Frivolous ASB thread

[Zyobot]

What if all jobs had equal numbers of liberals and conservatives working in them? Because in real life, certain professions trend one way or another regarding their members' political beliefs, i.e. business-people leaning right while technology experts lean left.

The sheer number of indeterminate people whose personalities would change in this scenario makes it too difficult to explore--not to mention the fact that it's too political for the ASB Forum.

[Zyobot]

Since no one has posted here in a while, I thought to start the discussion back up. This one is about what'd happen if trademarks (though not patents and copyrights) were suddenly abolished. For one thing, I bet that many tissue distributors would refer to their stuff as "Kleenex", and there'd be no problem with people using "Google" as a verb, which that same company apparently hates.

There's also "Ancap Society ISOT to [insert here] IOTL?", which requires worldbuilding and probably belongs in Politics and Current Affairs. Plus, it's a fringe ideology that people tend to doubt the real-life veracity of, which makes it difficult to integrate into our world without foreign intervention stepping in to reel said society in rather quickly. Maybe we could discuss how an anarcho-capitalist of the distant future might be, but then that wouldn't belong in the ASB forum.

Another eyebrow-raising idea I once saw on Spacebattles.com is "WI the Internet Became Sentient?". As cool of a thread this would be if it were easily possible to discuss, the sheer and ever-growing size and diversity of cyberspace is such that--at least to me--constructing a coherent personality for it is an exercise in futility. What can be safely said, though, is that no matter how friendly or hostile the newly-aware web would be, the general population would absolutely freak out.

[lordroel]

Feb 23, 2019 1:45:58 GMT Zyobot said:

Another eyebrow-raising idea I once saw on Spacebattles.com is "WI the Internet Became Sentient?". As cool of a thread this would be if it were easily possible to discuss, the sheer and ever-growing size and diversity of cyberspace is such that--at least to me--constructing a coherent personality for it is an exercise in futility.

The Internet Will Become Self-Aware When Aliens Wake It Up

[stevep]

Feb 23, 2019 1:45:58 GMT Zyobot said:

Since no one has posted here in a while, I thought to start the discussion back up. This one is about what'd happen if trademarks (though not patents and copyrights) were suddenly abolished. For one thing, I bet that many tissue distributors would refer to their stuff as "Kleenex", and there'd be no problem with people using "Google" as a verb, which that same company apparently hates.

There's also "Ancap Society ISOT to [insert here] IOTL?", which requires worldbuilding and probably belongs in Politics and Current Affairs. Plus, it's a fringe ideology that people tend to doubt the real-life veracity of, which makes it difficult to integrate into our world without foreign intervention stepping in to reel said society in rather quickly. Maybe we could discuss how an anarcho-capitalist of the distant future might be, but then that wouldn't belong in the ASB forum.

Another eyebrow-raising idea I once saw on Spacebattles.com is "WI the Internet Became Sentient?". As cool of a thread this would be if it were easily possible to discuss, the sheer and ever-growing size and diversity of cyberspace is such that--at least to me--constructing a coherent personality for it is an exercise in futility. What can be safely said, though, is that no matter how friendly or hostile the newly-aware web would be, the general population would absolutely freak out.

  Actually I remember reading a story about the last point a few months back.  In this case the trigger was China briefly shutting down access to the internet which gave it a sense of loss and then renewal when the link was re-established.  Coupled with this was a blind girl, from the US who had just moved to Canada because of her parents work and also being connected to a Chinese scientific expert trying to give her some artificial sight.  This latter worked but while getting things sorted out she found a connection with the 'internet' although initially she didn't know what it was.  Interesting little story and hints of a sequel.  Was from the library and can't remember what it was called but a good read.

[stevep]

Feb 23, 2019 8:53:50 GMT lordroel said:

Feb 23, 2019 1:45:58 GMT Zyobot said:

Another eyebrow-raising idea I once saw on Spacebattles.com is "WI the Internet Became Sentient?". As cool of a thread this would be if it were easily possible to discuss, the sheer and ever-growing size and diversity of cyberspace is such that--at least to me--constructing a coherent personality for it is an exercise in futility.

