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Old 08-03-2009, 02:12 PM
 
5,462 posts, read 9,634,211 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ninjahedge View Post
You smirk, but seeing how most of our entertainment dollar, ads, shows, and just about everything else is based on that, I think that might be our sad ending.

Not building a race of androids that will kill is all, but one that will stay cute looking all our natural lives....

Hey, wasn't that an episode of Futurama? Lucy Liu, where are you??!?

futurama lucy liu - Google Images

Where is Lucy Liu? The Futurama version of her as a holographic andriod was fine until she short-circuited and asked to have her memory program erased causing her to vanish forever. In the meantime, Lucy Liu's real head was still preserved and stored in a pickel jar next to those of other celebrities.

Would the human race become extinct if men preferred the company of an always cute and young female android of their own choosing? Men would still be necessary for the process of human reproduction, right? Not necessarily. Women might just decide it's easier to make clones.

Or, if sperm cells can be made from stem cells, there wouldn't be any biological need for men. Any males born might be enslaved to common household tasks, that any respectable android wouldn't bother to do. Once the males become old and useless, they'd be sent to the vet to be put to sleep, along with other household unwanted pets.

Now THAT would be a sad ending.
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Old 08-03-2009, 03:13 PM
 
5,462 posts, read 9,634,211 times
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Here's a recent article about the view toward space colonization to prevent extinction. However, by then, we may well have evolved to become something else.


Can life on Earth escape the swelling sun? - Space.com- msnbc.com
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Old 08-03-2009, 03:43 PM
 
Location: Arizona High Desert
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Why bother going into space ? Humans LOVE WAR ! We will just bung up the whole Universe, because as a species, we have a track record of violence, and greed. We will die out, sooner or later. So what. Don't many people look forward to armageddon, and the rapture ? It's right up their alleys.
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Old 08-03-2009, 05:23 PM
 
5,462 posts, read 9,634,211 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Peggy Anne View Post
Why bother going into space ? Humans LOVE WAR ! We will just bung up the whole Universe, because as a species, we have a track record of violence, and greed. We will die out, sooner or later. So what. Don't many people look forward to armageddon, and the rapture ? It's right up their alleys.

You could be right, but I hope they're wrong. We (homo sapiens) are still very primative in many ways. Assuming we don't kill ourselves off, or perish from some unforseen disaster, we will likely evolve into a new species, hopefully a bit smarter and wiser. We may also branch off with those who somehow manage to find the means to survive and thrive in space, and those who choose to remain on the planet.

As an optimist, I would hope that our descendents will survive long into the future, long after the Sun burns out leaving the Earth as nothing more than a lifeless cinder drifting alone in space. Perhaps there are people who look forward to an armageddon and rapture, but that should not stop up from moving forward in the best way we can. As a realist, I have to agree that we don't really know if we can leave the planet for good, and slowly move through space to explore other solar systems around the galaxy. But we have slowly made some primative steps in that direction. For the time being, the Earth is our home and we have to try to learn to make the best of it. What happens in the future remains to be seen. But the steps we take now are the steps that can possibly help us to thrive and survive in the future. If we do nothing at all, then we will never know the potential of what we might be able to achieve.

While we humans have had a history of violence for some of the craziest reasons, we have also had a history of amazing accomplishments. We can only speculate about the future. But if we can dream about it, then there's no reason to not do so in a big way.
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Old 08-03-2009, 05:50 PM
 
Location: Universal City, Texas
3,109 posts, read 9,837,956 times
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And dreams make reality. See you in a few.
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Old 08-04-2009, 09:46 PM
 
Location: Tucson/Nogales
23,218 posts, read 29,034,905 times
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Default Where are these numbers coming from?

Quote:
Originally Posted by NightBazaar View Post

Right now, the population of the planet is estimated to be almost 6.8 billion people. The projected population by 2100 could be 13 billion. By 2300, some projections suggest it could go as high as 36.4 billion. How would you evacuate 36.4 billion people?
Having just read a spread on the Aging Population in the Economist magazine, I see the opposite taking place: The aging population will bring the human race to extinction.

Japan's population estimated to fall from 127M to 100M in a few decades and fall preciptiously from there. And Russia with its 140M is expected to fall to 75M by 2050 (some say 100M). Even in the poorest countries, its was saying even there, they're 3 decades away from having their own aging population. Among the countries with the highest aging population include Spain, Germany, Korea.

I see quite the opposite. Death of the human race through ageism.

And if some world catastophre happens along the way....................
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Old 08-04-2009, 09:57 PM
 
Location: Omaha
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I heard we are going to be overcome by flying kangaroos and they will rape and pillage rural America.
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Old 08-04-2009, 11:43 PM
 
23,592 posts, read 70,391,434 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by That-Guy View Post
I heard we are going to be overcome by flying kangaroos and they will rape and pillage rural America.
Have you ever been to rural America? We will be the LAST people to be raped by flying kangaroos. Which gun, which gun... decisions, decisions....
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Old 08-05-2009, 12:07 AM
 
Location: Boston
905 posts, read 2,400,692 times
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Why can't this happen already, humanity has screwed things up bad.
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Old 08-05-2009, 12:54 AM
 
5,462 posts, read 9,634,211 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tijlover View Post
Having just read a spread on the Aging Population in the Economist magazine, I see the opposite taking place: The aging population will bring the human race to extinction.

Japan's population estimated to fall from 127M to 100M in a few decades and fall preciptiously from there. And Russia with its 140M is expected to fall to 75M by 2050 (some say 100M). Even in the poorest countries, its was saying even there, they're 3 decades away from having their own aging population. Among the countries with the highest aging population include Spain, Germany, Korea.

I see quite the opposite. Death of the human race through ageism.

And if some world catastophre happens along the way....................

Global populations I stated are looking at were of the High Estimates.
Scenario: Presumably due to uncontrolled birth rates and no change in global environmental conditions.

But, there are Medium Estimates that it could level out by around 2050 if there's zero population growth.
Scenario: People around the world just stop having babies. How likely is that? Strides are being made to reduce the population rate the West, Europe, and China.

There are also Low Estimates
Scenarios: Possibly due to mass die-off from diseases, starvation, wars, etc. This would almost be a certainty if an Ice Age makes much of the Northern Hemisphere unliveable. That's not counting other extreme weather conditions or severe rise in sea level. Populations would migrate to lower latitudes causing extreme crowding with limited resources.

(The scenarios above are my own speculations)

International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) Estimates for Year 2100
IIASA-World Population Program: Global Probabilistic Projections

UN Estimates for Year 2000-2300 (pdf file)
Scroll down until you reach the graph
http://www.un.org/esa/population/pub...portfinalc.pdf
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