there is a large anarchist coral island out in the south pacific independent of world governments. The coral is also the sewer system and water filtration system. It seems fantastical but there's no reason it's not possible with better bioengineering.
My main concern engineering wise with seapods is what happens if a rogue wave hits one?
