Futures
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nomadologist
Guest
don't want to make a message board faux pas (are we not supposed to respond to old threads?) but i find this a really fascinating thread.
anyone else read this article in New York Mag about how the apocalypse is the baby boomer's favorite fetish, and really just a form of narcissism? pretty interesting
http://nymag.com/news/imperialcity/21697/index.html
anyone else read this article in New York Mag about how the apocalypse is the baby boomer's favorite fetish, and really just a form of narcissism? pretty interesting
http://nymag.com/news/imperialcity/21697/index.html
nomos
Administrator
we should definitely keep good threads going
thanks. i'm going to read this with my breakfast tomorrow.
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nomadologist
Guest
Thanks for informing the American, Nomos. I am a message board ignoramus, so please feel free tell me if I'm ever outside the bounds of etiquette here.
I will be scouring your blog tomorrow at work, looks excellent
I will be scouring your blog tomorrow at work, looks excellent
N
nomadologist
Guest
Most def. Personally, I'm less afraid of us obliterating the earth than of the fact that the earth has a balance it enforces and how swiftly and easily it wipe us out as our manipulations of the environment continue to upset the balance.
Boring science warning: I'm going to quote another scientist (sorry can't help myself) when I say terrorism is unfortunately less horrifying than the fact that we are currently losing the battle against microbes and bacteria. Joshua Lederberg claims bioweapons are by far more of a tangible threat than other WMDs, yet the government won't research counter-measures. He's certainly not very optimistic--"The future of humanity and microbes likely will unfold as episodes of a suspense thriller that could be titled 'Our Wits Versus Their Genes." I hope he's wrong about one thing in his life.
Our maladaptively complex brains, complex psychological makeup (which makes us tend to be neurotic enough to use anti-bacterial soap, kill all but the strongest bacteria, create superstrains, then touch the bathroom door on the way out) and its brainchild, capitalism, might be the end of us.
Cockroaches might not even survive if they keep relying on our waste for food.
Boring science warning: I'm going to quote another scientist (sorry can't help myself) when I say terrorism is unfortunately less horrifying than the fact that we are currently losing the battle against microbes and bacteria. Joshua Lederberg claims bioweapons are by far more of a tangible threat than other WMDs, yet the government won't research counter-measures. He's certainly not very optimistic--"The future of humanity and microbes likely will unfold as episodes of a suspense thriller that could be titled 'Our Wits Versus Their Genes." I hope he's wrong about one thing in his life.
Our maladaptively complex brains, complex psychological makeup (which makes us tend to be neurotic enough to use anti-bacterial soap, kill all but the strongest bacteria, create superstrains, then touch the bathroom door on the way out) and its brainchild, capitalism, might be the end of us.
Cockroaches might not even survive if they keep relying on our waste for food.
N
nomadologist
Guest
More scary shit: I had to transcribe a scientist's speech at the Bill and Melinda Gates Global Vaccine Enterprise fundraiser, and basically, I was shocked to find out that no one at the forefront of AIDS research believes that vaccines will ever be employed successfully against AIDS. In lay terms (from what I remember)-- AIDS is too plastic for vaccines. Even if a vaccine were developed for humans for one strain, the same person could then be re-infected by someone with another strain. And apparently there are millions of strains. It morphs to something new in just about everyone. Of course, Gates still gave $6 billion to the project (also for malaria vaccines).
Luckily there's hope in the form of anti-microbial gels (which have like a 70% success rate), but they can't get African goverments and people to use it for cultural reasons. There's also a pill that helps AIDS-infected mothers reduce the risk of passing it to babies during birth, but nurses in Africa say the women usually throw it out because they won't acknowledge they have AIDS.
Luckily there's hope in the form of anti-microbial gels (which have like a 70% success rate), but they can't get African goverments and people to use it for cultural reasons. There's also a pill that helps AIDS-infected mothers reduce the risk of passing it to babies during birth, but nurses in Africa say the women usually throw it out because they won't acknowledge they have AIDS.
