We're f*cked

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it's what we do in the meantime that matters,

Evidently, some progress is being made:




http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2011/06/06/Antimatter-created-held-for-record-time/UPI-95511307411998

What is the mass in grams? so what?

ruveyn

For someone who spent his life in technology your viewpoint is rather surprising. What was the mass in grams of created plutonium when the first indications of fission were discovered back in the 1940's or slightly before?

I would imagine that roaches and dragonflys will outlive us; they have proven an ability to survive, so far. Our days are numbered, but I don't see them ending for all of us, anytime soon, unless an environmental influence beyond our current capabilities end it. Human created catastrophe seem inevitable though, and is seen as a statistical certainty by some credible individuals in the next few decades. Hopefully, the scope won't be too broad.

You all read too much science fiction.

You talk like people 100 years ago who were certain that traveling at 60 miles per hour would tear a human body apart.

Ignorance is bliss. Also fatal.

I don't mean to only be insulting.

I mean, yes, I'm insulting the chicken little set, but that's not all I'd like to say.

In the last 150 years we've made tremendous strides in our ability to keep people alive and healthy. In the total history of humanity, this isn't even the blink of an eye.

We are just getting started, and frankly hardly any of us are properly educated.

We will continue to get better at this stuff.

And we will continue to be lazy about it - applying new solutions only when they provide a clear economical advantage to the previous solution.

Take for example our oil economy. Currently most oil producers have a laser-like focus on light, sweet crude available at positive pressure.

That is hardly all the hydrocarbons out there.

Yes, oil will get more expensive. And this will incentivize new solutions. We're just not there yet.

If we expect to simplify our lives and go back to living in mud huts and living off of only what we can produce locally, billions of us just have to die. There's no other way the math works.

If technology continues to march forward, and we continue to expand the availability of education and communication, we will continue to find new solutions.

When it comes to complexity, what separates us from the cockroaches is our ability to write s**t down. We don't have to hold every concept in any one mind because we are able to store memory externally.

There are rough spots ahead, but it's foolish to believe that we can't overcome them just because we don't currently have the tools to do so.

Really, according to that font of all knowledge Wikipedia .. this on the Deccan Traps ''The release of volcanic gases, particularly sulfur dioxide, during the formation of the traps contributed to contemporary climate change. Data point to an average fall in temperature of 2 °C in this period"

Forward to the present day and anthropomorphic induced climate change and the main debate is will our activity raise the temp by more or less than 2 degree's. So using your reference point for catastrophic climate alteration, we are likely much more destructive.

Idiotically unjustified optimism about unknown possible technology does nothing to decrease my pessimism. See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20 ... 121525.htm

That article talks about the rate of carbon emissions, not the quantity in the atmosphere.

Which was many times what it is now.

The other thing that separates us from the cockroaches is that we have been here a relatively short period of time and they have been here, comparitively, an extremely long period of time; never having to write a thing down.

We will overcome as long as we can, and so will the roaches. But, the difference between us and them, is we have the ability to make our own rough spots, and have done so time and time again as evidenced by history, mostly through conflict of war.

The danger of nuclear catastrophe, is evidenced as a clear and present danger at the highest levels of concern, limited in scope perhaps, but never the less seen as an inevitable consequence by some. That's a little more than a rough spot, in itself, along with the potential consequences of the other byproducts of human existence.

Except for 9/11, we haven't had a conflict on our soil since the Civil War. I would have more confidence if the people in the world were all on the same page, but it is evident that they aren't, and the potential sources of destruction are too many, to maintain too much optimism that sh** will never happen on our soil.

We can witness whatever effects global warming has and hope to make the proper adjustments for survival, but for those unwitting individuals subject to a terrorist attack with a nuclear device or other method of mass weapons of destruction or mass weapons of "effect"; the possibility for chaos after such events, is real, and not associated with the sky falling.

As bad as most people believe things are in the USA today, the times we know now may be the best of times to come.

All the more reason, to be fully optimistic, not worry about a thing, and enjoy life, while you can. All things considered, there is not a thing that you or I can do of significance that is going to effect the ultimate consequences of the actions of everyone on the planet. We are all part of the hive; enjoy the honey.

Crops are already failing all over he lobe, Water resources are very rapidly running out. The Obama administration and much of Western Europe are far more interested maintaining and increasing the power of the financial ruling classes than extending the general wealth the the general populace resulting in the precipitous fall of living standards throughout the west with no end in sight. It's happening now and stop kidding yourself.

I'm not fooling myself, I'm saying that when comfortable people start feeling the pain, they will find a way.

That may be so but I think there are certain classes of problems which mankind is not well suited to recognize and handle quickly. And there may be situations where once you recognize the problem sufficiently to deal with it, it's too late to avoid the worst of it.

I agree with you here, and am of the opinion that we don't have the ability and/or desire as a species to reverse course. Can't remember the name of the song by "Sting'', but the words went something like this: "when the world is running down, make the best of things that are still around". Roaches are really good at this, and chances are some of us will make do with what we have for some time to come.

I think one of the biggest problems is as social animals we evolved in small social groups and resolved problems within those parameters. The problems are getting much larger than the answers. There are many educated people that understand the potential consequences; however people continue to go about life and deal with it, within the parameters of their abilities, making whatever decisions benefit their niche, much the way that humans have always delt with survival.

If we could all suddenly work together as a team and solve the problems, not unlike the members of a real hive, there would be a much greater chance of success, but the complexity of all systems interacting make it impossible as far as I can see.

So what's an individual to do? Continue to operate and survive within their niche to the best of their ability, for as long as they can. I don't see any alternatives.