The Value in Our (continued pursuit of) Scientific Knowledge

[kkirspel]

(there's seven separate videos in the series atm)

I really enjoyed watching these videos and its a shame our species' current values/priorities as a whole are leading us astray from these various related goals.

[LordDz]

Best speech ever: http://youtu.be/WibmcsEGLKo
(Just happens to be in my sig).

[kkirspel]

Best speech ever:

(Just happens to be in my sig).

Wow that was awesome.

[kkirspel]

(double post since the forum was throwing that weird error where my avatar gets put in the bottom middleish of my post if I had both links to these videos in the same post)

Since we're on an inspirational speech tangent I'll post this one too. lol
(its for real, though it may not look like it right off the bat from looking below)

[zombie@computer]

I firmly believe we will not be able to, err... transfer into this new state of mind required on the long run until we get rid of the biggest scarcity we will ever face: The ending supply of power. Once we've successfully assured relatively endless supplies of energy, we will be able to overcome all other scarcities (desaltation to water deserts, flat-like farms using artifical sunlight, etc) and eventually the reasons for fighting over the ending resources will become void. Only when these important scarcities are solved, our current (failing) economic and governmental system can (and will) change. I think this exact hurdle will be the difference between extinction and prosperity in the next 1000'nds of years to come.

So, yeah, well be doing it for our children, or our children's' children, or their children. Unless we fail.

[Major Banter]

I think that ultimately, we're approaching the Deus Ex point of balance. Thousands of societies have fallen in the past despite being very advanced for their age - the Roman Empire for one.

The question is whether we have the tools and the knowledge to tip the scales ever so slightly on the path of continuation rather than destruction.

I firmly believe that China, India, Australia and Norway have the power, resources, skill and desire to do it. Bar human rights issues that will be dealt with in time, the world the USA and the UK have created between them is a severely unbalanced one. In the UK we obsess over our 'pride' and history, yet you watch something like X-Factor and you realise that people here are delusional. We're 41st in the Quality of Life Index, next to Mexico. The UK is a broken, former Imperialist old fart trying to be something it's very much not.

I guess it boils down to one thing, to get back on track. The first thing we need is humility, and follow that with working together. Those two tenets are what'll kill us or make us.

[Mr. Happy]

I don't think we are headed toward dystopian corporate control. I don't think we are headed toward a dark future.
With the rise of information technology we have so much knowledge and history on record, permanent record, which can be accessed by so many people. We have the tendency to forget the lessons of the past, but that cannot, in terms of entire societies, happen anymore. So much is known, everything is backed up. And then there's the communication side of it. When something wrong happens no matter how distant people immediately know, and react, and analyze, and respond. People tell each other. Atrocities can not as easily be swept under the rug. It'll take time, but I think our information technology will save us from decline intellectual and societal decline, even if it is currently making us stupid (twitter) and I think that because of it the old model of state based politics will go away.

The USA is also bloated, and we are stupid. Collectively that is. It's insane that our country functions.
I feel sorry for people in the UK, I get the impression the government has undue control over your lives and that there is no privacy anymore.