Pessimist / Optimist

[rhys 0]

>On a planet with dwindling resources.... I would think that "selling" a space program that WILL eventually return VAST profits to us as a species.. PLUS making us EXTINCTION proof is a starting point.

Imagine how much a chunk of asteroid 5 miles across that is pretty much PURE Nickel Iron might be worth.


You are Joking Right?


This planet is more than capable of sustaining all it's life forms if we would only repect it as much as we seem to respect these supposed creators of all!

religon = problem

To think that we could or should inhabit another planet is a sure sign of laziness and the lack of desire to change our living habits for the benifit of future (and present) life forms.

We are fucking the place at an alarming rate. The main reason is $$$. if it were cheaper to use corn instead of polystyrene (or styrofoam for you yanks), paper instead of plastic, hemp/flax seed oils and fibres instead of fossil fuels(ether instead of petrolium) etc. etc. this would reduce the dessemation. The companies are the ones that need to be convinced (or most probably forced through taxes etc.) to make change here.

Not fucking Likely! so education of the consumers is what is also needed.

then we wouldn't have to flee.

This planet is in the best and only place for life from this planet.

Spend money on education to reduce population growth where needed and keep a good thing going.

Giving up for ease is pretty disrespectful!

Besides, Mars is too cold, venus is too hot and the moon is inhabited by whack jobs that took too much acid! (i do like old school floyd very much though)

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

[Butters 0]

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On a planet with dwindling resources.... I would think that "selling" a space program that WILL eventually return VAST profits to us as a species.. PLUS making us EXTINCTION proof is a starting point.

Dwindling resources has less to do with war and more to do with the culture of collecting mass amounts of material possessions.

The only reason the space program was started was because of the military (like many other programs). The space program (beyond satellites) is a massive waste of resources (even if all nations collaborated). Why? Because we already know that no planet exists within an acceptable distance that is capable of maintaining life.

"That looks dangerous." Leopold Stotch

[Amazon 7]

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The space program (beyond satellites) is a massive waste of resources (even if all nations collaborated). Why? Because we already know that no planet exists within an acceptable distance that is capable of maintaining life.

You seem to forget just how much of the things in our daily lives are a DIRECT RESULT of research done in the space program....sheesh.

Given the resources that have been spent on the military would be producing results now.....if we as a species are going to survive... we had best start learning to live with one another.. and since we have trouble doing that........to move outwards...develop the technology needed to do it. That reduces the pressures on the species on this planet... that HAVE NOT been addressed.. overpopulation... starvation....incessant wars.... and diseases that WILL evolve and do a smackdown on us.

[rehmwa 2]

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The space program (beyond satellites) is a massive waste of resources (even if all nations collaborated).

I knew you were a Tang-hater all along.

tangist (and I don't care if I get banned for it, sometimes you just have to call a tangist what they are)

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[Butters 0]

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The space program (beyond satellites) is a massive waste of resources (even if all nations collaborated). Why? Because we already know that no planet exists within an acceptable distance that is capable of maintaining life.

You seem to forget just how much of the things in our daily lives are a DIRECT RESULT of research done in the space program....sheesh.

Yes, but the things were invented for space, not because of space. (They could easily have been invented for some other application.)

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Given the resources that have been spent on the military would be producing results now.....if we as a species are going to survive... we had best start learning to live with one another.. and since we have trouble doing that........to move outwards...develop the technology needed to do it. That reduces the pressures on the species on this planet... that HAVE NOT been addressed.. overpopulation... starvation....incessant wars.... and diseases that WILL evolve and do a smackdown on us.

What makes you believe that the government won't colonize the moon and then nuclear bomb the entire planet? Yes, I agree, we need to learn how to get along with each other. We also need to learn how to live in a sustainable way. (Colonizing other planets does not solve these problems, it only delays them.)

"That looks dangerous." Leopold Stotch

[Butters 0]

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The space program (beyond satellites) is a massive waste of resources (even if all nations collaborated).

I knew you were a Tang-hater all along.

tangist (and I don't care if I get banned for it, sometimes you just have to call a tangist what they are)

You are right, I like velcro (you may have noticed my velcro shoes) but hate tang. Why? Because tang doesn't have a gigantic pitcher with facial features that crashes through walls like kool-aid. Ooohhhh yeahhh!

"That looks dangerous." Leopold Stotch

[Nightingale 0]

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Which one are you?

Pessimist:
1 : an inclination to emphasize adverse aspects, conditions, and possibilities or to expect the worst possible outcome
2 a : the doctrine that reality is essentially evil b : the doctrine that evil overbalances happiness in life

Optimist:
1 : a doctrine that this world is the best possible world
2 : an inclination to put the most favorable construction upon actions and events or to anticipate the best possible outcome

"For myself I am an optimist - it does not seem to be much use being anything else." Sir Winston Churchill

I guess you could say that I'm both, but neither.

I hope for the best, but try to plan for the worst. I give people the benefit of the doubt, once. I trust people, but I verify what I can. I see the world for what it is, but try to change it for the better.

