Macross makes it way to the Pentagon

[Edawg]

This is a Space Solar Power video with a very memorable tune behind it

enjoy =)

[badboy00z]

That's Sharon Apple right?

[Renato]

Yeah, that's "Pulse", which is probably my favourite Yoko Kanno song ever.

Intriguing content, too. Space-based Solar Power.. Sounds pretty cool.

[Star Dragon]

I read the wiki article it linked to...

I still don't get the wireless transmission of power. I would think we would have that NOW for devices like phones long before we enabled it for a power station from space...

Gamma World had it in the 1980's RPG by TSR. It was called "Broadcast Energy" and as long as you were in the transmission radius of an active power source everything could work/recharge from main frames to individual equipment, vehicles and even hand weapons, power armor...

They fail to mention the Solar weapon from Gundam 0083? I would wager enough energy could accumulate over time to have one shot ready at any time with an indeterminate/long recharge period...

In one set of sentences they claim it to be very safe no contamination and yet, one of the "cons" of having a system receive offshore is "biological contamination" Both of these points can't be true. One has to be false...

I suggest they do more study before making such statements!

Good idea on paper but we should also be refining ground based receptors and then making them available to the public very cheap or even at NO COST as an incentive to build personal and NATIONAL sources of local power that reduce overall demand. If having better panels on my roof that I can choose to have (and they come out and install it for you!) that can power my fridge, alarm clock, tv, lights, stove, water heater, and gaming system/comp, then why the HELL NOT!

Oh and charge up the electric /hybrid car in the garage...

It may not solve all my power needs but any reduction of the electric bill would be a great idea and help get this country off other forms of power.

One thing I did find kinda ridiculous though, the 18k reactors needing to be built... I would estimate we have at most a few hundred in this country (does anyone have a count?). Maybe HALF that would be sufficient for the global market.

Edited September 1, 2008 by Star Dragon

[eugimon]

wireless power:

http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/21/intel-d...villagers-terr/

[Shaka_Z]

actually, wireless power transmission is nothing new - it is just the scale of the setup with regards to solar power satellites that poses the problems. tbh, while I absolutely love the idea and the ramifications it would have for space travel infrastructure, the risks of beaming all that power to earth dont sit well with me. I would prefer to beam the power to a receiver at the end of a orbital elevator cable, and then get the power down that way.

in the final analysis however, no solar collector scheme is ever going to be sufficient as a primary power source - that spot belongs to fusion, and I am so hoping the bussard polywell makes net power gain with its' next design iteration that it is not funny.

[eugimon]

Well, ultimately the real problem is over population and rising global standards of living. Western countries had it so good for so long and now we're freaking out over the idea that the rest of the world wants to live like we do.

[Shaka_Z]

Well, ultimately the real problem is over population and rising global standards of living. Western countries had it so good for so long and now we're freaking out over the idea that the rest of the world wants to live like we do.

overpopulation isnt the problem... to take it to an extreme, the entire population of earth can fit into an area the size of texas, and every individual would still have more than 100m^2 of area to live in - that isnt counting multi-story structures, which can easily multiply the livable area (arcologies anyone?). the problem is economics and politics. actually it's mostly politics and how most of the rest of the world does things.

too many people here in the western world seem to believe that the worlds problems are our fault, and while they are to some extent correct in that belief, the real problem is in that most of the underdeveloped world operates very much on a dog-eat-dog, guy most willing to kill his competition wins/leads mentality. the vast majority of the human species just doesn't share the same core philosophical beliefs as the 'developed' world (and yes, even china is in that majority). thing is there is really no simple solution to the problem short of an alien species coming along and deciding to BDZ those parts of the world because they dont meet certain criteria - there was a novel by ben bova iirc where aliens folded the sun out of our solar system because the nations of earth decided to retreat from space, leaving only those who were stationed on earth's first lunar colony in a position to survive.

Edited September 8, 2008 by Shaka_Z

[SchizophrenicMC]

The only solution is for the ASS-1 to come down and crash on a pacific island somewhere. Then, everyone'll stop what they're doing, form a United Earth Government, and send the best of the best scientists to rersearch and rebuild the thing over the next 10 years, at which point, a species of giant, humanoid aliens will attack, spend the next year-and-a-half fighting the one ship, then destroy all life on Earth, and get destroyed at the end by the Grand Cannon in Alaska, leaving the 70,000 citizens of what used to be Macross City, who now live inside of the SDF-1, to try to rebuild what used to exist in the wastelands and deserts left behind by the war... It'd make the middle-easterners happy, as the rest of the world sould live in the same, shitty deserts as them...

[Dante74]

Is that your sig?! LOL!

[SchizophrenicMC]

Took forever to find the prescription generator.

[Mr March]

I like the custom color scheme for the VF-1A in your avatar, SchizophrenicMC. It looks cool.

[Skullsixx]

That was awesome! I'd love to see this happen, but I'm NOT holding my breath.