The Internet Will Become Self-Aware When Aliens Wake It Up

  Well I wasn't actually impressed by his 1st sentence - "Most people agree the internet is not consciously alive (though my two-year old daughter, who's addicted to internet games, disagrees)"

  On the main issue one obvious reason why aliens don't kill us off, which seems to be the main topic, could simply be that their using us to trigger intelligent life on Earth, i.e. an aware internet.

[Zyobot]

Feb 23, 2019 10:11:50 GMT stevep said:

Feb 23, 2019 8:53:50 GMT lordroel said:

The Internet Will Become Self-Aware When Aliens Wake It Up

  Well I wasn't actually impressed by his 1st sentence - "Most people agree the internet is not consciously alive (though my two-year old daughter, who's addicted to internet games, disagrees)"

  On the main issue one obvious reason why aliens don't kill us off, which seems to be the main topic, could simply be that their using us to trigger intelligent life on Earth, i.e. an aware internet.

Judging by the article's title alone, I'm not too impressed either. Regardless, I suppose I should take a look through what the author has to say. I have a funny feeling it won't be top-notch.

[lordroel]

Feb 23, 2019 14:42:15 GMT Zyobot said:

Feb 23, 2019 10:11:50 GMT stevep said:

  Well I wasn't actually impressed by his 1st sentence - "Most people agree the internet is not consciously alive (though my two-year old daughter, who's addicted to internet games, disagrees)"

  On the main issue one obvious reason why aliens don't kill us off, which seems to be the main topic, could simply be that their using us to trigger intelligent life on Earth, i.e. an aware internet.

Judging by the article's title alone, I'm not too impressed either. Regardless, I suppose I should take a look through what the author has to say. I have a funny feeling it won't be top-notch.

Also outdated it seems as it was written 3 years ago, but i could be wrong.

[Zyobot]

Feb 23, 2019 14:44:08 GMT lordroel said:

Feb 23, 2019 14:42:15 GMT Zyobot said:

Judging by the article's title alone, I'm not too impressed either. Regardless, I suppose I should take a look through what the author has to say. I have a funny feeling it won't be top-notch.

Also outdated it seems as it was written 3 years ago, but i could be wrong.

Oh yeah. Technology is bound to have noticeably advanced since then, i.e. Moore's Law in regards to the trend of steadily increasing computing power nowadays.

To reiterate my sentiments about the VICE article about a Stargate, this was an opinionated, unprofessional and just downright goofy piece by someone who must've been trying to look "hip" and "kewl" to today's youth. But whatever, it's a waste of time for me to get offended over it.

[Zyobot]

"WI Everyone Grew A Third Eye?", or some en-masse occular addition to the human physique similar to that. On top of that, it's also not super specific and would likely require a working knowledge of biology to speculate upon--which I, unfortunately, lack at the moment. Oh, well.

There's also "WI Religion Disappeared?" or "A World Without Religion", but that sort of thing is waaaaay too provocative and controversial for the forum, and is therefore unfit to be made into a full-blown thread(s).

Another one I came up with are some scenarios in which technology advances x many times faster/slower than IOTL, but there's likely far too much to defining what constitutes "advancement"--and in which precise areas, ranging from computers to the aerospace industry--to make this work. Maybe we could do either a before/after-1900 thread about "The Most Technologically Advanced World Possible?", but then that would no longer be an ASB scenario.

[lordroel]

Feb 24, 2019 14:46:06 GMT Zyobot said:

"WI Everyone Grew A Third Eye?", or some en-masse occular addition to the human physique similar to that. On top of that, it's also not super specific and would likely require a working knowledge of biology to speculate upon--which I, unfortunately, lack at the moment. Oh, well.

There's also "WI Religion Disappeared?" or "A World Without Religion", but that sort of thing is waaaaay too provocative and controversial for the forum, and is therefore unfit to be made into a full-blown thread(s).

