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Time flies in Google Earth’s biggest update in years

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Re: Time flies in Google Earth’s biggest update in years

#281

Post by gbrown »

ishjoh wrote: post #266
gbrown wrote: post #185

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I'd be more interested in what you think it "should" look like for an "advanced" species besides optimal? In a word, sustainable. An advanced civilization should be able to develop in a coordinated and self sustaining way, rather than as a grand experiment in tragedy of the commons. Microbes don’t coordinate their growth, and therefore fall into boom-bust cycles that dominate and exhaust their local environment. Hu…

Are you suggesting government mandated population control?

No

Re: Time flies in Google Earth’s biggest update in years

#282

Post by Clewza313 »

devrand wrote: post #53
shortlived wrote: post #47

Is the data open source and available without using google earth?

Almost certainly not. I'm fairly certain Google is licensing the imagery.

Google spun off its own satellite imagery business a while again, but retains usage rights: https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2017/02/googl...

Re: Time flies in Google Earth’s biggest update in years

#283

Post by Grimm1 »

gbrown wrote: post #278
Grimm1 wrote: post #255

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But we're moving towards sustainability. Whether it's fast enough is up to interpretation but the push for green tech, sustainable farming etc etc it's not like this is an unknown, it's just always been the case that it must be sufficiently cheap and easy for the average person to latch onto it. Unfortunately in a lot of areas we're getting there but not there yet.

The near universal consensus of people who study natural systems is that we’re way, way, way behind. Unfortunately the science is pretty bleak.

Mind providing me some of that research? I've heard this a few times but when I go looking for it nothing really pops up, it's mostly things saying we need to act now but can avoid the biggest issues.

Re: Time flies in Google Earth’s biggest update in years

#284

Post by gbrown »

Seanambers wrote: post #224
gbrown wrote: post #185

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I'd be more interested in what you think it "should" look like for an "advanced" species besides optimal? In a word, sustainable. An advanced civilization should be able to develop in a coordinated and self sustaining way, rather than as a grand experiment in tragedy of the commons. Microbes don’t coordinate their growth, and therefore fall into boom-bust cycles that dominate and exhaust their local environment. Hu…

An advanced civilization.. Like where do you think we are? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kardashev_scale Seems to me like you are expecting too much. Worst part is, if that kind of thinking - do not exploit nature wins out - we might not even get there. Exploitation is key for scientific advancement in capitalism.

> you are expecting too much.

The universe doesn’t grade on a curve.

> Exploitation is key for scientific advancement in capitalism

What a weird objection. It’s our science that tells us we need to radically reform how we consume resources. I’m not worried we’re going to waste all our resources in scientific endeavors, I’m concerned that we’re destroying the environment on which we depend for frivolous short term gains.

Re: Time flies in Google Earth’s biggest update in years

#285

Post by IgorPartola »

Grimm1 wrote: post #283
gbrown wrote: post #278

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The near universal consensus of people who study natural systems is that we’re way, way, way behind. Unfortunately the science is pretty bleak.

Mind providing me some of that research? I've heard this a few times but when I go looking for it nothing really pops up, it's mostly things saying we need to act now but can avoid the biggest issues.

Not proper research but this is as visual as it gets: https://xkcd.com/1732/

Re: Time flies in Google Earth’s biggest update in years

#287

Post by rizzom5000 »

Grimm1 wrote: post #283
gbrown wrote: post #278

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The near universal consensus of people who study natural systems is that we’re way, way, way behind. Unfortunately the science is pretty bleak.

Mind providing me some of that research? I've heard this a few times but when I go looking for it nothing really pops up, it's mostly things saying we need to act now but can avoid the biggest issues.

Maybe this isn't a big issue? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holocene_extinction

Re: Time flies in Google Earth’s biggest update in years

#288

Post by gbrown »

Grimm1 wrote: post #283
gbrown wrote: post #278

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The near universal consensus of people who study natural systems is that we’re way, way, way behind. Unfortunately the science is pretty bleak.

Mind providing me some of that research? I've heard this a few times but when I go looking for it nothing really pops up, it's mostly things saying we need to act now but can avoid the biggest issues.

Pick an area of science which intersects with human development and I'll find you something - the underlying truth is that we can't hope to disrupt such a huge percentage of our biosphere without nasty consequences, and we can't hope to have remediation efforts compete with the global engine of human development. We've essentially organized an entire global society around the injection of carbon into the atmosphere, while turning habitat into development at astonishing rates. To make things worse, humans are really good at adapting, so we're (by and large) comfortable while the world burns.

Press releases and pop-science articles tend to try to strike a more hopeful tone, because it's extremely tiring and depressing just hearing "we're screwed" all day. I try to stay hopeful, but my faith that enough people will care soon enough is basically gone.

Re: Time flies in Google Earth’s biggest update in years

#289

Post by rland »

keithwhor wrote: post #61

What's really striking to me about timelapse videos of the Earth is how, at a grand enough scale, the growth of human settlements on Earth really looks no different than the growth of bacterial and fungal colonies on Petri dishes. We think of ourself as special, as having conquered environments, technology and more - and when zoomed out you could explain everything we've built and accomplished as the achievements of…

Said best by Agent Smith in this classic scene:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgS1Lwr8gq8

Re: Time flies in Google Earth’s biggest update in years

#290

Post by gbrown »

drivebycomment wrote: post #239
gbrown wrote: post #185

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I'd be more interested in what you think it "should" look like for an "advanced" species besides optimal? In a word, sustainable. An advanced civilization should be able to develop in a coordinated and self sustaining way, rather than as a grand experiment in tragedy of the commons. Microbes don’t coordinate their growth, and therefore fall into boom-bust cycles that dominate and exhaust their local environment. Hu…

I think humanity is, and has been going through a collective learning experience over thousands of years, and any "advanced" civilization will necessarily have to go through a similar phase to get to that "advanced" stage. So while it's true humanity can do better, I think this - the global coordination challenge - is fundamental and irremovable in any collection of self-interested individuals.

More cynical take: because most societies have to go through this experience, most societies don't make it to "advanced". That's one of the ideas behind the "Great Filter" hypothesis.
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