A few weeks ago, after a few Stellas, a had a strange thought. Is the human race doomed? Is there anything else for us to do? Have we achieved to much?
Look at the evidence:
Science: First, there was the mapping of the human genome, and then the advent of cloning and "playing god". Is science getting out of control?
Medicine:In terms of medicine, the only two main obstacles are a cure for Cancer and AIDS (and to a lesser extent, the common cold). You could argue that to give a blind person sight would be a breakthrough, but for someone who has never seen and gains sight after 30-odd years, this can have grave psychological implications.
Art: Creativity is dying. Art today is dominated by Hoxton-based copyist twats with their Turner Prize-friendly conceptual bollocks. It's not art is it??
Music: Little progression here. The sad reality is that many credible musicians today are looking backwards to look forwards, like the garage rock revival etc. Even the electronic music set are becoming formulaic in their ways. You can't rip off Kraftwerk for ever.
Politics: People today - is it possible that some are scared to express their own opinions? and that others are so apathetic due to the weak level of choice that even some are sadly supporting cunts like the BNP?
(NOTE: I'm not saying this is strictly my opinion at all, just trying to start a debate based on one man's pissed panderings. Very pissed btw.)
I think too much when I drink Stella.
Posted by
Sul, 17:02, 29th July 2003:
I think there's still plenty to acheive in science. Hoverboards for one....
Damn stella making me forget about hoverboards
Posted by
Sul, 17:05, 29th July 2003:
and HELLOOOOOOWWWW!!! Star Trek aint gonna happen if we stopped now. There's still plenty to acheive.
Star Trek's shite though. So doesn't count bleh.
Posted by
Sul, 17:09, 29th July 2003:
Pah!
Then again though, in Star Trek, the individuals don't count for shit. Like the bloke in the red outfit that always gets killed.
The "reality" created in that show (moreso the new ones) has a whole "Technology=good Free thinking people=bad" mentality. Science and technology gone mad. You couldn't make it up
/ThatTwatLittlejohn
Posted by
beargod, 17:11, 29th July 2003:
Science, we have gone too far in some aspects but not far enough in others, For instance like you said, maybe we have gone to far, but things like computers, cars, exploration, we have barely touched the surface off
medicin - there has been lots of advances made especially over the last 100 years, and people have livved longer which is good, I am begining to think when our generation dies the average age might be over 100, but there aer still alot of diseases and things that need sorting out soon too
Art - is moving in a different direction then it was, I think the art that most people appreciate now is Special effects in films, acting, cartoons etc. Its all a different aspect and all reasonably new
Music - pretty much yes, also alot are looking at classical music for inspiration
Politics - maybe, Im a bit in the apathy thing, as long as tories and Labour don't get in(plus the other evil ones) I don't care
Posted by
beargod, 17:12, 29th July 2003:
damn wrong thread
To add to BG's points
Medicine - You mentioned advancements in the last 100 years, the point relates more to the present day. The life expectancy has risen but can this rate necessarily be sustained? Take into account the ongoing population explosion, especially in the East. Where will it stop?
Art - Possibly moving sideways. Most of the things you mentioned (CGI etc) are a bit soulless and artificial.
Politics - Who is left to vote for? A state of forced apathy arises.
Posted by
beargod, 17:24, 29th July 2003:
medicine - breakthroughs are happening all the time, It will carry on for quite a while yet, hopefully we will have advancedments in things like surgery, where no one dies, childbirth is still linguering and all these sorts of things, cot death, is all being looked at and hopefully made so it never happens.
Art - yes it is all artificial, but usually it has had a lot of heart and thought put into it, something that I can't see that flashing light or the bedroom "art" things have in them.
Politics - we should kill all the government and Put an average man who is not after greed in control of the country. Someone who listens to the people, or turn into communists (jokeing don't send the FBI round, please)
"
where no one dies,"
A bit "pie in the sky" perhaps?
"
but usually it has had a lot of heart and thought put into it"
But so does having a wank on a bus ;) Is that art?
"
Put an average man who is not after greed in control of the country"
Sadly, this will never happen. Like someone once said (paraphrased) "Those who truly want power shouldn't be allowed it"
Posted by
cal, 17:33, 29th July 2003:
nobody who wants to rule the universe should be allowed to
it's all peeks and troughs
Posted by
beargod, 19:27, 29th July 2003:
Can't it be swings and roundabouts? They are more fun.
