I agree with your extrasolar assessment, but I can see habitations on other worlds in our solar system. There are a lot of moons around Saturn and Jupiter. Not to mention a likely high number of suitably large asteroids.

Though in order for that to happen aging, cancer, and disease in general will have to be an essentially solved problem. First, to be able to withstand the increased radiation in space. Second, to have a need for human colonization. If the population no longer dies, and the society is energy-rich, habitation elsewhere is certainly possible.

Of course, it would be easier to create colonies under the oceans than it would be to create colonies on other planets.

They wont. FTL == fiction.

Love, Einstein

only suckers proofread

That was all very well said. Which is why I'm replying it!

If we know that we're the problem, then I think we should seriously consider seeding the oceans with iron or whatever materials necessary to cause blooms of plankton.

The theory I've usually heard is that there are blooms that then die and fall to the bottom of the ocean as a form of carbon sequestration.

What if these blooms actually fed new and existing ecosystems. Baleen whales and other such fishes. It would make amends for all of the whaling and fishing humans have done. Their biomass is also effective carbon sequestration.

In all seriously though, we really need to ramp up nukes fast. They'd have to be mass produced factory-built for it to really work. Preferably lead cooled traveling wave reactors. Those are tight. I think there are some corrosion issues though that are currently being investigated. Perhaps the new field of 2d materials could provide some new insight into reactor material sciences.

hah, I interpreted that as 'a way to solve a problem that's not perfectly specified'

phys.org rules

Can't speak for the dude, but I think that the single LED w/micro mirror approach painting an image directly onto your retina like an old CRT is going to win. It can fool what we're focusing on. This current approach never gets beyond the 'you are still looking at a screen inches from your eyes'.

The current tech has the resolution at about 320x200 or something like that. Obviously to low for now. But even reviews of that resolution said that it was still eerily lifelike and different from a regular screen

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V...

It's a good question. The best solution I can come up with (conspicuously short on details) is nuke powered (in sub-basement) pre-fabricated highrises. Social interaction and fulfillment (since jobs availability for all shouldn't be assumed) will be computer game/mmo based for education and coordination of other 'meat space' social activities.

This obviously assumes a lot of post scarcity tropes. Indoor hydroponic farming, on-site fabrication, carbon based electronics, etc

The only potential solution I can think of is what some have called 'Computational Socialism'.

The way I see it, all power corrupts and that the government's role should be to provide for its citizens. If we accept the tenet that all power corrupts then we should make every attempt possible at removing people from the equation in government. The vast majority of functions a government makes are mechanistic and often require so many variables that no person could make a logical decision. These should be governed by algorithms that are clear and open source. Decisions made by the algorithm also provide 'proofs' for how the policy was created. It is the people's job to check and verify the proofs and use them as a basis for arguments one way or the other. Tweaking of the algorithms should be evidence based and with public support.

Get people out of government!

I match your anecdotal evidence with mine.

I've been refused condoms at an Ingles in Asheville, NC. When asked where they were the lady looked at my and my GF with disgust and contempt and said "WE DON'T CARRY THOSE HERE!" In shock I just said "Okay, its off to CVS for us."

My thoughts exactly! Considering that windshields already have good UV filtering, this shouldn't be an issue for the eyes of drivers.

This may be a good story to point out that the Space Dub group Sagan Youth Boys uploaded a track from their upcoming album that tracks a voyage to and into Europa.

https://soundcloud.com/sagan-y...
Radio chatter sourced from NASA recordings of Luca Parmitano's July 16th 2013 spacewalk.

I've often thought about the problem of having more children in order to continue benefits. The solution that I can think of would involve providing a bonus benefit for mothers on welfare that agree to go on contraception (iud, or injection). It would be *much* cheaper in the long run to not only give birth control for free, but to pay them to take it!

I hope your house gets overrun by rioters.

Booo! The only Simpsons worth knowing is the 90s Simpsons, after about 2001 they were a husk of what they once were. Further, that is one of the best episodes from the series!

GiT, I normally love your insightful comments. Not sure how knowing episodes from a 90s cartoon is 'hip', but I'll take it! If you haven't seen the episode yourself, I highly recommend it.