Re: The End of Privacy /the World?

den Otter (neosapient@geocities.com)
Wed, 01 Jul 1998 16:53:23 +0200

Anders Sandberg wrote:
>
> mark@unicorn.com writes:
> > Anders Sandberg wrote:
> > >In
> > >the extreme case there exists some technology that allows you to
> > >destroy the world from the comfort of your home;
> >
> > So what? If it exists then you get off Earth.
>
> Then you better make sure you have off-world tickets before black hole
> generators (or whatever) become widely available in the stores. The
> point is, you have to be able to move away *before* somebody starts
> being dangerous. If you start to build your launchpad afterwards,
> there is a real chance that it becomes a logical target.

Yes, getting into space, and putting some distance between yourself and the earth asap seems like the only practical solution there is. Apart from the island project (which is the only alternative as long as you can't afford to get offplanet), it might also be a good idea to start saving for a space ship. ;-) The chance that things will go badly wrong within the next (half)century is too big for comfort. Certainly if you consider that it was already touch and go when only a handful of superpowers (considerably more stable than lone nuts/terrorists) had access to weapons of mass destruction. It's a shame Artemis and such will probably lead to nothing.