You can't improve your life, anyone else's life, or the world in general unless you're willing to open your eyes to learn what needs to change.

[rhys 0]

>Given the resources that have been spent on the military would be producing results now.....if we as a species are going to survive... we had best start learning to live with one another.. and since we have trouble doing that........to move outwards...develop the technology needed to do it. That reduces the pressures on the species on this planet... that HAVE NOT been addressed.. overpopulation... starvation....incessant wars.... and diseases that WILL evolve and do a smackdown on us.


I really cannot believe you think that is actually an option!

You are obviously a Trekky?

terraforming and so on is a nice concept, but we sould learn how to keep an existing inhabitable planet inahbitable before looking elswhere.

the answer lies here on planet earth there sweetie.

not on the planet next door.

you must watch far too much television?

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

[billvon 3,109]

>terraforming and so on is a nice concept, but we sould learn how to
> keep an existing inhabitable planet inahbitable before looking
> elswhere.

If you told a 16th century peasant that someday America would be a nice place to live he would have laughed at you too. Heck, a lot of people didn't even survive the journey there, and they had Indians that would sooner eat you than say good day!

We should learn how to keep this planet inhabitable _and_ look towards others. It's not in our nature to stay at home forever.

[Amazon 7]

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We should learn how to keep this planet inhabitable _and_ look towards others. It's not in our nature to stay at home forever.

For some it is..... Europe is still fairly well inhabited....

The East is overpopulated compared to the west in this country.

Some are just fine with the status quo.. others look to change their circumstances or better themselves or their families.

SOOO back to Rhys......how much has been spent on Space Exploration.... as opposed to military expenditures in the last 100 years.

I agree that keeping THIS planet in habitable condition is far more important...Pollution and climate change and TOO GAWD DAYUM MANY PEOPLE are exceedingly important.

Even a small percentage of that put into the space program would have reaped far more benefits... than the killing of what.. 100 million or so in the 20th century???

And who said anything about terra forming....I would rely more on miners living in underground habitats( protection from UV and temp extremes)

Much of the technology to live in space is just getting started.. but an influx of funds and a shift in attitudes would make a HUGE difference....

BUT I am a pessimist.. because this will never happen... certainly not in my lifetime.. because for now... killing each other is far mor important.

[Butters 0]

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I agree that keeping THIS planet in habitable condition is far more important...Pollution and climate change and TOO GAWD DAYUM MANY PEOPLE are exceedingly important.

Even a small percentage of that put into the space program would have reaped far more benefits... than the killing of what.. 100 million or so in the 20th century???

You complain about overpopulation. Can you imagine the overpopulation without war? (War, disease, etc... are population control for the human species. Sad, but true.)

"That looks dangerous." Leopold Stotch

[Amazon 7]

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You complain about overpopulation. Can you imagine the overpopulation without war? (War, disease, etc... are population control for the human species. Sad, but true.)

I had one child....I did my part.....


Too bad most people can not practice retsraint and keep the population down...

The Chinese of necessity have done something about it.. too many people.. limited resources.

WE have far too many people in far too many places that feel that having as many children as they can is good. That is a far more dangerous attitude to the future of the planet.

[narcimund 0]

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You complain about overpopulation. Can you imagine the overpopulation without war? (War, disease, etc... are population control for the human species. Sad, but true.)

100,000,000 killed in war in the last hundred years (is that right?) is about 1.5% of the current population. That's not a big difference.

Of course I know I'm discounting a lot of adjustments -- like how many children those 100 million would have had, or how many would have died by now anyway, or how many excess births follow wars -- but it's a rough approach.

And it tells me that war hasn't had a substantial impact on population.

Yet.

First Class Citizen Twice Over

[GravityJunky 0]

OPTIMIST:
I am positively certain, everything that can go wrong will.

*My Inner Child is A Fucking Prick Too!
*Everyones entitled to be stupid but you are abusing the priviledge
*Well I'd love to stay & chat, But youre a total Bitch! {Stewie}

[champu 1]

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...how much has been spent on Space Exploration.... as opposed to military expenditures in the last 100 years.

Now that is a fine line in the sand if there ever was one.

[rhys 0]

100,000,000 is nowhere near the the amount killed in that space of time.

the tiny country of Rwanda lost over 800,000 in a couple of months and yes the was only about a decade ago. did you hear about it?.....not much.

war and disease are not the only ways of keeping population down.

Education is a good start and is a much better invesment than war or space exploration!

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix

[Butters 0]

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...how much has been spent on Space Exploration.... as opposed to military expenditures in the last 100 years.

Space exploration was partially a military expenditure.

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100,000,000 is nowhere near the the amount killed in that space of time.

the tiny country of Rwanda lost over 800,000 in a couple of months and yes the was only about a decade ago. did you hear about it?.....not much.

war and disease are not the only ways of keeping population down.

Education is a good start and is a much better invesment than war or space exploration!

Agreed, education would be a good start. However, I don't think the population (unless we create laws like China) is going to listen (for the same reason people are not listening to any of the other large issues).

"That looks dangerous." Leopold Stotch