In this time and age the world population is now 6.4 billion.
Some of us still think that we are merely 6.1 billion.
The rate at which the human race is filling up this earth is staggering...
We need more space, and we need the means to feed the masses.
Vertical farms are the future.
In an area of a building block (5 acres), a 30-story vertical farm could produce the equivalent of 2,400 acres of produce by a traditional farm. This huge surplus created by vertical farming could feed more people per acre than traditional farming, which could help to feed everyone on this planet, and the generations to come.
Not only will a vertical farm produce more food, but it will also help to reduce the amount of carbon emissions that traditional farming puts out through the transportation of produce. This will help with our problem of global warming, which is one of our pressing concerns right now.
Food which is grown locally will also be cheaper, as there will be no need to pay extra to cover transportation costs.
There are arguments made by some who oppose this idea.
They claim that the energy consumption of vertical farms far outweighs the amount of energy saved.
There are also claims that vertical farms will not bring down the price of food, due to the expensive maintenance costs of the building..
And while there are many pros and cons of vertical farming, I believe that the pros outweigh the cons.
But I leave it to you to decide for yourself.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vertical_farms
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Humans and Supuerhumans
I believe in the saying "Survival of the fittest"
Only the strong, and the smart will survive.
The weak and the not so smart will be nothing more than walking bodies, taking up space.
I for one have no qualms of taking a human life, but only if, by taking that life I benefit all of humanity.
For example, if by killing a man I can extend the human life span by another 10 years. I will do it.
I see in the future, a time when humans will no longer be human, but superhuman. We will have physical and mental abilities beyond what we can imagine. And I see that those who aren't of superhuman calibre will be cast aside as the scum of society. Not because they commit crimes, but because of their inability to stand on par with those superhumans. And in due time, they will be removed from circulation.
Only the strong, and the smart will survive.
The weak and the not so smart will be nothing more than walking bodies, taking up space.
I for one have no qualms of taking a human life, but only if, by taking that life I benefit all of humanity.
For example, if by killing a man I can extend the human life span by another 10 years. I will do it.
I see in the future, a time when humans will no longer be human, but superhuman. We will have physical and mental abilities beyond what we can imagine. And I see that those who aren't of superhuman calibre will be cast aside as the scum of society. Not because they commit crimes, but because of their inability to stand on par with those superhumans. And in due time, they will be removed from circulation.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Brain Preservation
Brain Preservation.
The brain has to be retained in some way, to be considered human at all in the future, when humans will no longer be organic creatures, but mechanical constructs. Why? Because the human brain is the one organ that houses all our emotions, thoughts, memories, morality, ethics and our consciousness. Without the brain we can't live forever as, like I mentioned earlier, the brain houses our consciousness, so without the brain we wouldn’t be conscious at all. But if the brain is retained all this can be avoided. We’d have robotic bodies, that are far superior to the frail biological shell that we have now, and we will be able to love for eternity. Imagine the things we’d see and experience in this eternity.
Of course, some people have come towards me and asked, “Wouldn’t our brains deteriorate in the end and become useless?” Well to answer this question, I did some research and have found some promising answers.
1) Mind uploading
2) Nanotechnology
3) Cryonics
4) Cloning
Of these 4 results that I’ve found I felt that mind uploading seems like the most promising, albeit improbable one. So allow me to elaborate each point for you, and hopefully, you’d get a better understanding of things.
Mind Uploading
Mind uploading is a theory that is being looked into. It involves neuroscience, computer engineering, and cybernetics. From the words mind uploading we get the idea of uploading something into our mind, but in fact it is uploading our mind into a computer. Scientists hope that they will achieve this soon, as with this technology they can upload their consciousness into a computer. So while their body dies away they will still be alive inside a computer. Several films have depicted this as plot devices, although not in the way that scientist imagine. For example the film “Ghost in the machine” talks about a serial killer who is somehow uploaded onto a computer, and goes around the cyber world to murder people in the real world. This is a form of mind uploading, although it’s in a negative light. There are other benefits of mind uploading as well, besides immortality. With mind uploading you can make duplicates of your brain, just like a normal computer folder. We can then send these duplicates into different bodies, send them to do other stuff that you don’t necessarily have time to do. Wouldn’t that be great? But of course such technology is still far away, and some think, improbable. However optimists like me think that it is possible to see such technology become available in our lifetime.
Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology is a new field of science that is emerging. It is a relatively new field that requires a lot of research in order to understand the laws that govern this field of science. But in a nutshell nanotechnology is simply the use of nanobots (Robots which are 1x10-9 cm) to manufacture products, repair extremely small things and also for use in the field of medicine. There are many advantages in using nanotechnology. One is the use of those nanobots to repair the dying brain cells, which can extend the lifespan of the human brain by continually repairing it. Nanotechnology is a more probable and readily available technology for the use of repairing human cells. But all these are still theoretical in nature and require a great deal of research to make this theory into reality.
Cryonics
Cryonics is a very new field of science which involves the freezing of the human body with liquid nitrogen to prevent decomposition, and to revive these humans in the future when the technology becomes available. This technology is rather dangerous as there is no guarantee that we will be able to revive these humans in the end. But of course it’s a better alternative to burial or cremation. Cryonics currently comes in 2 packages, an $85,000 package which involves freezing the head only. The other package costs approximately $150,000 and is a full body freezing. This technology is promising, albeit uncertain, for preserving human life.
Cloning
Cloning is a word that’s not new to us. Ever since we heard of Dolly, the first genetically cloned sheep, we’ve heard even more stories of cloning. Cloning is a way of extending human life, but has to be used in conjunction with both mind uploading and nanotechnology. Without it cloning would be useless. The cloning that I’m talking about here is merely just the cloning of the brain, but of course we can have the choice of cloning our entire body as well. However, cloning will have to work hand in hand with mind uploading to be able to ensure our continued existence.
The brain has to be retained in some way, to be considered human at all in the future, when humans will no longer be organic creatures, but mechanical constructs. Why? Because the human brain is the one organ that houses all our emotions, thoughts, memories, morality, ethics and our consciousness. Without the brain we can't live forever as, like I mentioned earlier, the brain houses our consciousness, so without the brain we wouldn’t be conscious at all. But if the brain is retained all this can be avoided. We’d have robotic bodies, that are far superior to the frail biological shell that we have now, and we will be able to love for eternity. Imagine the things we’d see and experience in this eternity.
Of course, some people have come towards me and asked, “Wouldn’t our brains deteriorate in the end and become useless?” Well to answer this question, I did some research and have found some promising answers.
1) Mind uploading
2) Nanotechnology
3) Cryonics
4) Cloning
Of these 4 results that I’ve found I felt that mind uploading seems like the most promising, albeit improbable one. So allow me to elaborate each point for you, and hopefully, you’d get a better understanding of things.
Mind Uploading
Mind uploading is a theory that is being looked into. It involves neuroscience, computer engineering, and cybernetics. From the words mind uploading we get the idea of uploading something into our mind, but in fact it is uploading our mind into a computer. Scientists hope that they will achieve this soon, as with this technology they can upload their consciousness into a computer. So while their body dies away they will still be alive inside a computer. Several films have depicted this as plot devices, although not in the way that scientist imagine. For example the film “Ghost in the machine” talks about a serial killer who is somehow uploaded onto a computer, and goes around the cyber world to murder people in the real world. This is a form of mind uploading, although it’s in a negative light. There are other benefits of mind uploading as well, besides immortality. With mind uploading you can make duplicates of your brain, just like a normal computer folder. We can then send these duplicates into different bodies, send them to do other stuff that you don’t necessarily have time to do. Wouldn’t that be great? But of course such technology is still far away, and some think, improbable. However optimists like me think that it is possible to see such technology become available in our lifetime.
Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology is a new field of science that is emerging. It is a relatively new field that requires a lot of research in order to understand the laws that govern this field of science. But in a nutshell nanotechnology is simply the use of nanobots (Robots which are 1x10-9 cm) to manufacture products, repair extremely small things and also for use in the field of medicine. There are many advantages in using nanotechnology. One is the use of those nanobots to repair the dying brain cells, which can extend the lifespan of the human brain by continually repairing it. Nanotechnology is a more probable and readily available technology for the use of repairing human cells. But all these are still theoretical in nature and require a great deal of research to make this theory into reality.
