Future

Baron Trumps Marvelous Underground Journey – by Ingersoll Lockwood

 

This could be a hoax but it is a marvelously designed one if so. Perhaps a more accurate term would be a well designed literary meme.

Media Links – local copies

Archive.Org: Baron Trump's Marvelous Underground Journey

    

You can find the sequel on Archive.org too

1900 or The Last President  – free download of in all forms of document reader

Media Links – local copies

 

 

By Fudgy McFarlen, ago

Economist and Economic Modeller Steve Keen showing instability inherent in high debt economies

Steve Keen talks about instability inherent in high debt economies.  He does this while modeling economies on a computer and demonstrating the oscillations.

Video Notes

  • I have seen this kind of stability analysis applied before.  It is valid for circuits and system functions – I would posit it is valid for economic systems
  • When economies start using debt to drive employment things are ok for a few economic cycles – then you hit a last cycle when debt taken on is huge – the economic levitation ends – the economy shuts down.
  • The blue trace with loops is a tracing of oscillator "squegging" as we call it in electrical engineering – parametric modulation
  • because private debt levels are so high private deleveraging can overwhelm government deficit spending
  • writing off the bad debt – a.k.a. recognizing the bad debt is the only solution
  • to stabilize the system the system should be tweaked to limit the amount of personal debt individuals are willing to take on – base housing loan prices on rents you can get for said house instead of what appraisers conjure up
  • Full talk at the Whitlam Institute is here
  • The associated PowerPoint presentation is here
By Fudgy McFarlen, ago

Focus Fusion Google TechTalk Take Away Points

Research Links

Original notes from 2008 below.

You can watch the focus fusion Google TechTalk here – ( the link died but I leave the text for old times sake.  It was on our long dead friend Google Video ) 

  • We need cheaper energy not more expensive alternatives.
  • In order to merely provide the rest of the world with european level power will require 4X current energy investment.  We won't get there from here.  That includes fossil, nuclear, solar and wind power.  All together insufficient.

 

 Currently popular alternatives are not energy dense enough to get the price of energy down.  Material costs are too much.  Added benefit?  If we can make it work it will lead to propulsion that will allow sending probes to the nearest stars.

…….It's been a long time – Still nuttin as far as I can tell. 

By Fudgy McFarlen, ago