Solutions (Was Re: Extropians (Protestants in disguise?))

Arjen Kamphuis (mountain@knoware.nl)
Sun, 14 Sep 1997 18:05:56 +0200


At 21:36 13-09-97 CST, Rick Knight wrote:
> From a parable posted by Arjen Kamphuis:
>
> If you stake your hopes for a breakthrough on trying harder than ever,
> you may kill your chances of success.
>
> Dan Fabulich asks:
>
> Who ARE you talking to, Arjen?
>
> Rick Knight responds:
>
> To me. I was quite inspired, being a stubborn, try-harder type most
> of my life...'til quite recently. I might've died on the window sill.

Glad you didn't.
Thanx Rick, again (for clarity) I posted that story underneath, and
seperatly from the main post, not to make a specific point but just because
I consider it very enlighting. I did not refer to any listmembers whatsoever.

Having susrvived many thing that I shouldn't have statistically, I am
generally very optimistic about what can be done about al kind of problems
(let's call them challenges, much better ;-).

> Peace

The world is always in short-supply of that. I do not Expect that we will
settle all our differences anywhere soon, that's OK. Diversity is good. It
prevents you from becoming lazy about your beliefs. Could we maybe, sort-of
turn all the political threads into problem-solving-oriented discussions?
(don't get me wrong I'm just as guilty as anyone in 'defending my belief')
Point some of our combined brain-power to currently feasable solutions for
some of the worlds worst economic & social problems.
We have more resouces (mental, informational) than 99,5% of the global
population, anyone interested in putting some of it to work for their benefit?

I was thinking about things like cheap medicine produced in the milk of
genetically-engineered cows/sheep. Making the first cow is of course very
complex and expensive. But once you have a working model they reproduce
themselves (well almost ;-). This is the kind of technology that can be
implemented *today* (we have a prototype bull here in Holland) and be put
to work at very low cost in third-world countries, requiring only a simple
infrastucture and little knowledge from the endusers.
Millions of lives could be saved at only minimal cost to all of us (the
reseach would pay for itself problably, we need medicine too).

Ideas on stuff like this anyone?

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Arjen Kamphuis | - But why do you want to climb so high?
mountain@knoware.nl | Surely you see that mother-nature never
| meant for you to go above 20,000 Ft?
| - That's why.