[ExI] EP, lasers and power satellites

[Keith Henson]

On Sun, Mar 4, 2012 at 5:00 AM,  Eugen Leitl <eugen at leitl.org> wrote:

> On Sat, Mar 03, 2012 at 09:03:37AM -0700, Keith Henson wrote:
>
>> If it comes down to building laser propulsion to solve the
>> energy/carbon problems or several billion people starving and dying in
>> resource wars, which do you pick?
>
> But we don't need to build laser propulsion. We need to engage
> a concerted program of actions *immediately*. If successful, we
> will have completed the conversion to a sustainable society by
> 2050 latest.

I have never understood completely how you would fix the problems, but
to the limited extent I do, they involve vast numbers of people
(nations) doing things you personally think would work in a
coordinated way.  That strikes me as an exceedingly remote
possibility.  Laser propulsion isn't likely either but at least it is
something one country or even a private organization could do.  That's
a different order of probability.

> We will have plenty of time then.

Well, yes.  If we don't solve the energy problem well before 2050,
chances are most of the race will die of starvation or resource wars
by then.  (Assuming of course that people have not mostly uploaded
that is.)

> I'm sorry, but this power-pie-in-the-sky thing is. Not. Helping.

I am flexible.  Spent a couple of years working on StratoSolar before
it got too complex to continue.  Convince me that your solutions are
more likely to work.

Given human evolved-in-the-stone-age psychology that's going to be a
difficult task.

Keith