Any technology you guys are excited about?

[retina]

Originally Posted by chalsall

Besides, if the next evolutionary step(s) treat us the way many of us treat animals (other than eating them, of course), then we're probably good.

Oh, you mean like oxes and horses before the automobile became more common (and still now in many places)? Or like zoo animals today?

Any more intelligent beings/things than us (as a species) would marginalise us and turn us into amusements or beasts of burden. And there would likely be very little we could do about it.

[LaurV]

Originally Posted by kladner

I figured. The second one is a priceless bit of legislative nonsense. But so is the first, to a lesser extent.

Well, thinking deeper, the first is right. Not very fortunate put into words, but I assume the idea was that when a train is coming, flagmen have to be here and there to announce the fact that the train will come. Especially at intersections with public roads, etc. It is not "the same" flagman, having to run in front of the train for miles, but hundreds of them, each responsible for his own mile or yard of railroad. Otherwise the train could surprise some guy shitting between the lines and... smear the locomotion with blood feces...
The second one is indeed priceless.

[Mark Rose]

I'm excited about liquid fluoride thorium reactor (LFTR) technology. The thorium fuel cycle produces vastly less waste than the uranium fuel cycle and a number of useful transmutated elements. In addition to producing electricity, it's also fantastic for process heat.

If you're not familiar with LFTR and the key advantages it presents, watch the 5 minute summary at the beginning of this video:

[Uncwilly]

Originally Posted by petrw1

No kid is ever lost/kidnapped again .... right, and can never hide again (like from their parents, spouse, the law, the IRS, ...)

Back in the 70's (pre RFID, pre GPS, pre implanted animal chips), one of my relatives came up with the idea of implanted transponder chips for kids. That with scanners at all school exit doors, bus/train station entrances, supermarkets, etc.

[LaurV]

Hmm... now we know who you are related to...

[xilman]

Originally Posted by retina

Oh, you mean like oxes and horses before the automobile became more common (and still now in many places)? Or like zoo animals today?

Any more intelligent beings/things than us (as a species) would marginalise us and turn us into amusements or beasts of burden. And there would likely be very little we could do about it.

I'd be quite happy to be treated analogously to how SWMBO and I treat our cats:

• High quality food and drink (though with the opportunity to catch their own if they feel like it)
• Comfortable, warm, dry, secure accommodation
• Private areas to be alone; public areas for interaction with the other housemates
• Entertainment and social interaction
• Medical care: regular checkups, prophylactic parasite treatment, and emergency treatment

In return, all they have to do is to be reasonably polite to other members of the household (chickens included), otherwise appropriate mild discipline will be meted out. Entertainment and company for the humans is almost guaranteed but we don't really mind if a cat wants to do its own thing.

[blip]

Originally Posted by petrw1

No kid is ever lost/kidnapped again .... right, and can never hide again (like from their parents, spouse, the law, the IRS, ...)

Actually, I envision to see the first GPS/LTE/WIFI/BLABLA implants (subspace transceivers) coming in our lifetime. Implanted right after birth, including a VR retina display charged by kinetic energy (mandatory workout one hour every day). With a unique (Tax-)ID and a Faceborg account you will then always be online and as part of Faceborg Collective be able to digest the continously (NSA-)filtered/sorted (Twitter-) stream of thoughts in the Hive Mind.

Resistance is futile

[retina]

Originally Posted by xilman

I'd be quite happy to be treated analogously to how SWMBO and I treat our cats:

• High quality food and drink (though with the opportunity to catch their own if they feel like it)
• Comfortable, warm, dry, secure accommodation
• Private areas to be alone; public areas for interaction with the other housemates
• Entertainment and social interaction
• Medical care: regular checkups, prophylactic parasite treatment, and emergency treatment

In return, all they have to do is to be reasonably polite to other members of the household (chickens included), otherwise appropriate mild discipline will be meted out. Entertainment and company for the humans is almost guaranteed but we don't really mind if a cat wants to do its own thing.

Many prisons offer exactly the same services and amenities.

[chalsall]

I, like many, believe we need a "back-up copy" of human civilization.

So, I've been vicariously following the advances of private enterprises like SpaceX, Blue Origin and Scaled Composites, etc, and the national / international space agencies (NASA, RKA, ESA, JAXA, ISRO, CNSA).

A Space Elevator is, I think, the ultimate means of leaving our gravity well. But, the required material technologies are still far beyond our reach.

So, until we finally learn how to build a cable strong and light enough, innovative reaction engine developments are worth watching. Ramjet / scramjet / rocket combinations, for example, to get "on orbit".

And, except for the security implications of small nuclear bombs, the original Project Orion might yet see it's day. And/or laser assisted light sails.

We definitely live in interesting times.

[Xyzzy]

Originally Posted by xilman

I'd be quite happy to be treated analogously to how SWMBO and I treat our cats:

• High quality food and drink (though with the opportunity to catch their own if they feel like it)
• Comfortable, warm, dry, secure accommodation
• Private areas to be alone; public areas for interaction with the other housemates
• Entertainment and social interaction
• Medical care: regular checkups, prophylactic parasite treatment, and emergency treatment

In return, all they have to do is to be reasonably polite to other members of the household (chickens included), otherwise appropriate mild discipline will be meted out. Entertainment and company for the humans is almost guaranteed but we don't really mind if a cat wants to do its own thing.

.

[chalsall]

Originally Posted by retina

Many prisons offer exactly the same services and amenities.

Better than many modern, leading edge businesses.