Voices in the Dark: PreIOT Thread

[Marcher Jovian]

I vote for Brave New World with Annihilation as a secondary option.

 

[SouthernKing]

anyway, this is what I propose for multipolar:

Major Powers
China
Europe
India
USA

Regional Powers
Brazil
East Africa
Indonesia
Japan
Nigeria
Pakistan
Russia
South Africa
Turkey

 

[Robert Can't]

I don't like the idea of annihilation but at the same time this being a single colonial effort I think having it balkanised by nationality would be bad. Unless of course it were a UN Space mission or such.

As always in space SF I will argue that if we have FTL travel then communication speeds should be the same as Travel speeds - all communications are transported by a ship rather than through some ether. My main reason being if we have FTL why can our information travel faster than our spaceships?

As earlier said in my post I very much disagree with the idea that there are more than one colonies on this planet. We are the first colony so there should be one of us and we should - in my opinion - be relatively united.

 

[Thorvald of Lym]

As always in space SF I will argue that if we have FTL travel then communication speeds should be the same as Travel speeds - all communications are transported by a ship rather than through some ether. My main reason being if we have FTL why can our information travel faster than our spaceships?

Heh .

 

[Ailedhoo]

I am looking forward to the game! I hope to explore the world we are set to!

 

[CivOasis]

Right. I will be updating with a bit on Earth soon, drawing upon a blend of the more popular proposals pieced together from this thread and chat, as well as a few ideas of my own.

 

[CivOasis]

The State of Earth​

At a cursory glance, this Earth looks rather similar to the one we know today – it remains fractured into numerous states, competing and collaborating with each other continually. The average person is still far more concerned about their next paycheck than the worlds beyond the stars, and that is not likely to change at any time in the near future.

And yet, there are differences – some subtle, some profound. While public space programs still exist – and many of the more established ones remain among the leaders of exploration and research – they have been joined by a variety of private corporations, a process mirrored on the surface, as non-governmental entities of numerous varieties have begun to take powerful roles in politics, identity, and daily life – especially in regions which trend towards international cooperation, like Europe, or in regions that remain developing or have recently begun to come into power of their own, like much of Africa and Asia.

More prominently, Earth is no longer the only home of humanity, and the nature of the colonies – which range from small self-sustaining research satellites to massive Martian sprawl – has become quite varied; some remain under the control of their home nations, while others run de facto – or even, more rarely, actual – independence. These complicated relations are not made easier by the presence of large permanent populations in private colonies, which often exist in territory not party to any government, encouraging a unique and politically difficult identity for the people who live there.


The next topic is the state of technology on Earth. Please paint this in broad strokes - I will, as a general rule, reject proposals which attempt to delineate plasma engines or what not. What I'm looking for instead is a bit more of what fields have seen progress or interest - for example, do we still rely on traditional computers, or have we had research and breakthroughs into other sorts of information systems? Does biotech still have a nasty PR problem, or has it become more embraced - and regardless of its perception, is it used? Stuff like that. Please keep in mind that this question is for Earth as a whole (or the colonies, or developing vs developed nations) rather than specific entities or the expedition.

 

[GreekAnalyzer]

I vote for traditional Ai, similar to the computers of today. However they also have made advances in speed and compactness
I also for biotech being widely discredited due to a botched experiment in the past. The participants were horribly scarred and thus biotech is not used.
Space travel: Uses nuclear propulsion (i.e. the Orion Project).

 

[Sonereal]

I completely disagree with the idea of biotechnology being discredited due to a single botched experiment. The fact of the matter is that the only way such an experiment could've happened is if it went outside the proper authorities, and is itself an argument for stronger regulation and crackdown on illegal experiments, not dismissing an entire field of study. It would be like dismissing the entire field of nuclear science because a few early researchers died of radiation-induced cancer.

 

[Omega124]

I vote no to biotech because biotech is just stupid and boring and probably won't go anywhere IRL.

Even if it seems a little farfetched by 2014 standards, if we want realistic almost of speed of light flight, among other things, having more practical anitmatter energy is a priority. [rul=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antimatter#Fuel]Antimatter is far more efficient than fusion or any other power source we currently know of[/url]. The only issue is that producing atimatter is super expensive, and therefore it is not a viable alternative energy source.

We don't need to make antimatter so cheap, that it becomes the next coal power planet. It just needs to be affordable enough to be used for long-distance space travel.

EDIT: By no biotech, I mean something like "no Yuzang Vong". More advances in, say, GMOs is OK. Just don't make it the next cyberpunk.

 

[CivOasis]

I was referring to biotech as biotech to make it clear I meant biotech, as opposed to say, just genengi...

 

[Kinich-Ahau]

Biotech or bust. No non-GMO foods left.

 

[Marcher Jovian]

I vote that computers will become smaller and more integrated as everything eyewear to bicycles gets a computer in it. Quantum Computers have gone commercial, but they are too large to fit something cellphone sized. This causes regular binary computers to still be used in many places. Aquiculture has seen great leaps yields as governments subsidized research to hep deal with the lack of space on land. It has grown to the point that fish(especially easier to maintain species like tilapia) and kelp are significantly cheaper than their land-based counterparts. Medicine has also improved greatly. Major advancements include cures for HIV/AIDS, almost all cancer, and most forms of addictions. The life expectancy in first-world countries is 95-105 years.

 

[Kinich-Ahau]

To expand on my 'Biotech or bust' idea, perhaps people who oppose GMO foods in this future could be like people who oppose vaccines right now?

Edit- Also, Insect farming, Y/Y?

 

[Ailedhoo]

I would talk fusion but that may make things easier... although it is a possible consideration.

I would say there would be still non-GMO food, set in organic farms perhaps? That said I agree in expanding GMO.

For power: Fossil Fuels are on Dying Edge as they run out while Environmental Karma come to his us for our abuse of Earth with high sea levels and exstream weather. I know we are talking technology but consider how technology would be influence; renewable and atomic are been headed, while ancestors be cursed.

Biotech may prove useful, for brewing was a early form of biotech after all. Hence biotech should not be forsaken for a single experiment (scientists do multiple experiments after all; you want to be sure you did not mark exception as the rule) whiles its importance in production of modified wheat starch and gluten can be example of the possibilities.

Human Stem Cell Advancements could be a good area to explore too. We have developed to the joint of greater medical progression?

 

[CivOasis]

Stem cell would be under biotech. Dying earth themes would have come up in the previous section, although a post-fossil fuel world could still be an interesting concept.

Also, nobody has addressed societal reactions to technology or how all those Martian colonies are capable of functioning/existing yet, if a lack of ideas is slowing this

 

[Double A]

Making cheese would be under biotech.

 

[Ailedhoo]

There is also Lunar Mining to consider for minerals.

A Martian colony would be necessary to help as a prequel to our colony; it could provide a interesting history from the days of scientific outposts and test colonies to full on settlements... all relating to politics with a possible separatist idea emerging in the Martian colony that tries to distance one self from Earth?

 

[Double A]

Lunar mining is kind of a terrible idea because tides. We should mine asteroids. Maybe move them out of the belt first to reduce impact chance?

 

[NinjaCow64]

Stem cell would be under biotech. Dying earth themes would have come up in the previous section, although a post-fossil fuel world could still be an interesting concept.

Also, nobody has addressed societal reactions to technology or how all those Martian colonies are capable of functioning/existing yet, if a lack of ideas is slowing this

Well my idea is that bolded is left to players for their individual factions.