X-Message-Number: 28361
Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2006 18:14:36 -0400
From: Keith Henson <>
Subject: Re: Nanotech, space elevator and wealth

At 09:00 AM 8/28/2006 +0000, dss wrote:

snip

>Keith again demonstrates that a little knowledge can be dangerous.
>
>Good economic times - of a specific type - and war go together
>perfectly well (probably the best ref.):
>
>The Global Political Economy of Israel,

You didn't read the article.  The people who build up the memes to start 
wars are not the ones with bright prospects.

I.e., the US economy had very little to do with 9/11.  The 75% drop in per 
capita income in Saudi Arabia did.

snip

>According to the original Peak Oil hypothesis, oil should have been
>used up by now. Fortunately, proven reserves are at their highest
>level in history, having doubled in the last 25 years. The Pentagon
>and its dupes seem to be selling the hypothesis these days as a way
>to justify increased military spending in order to prepare for coming
>"resource wars". It seems counter productive to promote a hypothesis
>being used by the Pentagon, if one wishes to avoid war.

That depends on the hypothesis being right or wrong, not who is promoting it.

>Global warming has also been oversold by certain special interests.

It really does not matter if peak oil or global warming is real or not as 
long as people are concerned about it.  It it the perception of future 
prospects that sets up the conditions for war.

> > One way both can be solved is power satellites (from the late 70s).
>
>While solar power satellites could make a contribution, they are not
>going to solve climatic problems. And as ongoing European Space
>Agency studies show, no new technology, such as space elevators is
>needed to activate the plan.

That's been true since the mid to late 1970s.  What space elevators offer 
is a reduction in cost to GEO as high as 10,000 to one and an energy 
payback that's 100 to 1000 times better.

Keith Henson

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