Deuce

Well it's day two and I've nothing particularly interesting to say. This is why blogs are such a good idea, but so poor in execution, I guess. Let's see if I can come up with anything without going to some of my old standards or previously written items...

Google just launched its Google Mars maps to go along with Google Earth. Once again I'm reminded of the fact that I'm absolutely convinced the humans will colonize Mars (possibly with terra-forming) and then eventually other planets outside our system. The history of mankind filled with expansion movements based initially on the need for resources (food from herds, then farmland) but more recently on the simple need for more elbow room! As we continue to fill the Earth at an alarming pace, we will soon need more space to occupy.
Certainly we can take advantage of undersea habitat technology as well as subterranean to satisfy the need, but I think that as we learn more about the possibility of an E.L.E on Earth (asteroid collisions and climactic changes) we will as a species realize that survival requires us to spread out across celestial bodies. The same technology that would allow for subsurface habitats would work for extraterrestrial housing, so it's not a big leap once we reach that point - for that matter we HAVE reached that point technologically; the only impediments are emotional and financial commitment.

Ok, as I write this an interesting counter-argument occurs to me…no I take that back! I was going to ask if humans have become so adept at creating and living in cities that the desire for space no longer exists on a scale required for a species-level expansion push. Have production and construction methods eliminated the need for individual land? These may or may not be good questions, but I think rather than settling in to urban life, we are in fact moving out of the period ruled by cities. I think that suburban sprawl is increasing, and the sophistication of both communication and distribution methods are allowing for the spreading out of the population.
Cities were powerful because they centralized systems and support services, allowed for the sharing of resources, and provided safety. But now physical proximity is less important for those things. Communication technology allows for instant global reach and the technology of distribution systems is growing rapidly (consider that highways are only about 60 years old and jet transport is only about 40!). As for safety, recent history (and weapons technology) suggests the spreading out is now safer than bunching up!

So, in the end I’m back to being convinced that we will eventually live places beyond Earth! Unfortunately, even as the price of space technology falls (see Spaceship One) I don’t think this will occur in my lifetime…

…damn!