N
nomadologist
Guest
trivia: How can you tell if a painting from an pre-WWII is a forgery? Radiation levels in the paint (plant-based, which forgers have to make using artists known recipes) due to the overall exponential elevation of world radiation levels after 1945. Saw that on Law & Order: CI.
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Also read something recently about how the only utopias left are the eschatological- the rapture, paradise etc... There's no more selfish/solipsistic desire than to have your own death as being at the end of the world...
swears
preppy-kei
I can't really make out if we're on the road to total enviromental collapse or not. I'm not so hot on my science.
I'd like to think of course, that everybody in a hundred years time will look back on this period and be baffled. A "What were they thinking?" sort of thing.
My favourite apocalyptic scenario in fiction is Steven Kings' short story "The End of The Whole Mess" where an eccentric young genius puts a chemical compound with anti-aggressive properties into the world's water supply via a volcanic explosion. There are a few years of peace and harmony and heaven on earth...then everybody dies of alzheimers.
I'd like to think of course, that everybody in a hundred years time will look back on this period and be baffled. A "What were they thinking?" sort of thing.
My favourite apocalyptic scenario in fiction is Steven Kings' short story "The End of The Whole Mess" where an eccentric young genius puts a chemical compound with anti-aggressive properties into the world's water supply via a volcanic explosion. There are a few years of peace and harmony and heaven on earth...then everybody dies of alzheimers.
As detailed in an earlier thread I'm kind of pro-climate change as some sort of irreducible threat to late capitalism and post-modernism. Unfortunately this may involve a lot of nastiness though. Hmm. However since that thread deteriorated into people arguing that I was really arguing for some kind of descent into hunter gatherer type conditions, didn't know I was born etc, maybe I'd better shut my trap-hole?
Yes, the Doom is in Control
Woebot
Well-known member
old threads flickering to life=good stuff
the happening world
Grandmother blows herself up in Gaza
Toxic dumping in Ivory Coast
Audit finds massive fraud in China's Social Security fund. 900million 'missappropriated'
Putin , Polonium 210 and you
Highly radioactive and toxic . By weight about 260 X more toxic then Cyanide .
Polonium kills by emitting alpha particles which have enough energy to damage -tear apart the genetic machinery of cells
Alpha emitters are not picked up by normal radiation detection equip.
Pskov Russia. 15 -20 thousand cases of Russian people poisoned also by 'adulturated vodka'
( add yeast, water sugar and antifreeze) @ 2 liter plastic bottle for about 1 Euro .
The deal is extra bad for the black market consumers because they are contracting toxic hep from the stuff
UN was also blocked from passing anti trawling ban with Iceland , Russia ,China ,South Korea all blocking the move
Recent studies showing the global collapse of almost all seafood species by 2048 - unless bottom trawling ban is put in place
Annual UN Conf. on climate change ended with modest results
Arctic gull reported in Southern California
Grandmother blows herself up in Gaza
Toxic dumping in Ivory Coast
Audit finds massive fraud in China's Social Security fund. 900million 'missappropriated'
Putin , Polonium 210 and you
Highly radioactive and toxic . By weight about 260 X more toxic then Cyanide .
Polonium kills by emitting alpha particles which have enough energy to damage -tear apart the genetic machinery of cells
Alpha emitters are not picked up by normal radiation detection equip.
Pskov Russia. 15 -20 thousand cases of Russian people poisoned also by 'adulturated vodka'
( add yeast, water sugar and antifreeze) @ 2 liter plastic bottle for about 1 Euro .
The deal is extra bad for the black market consumers because they are contracting toxic hep from the stuff
UN was also blocked from passing anti trawling ban with Iceland , Russia ,China ,South Korea all blocking the move
Recent studies showing the global collapse of almost all seafood species by 2048 - unless bottom trawling ban is put in place
Annual UN Conf. on climate change ended with modest results
Arctic gull reported in Southern California
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