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alternative energy's unexpected benefits
Sep. 14th, 2010 11:34 amI've always liked the idea of alternative energy sources, mostly because it frees us from having to constantly dig into our pockets to pay ever-increasing amounts to other people (usually giant, faceless corporations). I also like being able to insulate ourselves from blackouts and irregular supply (especially living out in the country, as I do). Another nice thing is that alternative energy is a safe way to undercut governments' recurring threat to turn to nuclear power and all its attendant dangers (a single accident is a major catastrophe, nuclear reactors enable nuclear weapons, the reactors need scary security and laws to safeguard them, and they inflexibly centralise power instead of flexibly decentralising it). And lately more and more people have been waking up to the absurdity of sending vast sums of money to the petroleum-rich islamic nations who have a frequently stated aim of conquering the world to put us all under sharia law (ugh!). It is this last point that I was musing upon this morning.
It struck me that the best way to slow islam's growth and reduce the risk they pose would be to vigorously develop alternative sources of energy. This would very quickly deny the islamic nations their power. With their vast, poverty-stricken populations relying utterly upon this money to buy in food, clothing, and other goods, they would be forced to beg the western countries for help. We would be in a position where we could then dictate subtle changes that would increase their well-being, while decreasing the dominance of their insane religion. For example, we could stipulate that aid would be conditional upon rights for women and repeal of the death sentence for apostasy (apostasy is to give up one's religion either for another religion or for non-belief). We could use the control of money to channel funds to secular schools and choke off religious indoctrination.
Of course we would need to be very just and compassionate about provision of help. Using money as a way to crush a country and steal its resources must be prevented -- a difficult thing as this is what people have tended to do upon gaining the upper hand. Such injustice breeds hatred, and that hatred is specifically what we should be trying to avoid.
It would quickly become apparent to children that their life was much better under a westernised lifestyle. There will always be the risk of brainwashing, but the tide will have turned, with the power and influence of islam decreasing instead of growing, so the risk would lessen over time. Today islam infiltrates the west through petrodollars being channelled into mosques and islamic schools which function to increase the reach of their brainwashing. With their source of funds cut off this infiltration would wither and dwindle.
Exposed to rational thought, islam would start to decay the same way christianity is declining. It will take time, and religion will continue to pose a great threat to the world for the forseeable future, but implementing alternative energy will not only clean up our planet, but help clean up our minds as well.
----
When I say "alternative energy" what do I mean? The most important alternative is improve efficiency, so that we use less in order to get the same result, or even more (for example computers used to consume tens of thousands of watts to do what a credit card sized calculator now does using perhaps a millionth of the energy). Efficiency would initially save us from buying enormous amounts of oil, and not buying it is cheaper than buying it and wasting it. Wind energy has shown itself to be a very effective source of power. Geothermal energy has a lot going for it and already supplies power in many places around the world. Solar energy has some difficulties, mostly because it usually works only during the day, and generally requires clumsy, fragile, polluting, expensive batteries (though supercapacitors are showing promise to replace batteries). However there are ways around this problem, one of which I'm working on. Tidal and wave power have difficulties with corrosion and encrustation with barnacles and seaweed.
One of the technologies I find most interesting is the ability to tap brownian motion to extract energy. As our equipment becomes more and more energy efficient I expect such feeble ambient sources will become increasingly important.
Another, far more esoteric, source of power is so-called zero-point energy, which may be effectively free and inexhaustible... unfortunately it remains merely hypothetical as yet.
It struck me that the best way to slow islam's growth and reduce the risk they pose would be to vigorously develop alternative sources of energy. This would very quickly deny the islamic nations their power. With their vast, poverty-stricken populations relying utterly upon this money to buy in food, clothing, and other goods, they would be forced to beg the western countries for help. We would be in a position where we could then dictate subtle changes that would increase their well-being, while decreasing the dominance of their insane religion. For example, we could stipulate that aid would be conditional upon rights for women and repeal of the death sentence for apostasy (apostasy is to give up one's religion either for another religion or for non-belief). We could use the control of money to channel funds to secular schools and choke off religious indoctrination.
Of course we would need to be very just and compassionate about provision of help. Using money as a way to crush a country and steal its resources must be prevented -- a difficult thing as this is what people have tended to do upon gaining the upper hand. Such injustice breeds hatred, and that hatred is specifically what we should be trying to avoid.
It would quickly become apparent to children that their life was much better under a westernised lifestyle. There will always be the risk of brainwashing, but the tide will have turned, with the power and influence of islam decreasing instead of growing, so the risk would lessen over time. Today islam infiltrates the west through petrodollars being channelled into mosques and islamic schools which function to increase the reach of their brainwashing. With their source of funds cut off this infiltration would wither and dwindle.
Exposed to rational thought, islam would start to decay the same way christianity is declining. It will take time, and religion will continue to pose a great threat to the world for the forseeable future, but implementing alternative energy will not only clean up our planet, but help clean up our minds as well.
----
When I say "alternative energy" what do I mean? The most important alternative is improve efficiency, so that we use less in order to get the same result, or even more (for example computers used to consume tens of thousands of watts to do what a credit card sized calculator now does using perhaps a millionth of the energy). Efficiency would initially save us from buying enormous amounts of oil, and not buying it is cheaper than buying it and wasting it. Wind energy has shown itself to be a very effective source of power. Geothermal energy has a lot going for it and already supplies power in many places around the world. Solar energy has some difficulties, mostly because it usually works only during the day, and generally requires clumsy, fragile, polluting, expensive batteries (though supercapacitors are showing promise to replace batteries). However there are ways around this problem, one of which I'm working on. Tidal and wave power have difficulties with corrosion and encrustation with barnacles and seaweed.
One of the technologies I find most interesting is the ability to tap brownian motion to extract energy. As our equipment becomes more and more energy efficient I expect such feeble ambient sources will become increasingly important.
Another, far more esoteric, source of power is so-called zero-point energy, which may be effectively free and inexhaustible... unfortunately it remains merely hypothetical as yet.