I mean it would be ideal if people did not die in a serious operation due to bad surgeons
Posted by
Sul, 19:30, 29th July 2003:
its the return of reddy :D
Posted by
mjt7420, 22:57, 29th July 2003:
I think the answer is yes, but not because we've run out of things to do, but because there's going to be a war and we're all going to die... but good points about art
"Star Trek's shite though. So doesn't count bleh."
I've killed for less than that ;) .
The progression will never stop. It fluctuates a good bit and in some cases (the middle ages) even seems to stop or take a small step back. However, human beings always live at the pinnacle of technological evolution and so tend to think that it's all been done.
but because there's going to be a war and we're all going to die...
people have been saying that for fifty years, i think we've got some game in us yet.
think hoverboards.
Posted by
beargod, 09:43, 30th July 2003:
GPWM?
We will survive any war, we invented spitfires for gods sakes
I got a bit upset yesterday when I realised that it may be impossible to create a hover board :(
How can something so thin and narrow (the circly things underneath) pack enough power to shoot out air/whatever to make the thing hover??? Fucking brain, ruins everything for me.
Spitfires won't mean shit if the robots get wise and kick off against us.
Posted by
beargod, 09:48, 30th July 2003:
That will not be for 50 years, till we discover decent AI
And we could dig up the whole of the earth and put a massive magnet in there and those small disks could be magnets also and repel the other magnet, to hover and spin around
Discover decent AI??? What, like down the back of a settee?
Actually, the magnet idea may hold some water, but it would have to be done diffently, like a sort of magnetic field covering ground level set to a frequency that only the boards react to. Else those with metal dentures are fucked.
Posted by
beargod, 09:58, 30th July 2003:
LOL
It will help with hover cars too
Posted by
beargod, 09:59, 30th July 2003:
ANd that is A I as in i as in in
You would have to watch we didn't disturb the earths internal magnetism which generates the magnetic field and prevents us from being killed instantly by radiation form solar flares and other cosmic particles. The bad thing is we are nowhere near understanding how the earths magnetic field works. Maybe we could use antiprotons somehow?
The transporter thing form Startrek is interesting, although I wouldn't volunteer to test it! The thing is that physical matter, in this case electrons, are transported a billion billion times a second in all sorts of materials on earth. When an electron 'falls' from its ebergy shell surrounding an atom it doesn't move through physical space it simply stops being in one place and appears in another!! Cool as a pair of ice cold pants.
Posted by
Sul, 10:06, 30th July 2003:
I believe that the key to decent AI is making computers fight eachother in streetfighter 2 having them learn from their mistakes and sucesses. Then we input the data into massive robocop type cyborgs and have them running around shouting RYUKEN! And throwing flaming shoryukens at the masses.
Do you think by the end of this thread we may accidentally invent hoverboards? Because that would rock.
Posted by
beargod, 10:38, 30th July 2003:
That would be cool ap, although I think it may take longer
Posted by
cal, 17:20, 30th July 2003:
the trick with hoverboards will either be electromagnetc fields or some trickery with quark pairs (similar to the star trek transporter).
it'll happen, at some point. it (probably) wouldn't be possible by blasting a jet downwards, but i don't think it needs to. a helium balloon can hover without exerting a downward force. imagine a helium balloon that could chnage volume (and so pressure) at will and float, with of without a person on it. it doesn't take a gient leap of faith to equate this through to "hoverboard" technology.
Lets ask the Silver Surfer.
Posted by
beargod, 19:56, 30th July 2003:
compared to physics, everything that goes up exerts a downwards force, but it is very small, or it might be when something comes down, i get confused nowadays :)
Considering my dad is a nuclear physicist, I really ought to know the basics of science really, shouldn't I?? Why am I such a clueless fuckwit? WHHYYYY????
*shakes fist towards the heavens*
You old man is a what? Get te....honestly?
yup :(
ex-MOD too.
I suck.
ex-MOD! Could it be any worse?
Posted by
Sul, 09:52, 31st July 2003:
ooooh. New thread idea