Cryonics
Cryonics is a very new field of science which involves the freezing of the human body with liquid nitrogen to prevent decomposition, and to revive these humans in the future when the technology becomes available. This technology is rather dangerous as there is no guarantee that we will be able to revive these humans in the end. But of course it’s a better alternative to burial or cremation. Cryonics currently comes in 2 packages, an $85,000 package which involves freezing the head only. The other package costs approximately $150,000 and is a full body freezing. This technology is promising, albeit uncertain, for preserving human life.
Cloning
Cloning is a word that’s not new to us. Ever since we heard of Dolly, the first genetically cloned sheep, we’ve heard even more stories of cloning. Cloning is a way of extending human life, but has to be used in conjunction with both mind uploading and nanotechnology. Without it cloning would be useless. The cloning that I’m talking about here is merely just the cloning of the brain, but of course we can have the choice of cloning our entire body as well. However, cloning will have to work hand in hand with mind uploading to be able to ensure our continued existence.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Space: The next frontier
The colonization of space is our only chance to escape from certain doom. Our star, the Sun, will die in approximately 5 billion years. By that time we must have developed the technology to escape our solar system, or face the terrible fate of being consumed by the Sun, which once gave us lfe.
The colonization of space has always been on the minds of the intellectuals, ever since we sent man to space. The first man in space, Yuri Gagarin, has shown that it is possible to venture beyond our own atmosphere. A brave man he was, seeing as no one had any idea what lay beyond the earth's atmosphere.
On 20th July 1969 the Americans sent a man to the moon, and brought him back safely. His famous quote, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." is exceptionally true. To date, 12 humans have walked across the surface of the moon.
NASA plans to have a colony on the moon by 2020. It is imperative that we manage to colonize space as one day, we will run out of resources. Recycling can help prolong the end date of when we will use up our resources. But we will need to exploit the vast amount of resources in space if we want to ensure our continued survival.
The colonization of space has always been on the minds of the intellectuals, ever since we sent man to space. The first man in space, Yuri Gagarin, has shown that it is possible to venture beyond our own atmosphere. A brave man he was, seeing as no one had any idea what lay beyond the earth's atmosphere.
On 20th July 1969 the Americans sent a man to the moon, and brought him back safely. His famous quote, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." is exceptionally true. To date, 12 humans have walked across the surface of the moon.
NASA plans to have a colony on the moon by 2020. It is imperative that we manage to colonize space as one day, we will run out of resources. Recycling can help prolong the end date of when we will use up our resources. But we will need to exploit the vast amount of resources in space if we want to ensure our continued survival.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Questioning the perfectness of God
A perfect God who creates imperfect man.
Doesn't that say something about the perfection of this God?
If this God is perfect then why create imperfect man?
What's the whole point of it?
If this God is all powerful, then why allow the devil to do what he does?
Question the perfectness of God.
You'll see the truth.
Question the truthfulness of His word.
You'll see major flaws.
Doesn't that say something about the perfection of this God?
If this God is perfect then why create imperfect man?
What's the whole point of it?
If this God is all powerful, then why allow the devil to do what he does?
Question the perfectness of God.
You'll see the truth.
Question the truthfulness of His word.
You'll see major flaws.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Transhumanist philosphy
This is one post concerning my beliefs that I'll post both here and on my general blog http://www.ayron-hidingplace.blogspot.com/
TABLE OF TRANSHMANIST VALUES
Core Value
* Having the opportunity to explore the transhuman and posthuman realms
Basic Conditions
* Global security
* Technological progress
* Wide access
Derivative Values
* Nothing wrong about “tampering with nature”; the idea of hubris rejected
* Individual choice in use of enhancement technologies; morphological freedom
* Peace, international cooperation, anti-proliferation of WMDs
* Improving understanding (encouraging research and public debate; critical thinking; open-mindedness, scientific inquiry; open discussion of the future)
* Getting smarter (individually; collectively; and develop machine intelligence)
* Philosophical fallibilism; willingness to reexamine assumptions as we go along
* Pragmatism; engineering- and entrepreneur-spirit; science
* Diversity (species, races, religious creeds, sexual orientations, life styles, etc.)
* Caring about the well-being of all sentience
* Saving lives (life-extension, anti-aging research, and cryonic
This is what draws me to want to be a transhumanist. They are not afraid of science and truly want to benefit all of mankind. They're also very liberal and open to new ideas. These ideals appeal to me, and I'm sure to the majority of people as well...
