Prophets of Doom......

[Kielan]

There is no doubt that the next economic downfall will be something we really can't recover from for a long while. What sort of time frame are we talking here? I know you said 30 years somewhere but I'm not sure what the actual timing of all this is.

[Dudermagee]

There is no doubt that the next economic downfall will be something we really can't recover from for a long while. What sort of time frame are we talking here? I know you said 30 years somewhere but I'm not sure what the actual timing of all this is.

considering AI was mentioned I imagine its anywhere from now to 100years

[Petis]

Water shortages and lack of potable water for the majority of the US - 5-10 years

Downfall of the US currency and economic restart - 10-15 years

Oil becoming too expensive/difficult to afford and obtain - 10-20 years

Nuclear terrorism - they have the capability right now, most likely, to reduce mutiple cities to rubbell

A-I self awareness - by 2040 without breaking a sweat. Bill Gates predicted that A-I will be the largest indusrty by 2030 and a major player in the market as early as 2020. We have the technology already, we just need to figure out the best way to make it viable.

[Kielan]

AI selfawareness is almost a definite, its something that will need to remain in check though, until AI is capable of emotion, it will be one of those things that could go either way, the ability to decipher right and wrong is one thing, but emotion, that is the basis of so many critical decisions, without it AI could have serious effects on the world. I'm not saying good or bad because I frankly just don't know, and really we can prepare for that as much as we want but when that happens ANYTHING could happen, and we as humans need to be able to keep that in check.

[iBronzit]

^already feeling the pinch of the lack of potable water in Australia. It is the reason that it is illegal to take a shower over 5min. in Australia. They, along with several other countries and many US states, are strongly considering using refined sewage waste water as our main source of tap water.

We already are up here in Queensland... those wheels are in motion, desalination... Sewage treatment... Personally my families only source of potable water is tank water, stored from our roofs.

regardless, the prime time for our species has come and gone. As if you wouldn't pick the 1950's-60's if you could go back in time and re-live an era.

Thats actually really profound Ox, Ive never heard the present time described like that because, as is human nature, we will never actually accept the fact that something is wrong and something needs changing... but perhaps our time has come and gone.

[Petis]

^ I think our 'peak' has come and gone, but we should be able to survive much like people did only a few hundred years ago. We will just have to give up much of what we take for granted.

[NegativeCamber]

I don't think its going to be as bad as that show says
1. We are not going from being number 1 to number 100
2. We have the most amount of farmable land IN THE WORLD
3. We have a shitload of untabbed natural resources
4. When the shit gets tough, americans get going

1. too drastic but there is a beginning of a fall of the republic. america is not as it was 50 years ago and its moving in the wrong direction.

2.look at the direction its going though. with GMO foods, HFCS in everything, and other modified foods, we are harming the nation's health in the long run. the effects will be in the next generation.

3. id look at who is allowed to have access to those resources.

4. i beg to differ. again, america is no longer the same nation as it was was 50+ years ago during the WW2 era. they are lazy, clueless, ill informed or plain naive about the events that are occurring in these times. all they care about is themselves and if it doesn't affect them, the attitude is who cares. only until it is too late they decide to get involved. they are quick to give up their rights for a false sense of security and like trained parrots, repeat anything that is told to them via the media. they dont think for themselves. sure there is an exception to everything, but then again, if you analyze what is unfolding day to day and we dont shift gears out of the current trends, america is the next roman empire.

[OG patina]

i beg to differ. again, america is no longer the same nation as it was was 50+ years ago during the WW2 era. they are lazy, clueless, ill informed or plain naive about the events that are occurring in these times. all they care about is themselves and if it doesn't affect them, the attitude is who cares. only until it is too late they decide to get involved. they are quick to give up their rights for a false sense of security and like trained parrots, repeat anything that is told to them via the media. they dont think for themselves. sure there is an exception to everything, but then again, if you analyze what is unfolding day to day and we dont shift gears out of the current trends, america is the next roman empire.

reading this reminded me of america right after the 9/11 fiasco. everywhere there was american flags and all the sudden everyone was a patriot. im thinking to myself "wait, now youre proud to be american ?"

i dont think people will stop using gas until either its ten or twenty bucks a gallon, or we run out completely.

