Hawking says we'd better colonize other planets.

**Camus** · Posted On: 6/13/2006 11:52am

Not that space or expansionism aren't cool; they're about the coolest **** there is.

But,

sometimes I wonder if Hawkings just says **** because he knows he can make somewhat reasonable **** out his ass and no one will open their mouth except to kiss his hemorroidal schincter

he's a genius

and

a gimp

and

a celebrity

Badass mutherfucker

**Seraphim** · Posted On: 6/13/2006 11:57am

Originally Posted by Yrkoon9

Look at the rate of human reproduction, recognize the energy shortage, and then make peace with whatever God you worship. We are going to have another world war, a massive plague, or we are going to have to colonize another planet. The chances of colonization before the plague or war are slim.

The current rate of human reproduction is in decline in most industrilized nations. Look at France, German. The US reproduction rate is barely holding steady.

It's all the 3rd world countries that wont stop fucking.

Edit** There's nothing wrong with fucking. Just **** responsibly. And dont have 6 children if you live in a war torn country and you have HIV.

**Camus** · Posted On: 6/13/2006 12:04pm

it's time for another epidemic, AIDS is doing a piss poor job and just shits up world gross output

what I'm thinking we need to like a modified super-infectious ebola or a more badass resistent strain of variola major smallpox

I'm just hoping all the **** the 'ol CCCP left cooking in the Aral sea and Kazahk desert that's causing the 80-90% anemia rate over in the immediate area gets out and wipes a few continents clean

**Stick** · Posted On: 6/13/2006 12:07pm

Originally Posted by Kungfoolss

Certainly, and we could call it the Great Leap forward part 2.

Good catch.

**Teh El Macho** · Posted On: 6/13/2006 12:09pm

Originally Posted by Camus

Not that space or expansionism aren't cool; they're about the coolest **** there is.

But,

sometimes I wonder if Hawkings just says **** because he knows he can make somewhat reasonable **** out his ass and no one will open their mouth except to kiss his hemorroidal schincter

he's a genius

and

a gimp

and

a celebrity

Badass mutherfucker

He has a hot looking blonde nurse with nice, perky bazoombas, so I tend to listen to what he says.

**theraydiator** · Posted On: 6/13/2006 12:12pm

Camus - Smallpox is already badass enough as it is...

With our present state of preparedness (or lack thereof), a smallpox outbreak would be devastating... like, a significant percentage of the human race might die.

I mean, I guess you could turn the volume up to 11, but it's been pretty effective as is in the past.

-Jordan

***jnp*** · Posted On: 6/13/2006 12:12pm

Originally Posted by Camus

it's time for another epidemic, AIDS is doing a piss poor job and just shits up world gross output

what I'm thinking we need to like a modified super-infectious ebola or a more badass resistent strain of variola major smallpox

I'm just hoping all the **** the 'ol CCCP left cooking in the Aral sea and Kazahk desert that's causing the 80-90% anemia rate over in the immediate area gets out and wipes a few continents clean

Be careful what you wish for. Read this book The Coming Plague : Newly Emerging Diseases in a World Out of Balance by Laurie Garrett. It's a little heavy on the doom and gloom angle, probably to sell more books, but it's a highly informative read if you're interested in that kind of thing.

**Tef-the-Persian** · Posted On: 6/13/2006 12:13pm

There's a disturbing amount of alarmism in this thread. (Hah)

I think Hawking is wrong. He's a very bright fellow, but, after all, he's a physicist. A very sharp accountant can not necessarily tell you about anything but accounting. (And of course, being human, growing up, etc.) We produce enough food for everyone, there are environmental concerns but we can deal with them. Birth rates...it's been about a year since I did research on birth rates, but I believe...Nigeria? has the highest. (18 persons per thousand per year?) I saw a trend, then, that the countries with extremely high birth rates in Africa have extremely high death rates. I'll have to look at census data (sigh) again to be able to give an intelligent opinion on the evolution of birth/death rate relationships in the future, but I believe the "problem" to be a manageable one. (I don't want to give the impression that Africa, while home to many extremely high birth rates, is the cause for population explosion, because coupled with high death rates that can not be the case. Other countries are more suspect).

However, dealing with environmental issues will cause economic problems, whereas dealing with birth rate issues will probably cause eventual prosperity. Less people, more resources per person, at least in theory. (In practice, it would depend on the human factor).

Oh well. I don't like debating ideas like war, which kills only paltry numbers. Hunger is the real problem, and if any of you champion allowing people to go hungry, well...I suggest you don't eat for a week or two.

Colonizing another naturally uninhabitable planet would probably be a miserable experience. I would prefer to terraform and be able to live naturally rather than rely on mechanically controlled atmospheres.

**Camus** · Posted On: 6/13/2006 12:21pm

I would be careful jnp, did I not really think it might be better for humanity and civilization as a whole for such a thing to happen.

At the moment, epidemic alarmism is 'in' in the media cycle, I don't know how long it will last, there is some truth to it, of course, and I'll take a look over that book after finals if I get the chance, but I don't tend to put much stock in literature aimed at the public at this point. I've seen enough laughable things on television, which I rarely watch, about the issue already. Most of the diseases they cycle through are hugely overblown, the SARS 'epidemic' being the posterboy, oddly the lab my girlfriend worked at is now finding a hard time getting funding for their SARS project in the last year or so, hehe.

Originally Posted by theraydiator

Camus - Smallpox is already badass enough as it is...

With our present state of preparedness (or lack thereof), a smallpox outbreak would be devastating... like, a significant percentage of the human race might die.

I mean, I guess you could turn the volume up to 11, but it's been pretty effective as is in the past.

-Jordan

Well, for the nasty variation, we're talking a 20-40% untreated mortality rate; hardly a world-wiper, especially with even limited stocks (that can be expanded) of very old and reliable vaccine and modern health care, not that all countries have that, but, my point is, it's been jacked by humanity before and, most likely, unless the Soviets tinkered with it alot more than we think, it can be jacked once again.

The good thing is that while it's hugely exagerrated when it comes to the amount of deaths, a 10% mortality rate worldwide for any epidemic is staggering and hopefully enough to cause significant panic. Pretty much everyone would have at least a few family or friends stricken down.

**Goju - Joe** · Posted On: 6/13/2006 12:44pm

I always wanted to be Han Solo. However colonizing planet are great and all but it's cheaper, easier and more technologicaly probable to figure out how to stop fucking up the planet we live on.

Also cosmic radiation and proper shielding for long soace trips is something we're far of from mastering.

Heck lifting a payload into LEO (low Earth Orbit) cheap enogh for real space exploration is 20-40 years off.

Yes I know I am a geek