For a full read about tranhumanist philosphy go to
http://humanityplus.org/learn/philosophy/transhumanist-values
TABLE OF TRANSHMANIST VALUES
Core Value
* Having the opportunity to explore the transhuman and posthuman realms
Basic Conditions
* Global security
* Technological progress
* Wide access
Derivative Values
* Nothing wrong about “tampering with nature”; the idea of hubris rejected
* Individual choice in use of enhancement technologies; morphological freedom
* Peace, international cooperation, anti-proliferation of WMDs
* Improving understanding (encouraging research and public debate; critical thinking; open-mindedness, scientific inquiry; open discussion of the future)
* Getting smarter (individually; collectively; and develop machine intelligence)
* Philosophical fallibilism; willingness to reexamine assumptions as we go along
* Pragmatism; engineering- and entrepreneur-spirit; science
* Diversity (species, races, religious creeds, sexual orientations, life styles, etc.)
* Caring about the well-being of all sentience
* Saving lives (life-extension, anti-aging research, and cryonic
This is what draws me to want to be a transhumanist. They are not afraid of science and truly want to benefit all of mankind. They're also very liberal and open to new ideas. These ideals appeal to me, and I'm sure to the majority of people as well...
For a full read about tranhumanist philosphy go to
http://humanityplus.org/learn/philosophy/transhumanist-values
The modern miracle. Nanotechnology.
Nanotechnology is a wonderful and almost miraculous field of science.
Nanotechnology is a word that is gaining popularity in society nowadays. It is used more frequently in science fiction than in the 1950s. The first thing that comes to mind when we see the word nanotechnology, we quickly associate it with some science-y industry or some futuristic application. But nanotechnology is actually more common than we realize.
One of the applications of nanotechnology in everyday items in it's application of smart lenses. The type of spectacle lenses that instinctively darken when exposed to sunlight. Nanotechnology is also used in the production of textiles that can make clothes stain-proof and wrinkle free. Nanotechnology is also used in pharmaceutical applications in the delivery of drugs to specific parts of the human body. Because of their small size, these nanites can flow in our bloodstream rather easily and deliver the drugs more eff
But of course there is always 2 sides to a coin. With the advent of nanotechnology also brings with it a new type of danger, Nanopollution.
Nanopollution is supposedly more dangerous and harmful than other cnventional types of pollution, as the nanoparticles are so small they can get virtually everywhere. For example tiny harmful nanoparticles can be easily breathed in by humans and cause us to get seriously ill or even result in death. Nanopollution is also harder to clean up compared to normal types of pollution as the nanoparticles are so small that they can't be easily detected or picked up.
Still, just because of these harmful effects should we not encourage research into nanotechnology? I say no. While the harmful effects of nanoparticles are very high, I believe that with proper handling of these nanowastes we can effectively control it. So I will encourage research into nanotechnology.
Nanotechnology is a word that is gaining popularity in society nowadays. It is used more frequently in science fiction than in the 1950s. The first thing that comes to mind when we see the word nanotechnology, we quickly associate it with some science-y industry or some futuristic application. But nanotechnology is actually more common than we realize.
One of the applications of nanotechnology in everyday items in it's application of smart lenses. The type of spectacle lenses that instinctively darken when exposed to sunlight. Nanotechnology is also used in the production of textiles that can make clothes stain-proof and wrinkle free. Nanotechnology is also used in pharmaceutical applications in the delivery of drugs to specific parts of the human body. Because of their small size, these nanites can flow in our bloodstream rather easily and deliver the drugs more eff
But of course there is always 2 sides to a coin. With the advent of nanotechnology also brings with it a new type of danger, Nanopollution.
Nanopollution is supposedly more dangerous and harmful than other cnventional types of pollution, as the nanoparticles are so small they can get virtually everywhere. For example tiny harmful nanoparticles can be easily breathed in by humans and cause us to get seriously ill or even result in death. Nanopollution is also harder to clean up compared to normal types of pollution as the nanoparticles are so small that they can't be easily detected or picked up.
Still, just because of these harmful effects should we not encourage research into nanotechnology? I say no. While the harmful effects of nanoparticles are very high, I believe that with proper handling of these nanowastes we can effectively control it. So I will encourage research into nanotechnology.
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