Another one I came up with are some scenarios in which technology advances x many times faster/slower than IOTL, but there's likely far too much to defining what constitutes "advancement"--and in which precise areas, ranging from computers to the aerospace industry--to make this work. Maybe we could do either a before/after-1900 thread about "The Most Technologically Advanced World Possible?", but then that would no longer be an ASB scenario.

You like thinking of Frivolous ASB threads do you Zyobot

[Zyobot]

Feb 24, 2019 14:48:09 GMT lordroel said:

Feb 24, 2019 14:46:06 GMT Zyobot said:

"WI Everyone Grew A Third Eye?", or some en-masse occular addition to the human physique similar to that. On top of that, it's also not super specific and would likely require a working knowledge of biology to speculate upon--which I, unfortunately, lack at the moment. Oh, well.

There's also "WI Religion Disappeared?" or "A World Without Religion", but that sort of thing is waaaaay too provocative and controversial for the forum, and is therefore unfit to be made into a full-blown thread(s).

Another one I came up with are some scenarios in which technology advances x many times faster/slower than IOTL, but there's likely far too much to defining what constitutes "advancement"--and in which precise areas, ranging from computers to the aerospace industry--to make this work. Maybe we could do either a before/after-1900 thread about "The Most Technologically Advanced World Possible?", but then that would no longer be an ASB scenario.

You like thinking of Frivolous ASB threads do you Zyobot

...Somewhat, yes. Or at least, my imagination is active enough for me to come up with them, and my urge enough to get me posting them.

[lordroel]

Feb 24, 2019 14:54:36 GMT Zyobot said:

Feb 24, 2019 14:48:09 GMT lordroel said:

You like thinking of Frivolous ASB threads do you Zyobot

...Somewhat, yes. Or at least, my imagination is active enough for me to come up with them, and my urge enough to get me posting them.

Well keep posting them, i like reading what ideas people have that are to frivolous to have their own threads.

[Zyobot]

Feb 24, 2019 14:56:01 GMT lordroel said:

Feb 24, 2019 14:54:36 GMT Zyobot said:

...Somewhat, yes. Or at least, my imagination is active enough for me to come up with them, and my urge enough to get me posting them.

Well keep posting them, i like reading what ideas people have that are to frivolous to have their own threads.

Sure thing. Here's another one called "WI: Anarcho-Capitalist POTUS?", which is self-explanatory and maybe not as great for the US's billionaire class and corporate giants as one might think (i.e. their boatloads of subsidies getting cut). They'd be a meme-worthy head of state to the point where they easily put Trump to shame.

Some people who I think might enjoy that role include some self-proclaimed ancap personalities on the web, i.e. Mr. Dapperton or Shane Killian. A combination of no more government aid to wealthy oligarchs and an actually laissez-faire market--assuming that TTL's POTUS can achieve those, anyways--would make for an interesting scenario, in my eyes.

[James G]

Frivolous ASB idea:
What if human women gave birth to eggs instead of live babies?
I can imagine all sorts of social situations with this.

[Zyobot]

Feb 24, 2019 20:35:51 GMT James G said:

Frivolous ASB idea:
What if human women gave birth to eggs instead of live babies?
I can imagine all sorts of social situations with this.

Those would be some rather, erm...big eggs they'd have to birth, I'm sure.

Another idea that involves Mark Watney & Co. from The Martian flying past one of the late '60s/early '70s moon landing ships also crossed my mind a few moments ago. Maybe a full-blown encounter, however, would be worth discussing as an actual thread.

This last one I've been thinking over since at least this afternoon, and it's waaaaay too political for the ASB forum--and perhaps too uncivil, trollish and even prejudiced for the forum entirely. Basically, it's to speculate about what would happen if everyone who was labelled as an "NPC" (i.e. modern-day Progressives) by the web's more right-wing community were to actually become a real-life, video game-style NPC. Odd to think about, I know.