Ah, favorite highly improbable future: A detonation of a nuclear device that happens to occur simultaneously with a powerful magical explosion in a near-by alternate reality. This causes two worlds to merge: one of technology and one of magic. The alternate earth is nearing the end of its life, and ours will become…

I don't think we need to alter our genetics. I think we'll continue to evolve into better people. Don't underestimate the ability of nature to guide our path. We haven't destroyed ourselves yet, and each generation that it doesn't happen makes it less likely to occur.

I'm taking a WAG as far as cost. Truth is, all the elements for the 100 year starship design are already being researched in individual components and are being conducted by a plethora of science agencies around the world. CERN and FermiLab are covering the high-energy physics. Various other research is going into…

Unfortunately not many people think like that. More importantly, the way we Americans look at things, its all about the dollar in the end. If its cheaper to get at on Earth, then the people will be all for going after it here - never mind that in space there's no environment to contaminate, and the rocks are already…

Translation DARPA: we're not getting the same ROI since we've been killing NASA's budget and we're not getting the shiny blasters we were promised. Therefore, in the off chance that some poor idiot out there might actually have a workable good idea we want to hear about it so we can make sure it never happens in…

To understand why this isn't happening yet is easy: the government wouldn't want anyone building a star ship before they could build one that's faster. Even in-system planetary colonies will be delayed until the trip can be made in less than a month and can be done by vessels carrying more than a handful of people. …

I think we will develop a machine sentient intelligence in the near future or discover a sentient species that is able to communicate with us. How we react to this will be the defining moment of our species. It is by this standard, rightly or wrongly, that the entirety of our race will be judged. If we are worthy,…

I can see it happening. But only a good distance away from Earth. Perhaps above/below the orbital plane (relatively speaking). It will probably be superseded by another form of FTL in relatively short order anyway - because once you open one path, the others become illuminated.

These options don't truly give us a real choice in such a disaster. First things first, whenever there is a famine unless people donate and provide foodstuffs that the populace can consume and eat, many people will die. Its probably better for the moral of the people affected if the foodstuffs come from nearby…

We as a species have to be able to recognize that once a certain capacity for thought and interact with society is reached, that individual must be considered "sentient" and is entitled to basic rights under that civilization as is also burdened by the basic responsibilities to that civilization. Translation, a…

What makes the Terminator series scary, at least to me, is that I can see us developing a machine intelligence then attempting to kill it. We are not far from creating a "sentient" intelligence in software. I refuse to use the term "Artificial" simply because once it starts thinking on its own, there's nothing…

The thing is, other than having a same basic general shape - human appearance is pretty diverse already. Most of humanity was born with two arms, two legs, one head and five digits on each extremity. The legs and feet are for walking upright, and the hands and arms are for manipulating tools. Beyond these simple…

I am at a loss for words. This is the equivalent of putting one's fingers in their ears and shouting LA-LA-LA! Well, those people who would rather live in ignorance may have won part of their battle with this decision. Fortunately they haven't really won yet.

People fail to understand that very few things in this world are literal. Our stories of the beginning and end of the world are just that: stories. The grains of truth held within are lessons designed to guide us towards a better life. The stories have been changed over the years, wordsmiths and artisans crafting…

Deimos only makes sense if you plan on doing a very systematic approach to space colonization. The real interesting stuff is ON MARS. If its a research one-shot mission, it makes more sense to land on the red planet itself. Despite the danger, more pure science will be done by a hands-on dedicated mission rather…

It does very much have the feel of those old AT&T ads. But if you think about it, we are there. Not quite in the way that people imagined, but we can sit on a beach, with a remarkably thin device and surf the web, make a video call, and all controlled through simple touch.

I believe the quote was from the TOS episode "Spock's Brain". Scotty says something like: "Ion power... I'd bet we could learn a thing or two from them..."

@Ivriniel: I've suffered from it and I still do. But each one of us is different in how we see the world through the affliction. Perhaps it isn't ADHD as you believe it to be - perhaps my problem is something else that wasn't properly defined. I know I was told that I had ADHD and was given medication for it. To…

I can't envision it happening in the US from a political standpoint. The only way I could see such an action taking place is if the government were to try to destroy the election process and decide to become a dictatorship.

@Dr Emilio Lizardo: Ah, but if you -really- wanted to be a pro baseball player you could. You'd condition yourself, compete tirelessly, and win a spot. But that's more effort, dedication and pain than most people are willing to expend.