From: Damien Raphael Sullivan (phoenix@ugcs.caltech.edu)
Date: Thu Mar 22 2001 - 01:07:03 MST
> On Wed, Mar 07, 2001 at 02:56:02AM +0100, Anders Sandberg wrote:
> > Scarcity is not just an issue of lack of resources or
> > production capacity, it is also an issue of distribution and economic
> > system. Under a Rob Mugabe even a nanotech society might starve.
True. But after a 30-year drought even the most efficient society will
collapse, without the right techonologies at hand.
(Which needn't be strong nanotech. I'm currently mildly interested in
controlled environment agriculture, as the antithesis of organic farming
("hey, soil's just dirt when you come down to it") but it's a lot easier to
find information on hydroponics and tomatoes and lettuce than on hydroponics
and staples such as wheat. Except for one NASA experiment giving 6 kg wheat
in 1m^3 in 60 days, which to me means 5 m^3 would feed a person perpetually,
which seems like way too little space...)
-xx- Damien X-)
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