[NegativeCamber]

reading this reminded me of america right after the 9/11 fiasco. everywhere there was american flags and all the sudden everyone was a patriot. im thinking to myself "wait, now youre proud to be american ?"

i dont think people will stop using gas until either its ten or twenty bucks a gallon, or we run out completely.

yea, its been shown over and over, americans today suffer from short term memory loss. its all bandwagon-ing. trends. the media fuels it. before it was f the republicans, lets get a democrat in there. only a little over 2 years has gone by, now its f the democrats, lets get a republican back in there. its all mindless nonsense.

[OG patina]

the media fuels it. before it was f the republicans, lets get a democrat in there. only a little over 2 years has gone by, now its f the democrats, lets get a republican back in there. its all mindless nonsense.

couldnt have summed it up any better. the 24 hour news cycle and people consistently voting against their own self interest would be the end of us all, that is if voting ever really changed anything.

[Tuck&Poke]

Those shows are all the same, they give you these worst case scenarios that terrify the shit out of you.

I'm not well versed on economics so I can't really speak on that behalf, but you have to remember that from the time when policies are in place to when the effects are felt is something like a 4-8yrs.

The whole food thing is bullshit. There are technologies out there that could feed the entire world at its current population, as a matter of fact i think we already produce enough to do so, but well developed countries waste a lot of it. Organic farming is one of the worst ideas I've ever heard of. The food doesn't taste any better, and if all the farming in the world was organic it could only support something like 40% of the population today.

I've heard of the drinking water thing, they've been saying that for like 30yrs now, and I've read and seen some shows of stuff they're currently developing to desalinate water.

Ok I have to go but the last thing i was gonna say was that the US has one of the largest oil reserves in the world, even compared to the middle east, and it hasn't been touched yet. Thats a two-fold thing because its going to strengthen our economy when we finally do tap into it, and that means that theres plenty of oil for a while, so we can at least develop new technologies.

This was rushed, so dont judge me

[Petis]

^ we have a ton of oil off-shore, I totally agree with that. The problem is, the general American public has been so brain washed into thinking off-shore drilling is 'evil', that foreign oil is what is generally seen as the more responsable thing to do.

That being said, oil is still deminishing and we as a nation have passed our 'peak oil' time period. As in, we will never produce more oil annualy than we did 40yrs ago, when it reached 10million barrells a day. Eventually, that well will be empty and currently there are no substitutes.

[OG patina]

Ok I have to go but the last thing i was gonna say was that the US has one of the largest oil reserves in the world, even compared to the middle east, and it hasn't been touched yet. Thats a two-fold thing because its going to strengthen our economy when we finally do tap into it, and that means that theres plenty of oil for a while, so we can at least develop new technologies.

This was rushed, so dont judge me

yes the USA has the largest reserve in the world , however we are also number one in consumption. looking up the strategic reserves stats online shows :

"As of August 31, 2009, the current inventory was 724 million barrels (115,100,000 m3). This equates to 34 days of oil at current daily US consumption levels of 21 million barrels a day."

so as long as we can develop an oil replacement within 34 days of tapping our only reserve , then youd be correct.

[Kielan]

All I have to say is drill baby drill when it comes to oil. Most issues I go to the democrats side, but on oil drilling, its DRILL BABY DRILL!

[thehillshavestis]

i to am another that isnt well versed in the economics end. as for oil i do beilieve that we NEED to find another source. whether it be hydrogen, electric, something to make us less dependednt on other countries for oil. now if what i read is true ( very well cound not be) government stops alot of research in alot of new fuels because of its invetments in oil. therefore stopping any advancments in technology.

this guy has used water to make fire, why cant we progress this to make it run internal combustion engines. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Rb_rDkwGnU"]YouTube - Water Fuel Car[/ame]

also isnt there a huge reserve of oil under the countries national parks. (yellowstone area) i hear on of the biggest researves in the world. tell me more tho as im not very sure.

i hope something is done because my generation (im 21) and my kids wont have it to easy thats for sure.