The Gypsy Speaks

Monday, May 19, 2008

Peter Thiel Makes Down Payment on Libertarian Ocean Colonies

Peter Thiel Makes Down Payment on Libertarian Ocean Colonies: "Peter Thiel Makes Down Payment on Libertarian Ocean Colonies
By Alexis Madrigal Email 05.19.08 | 12:00 AM"

An artist's conception of what a large seastead based on the spur design could look like. The Seasteading Institute envisions vast clumps of these structures forming city-states in the open ocean.
Illustration: Valdemar Duran

Tired of the United States and the other 190-odd nations on Earth?

If a small team of Silicon Valley millionaires get their way, in a few years, you could have a new option for global citizenship: A permanent, quasi-sovereign nation floating in international waters.

With a $500,000 donation from PayPal founder Peter Thiel, a Google engineer and a former Sun Microsystems programmer have launched The Seasteading Institute, an organization dedicated to creating experimental ocean communities "with diverse social, political, and legal systems."

"Decades from now, those looking back at the start of the century will understand that Seasteading was an obvious step towards encouraging the development of more efficient, practical public-sector models around the world," Thiel said in a statement.

It might sound like the setting for the videogame Bioshock, but the institute isn't playing around: It plans to splash a prototype into the San Francisco Bay within the next two years, the first step toward establishing deep-water city-states, or what it calls "seasteads" -- homesteads on the high seas.

Labels: Environment, Just Because, News, Ocean, Technology

// posted by Drifty the Gypsy @ 6:26 AM |

Friday, August 31, 2007

Climate change posers by Al Gore on News Groper - Fake Democratic Political Blogs, 2008 Election Humor, Funny Environmental Satire

Climate change posers by Al Gore on News Groper: "Climate change posers Al GoreBy Al Gore 8/30/07 4:18 PM EST | New York gore2.jpg Associated Press It’s always nice to see people acting on my message of climate change, which is why I was so heartened to find out that the United Nations held a climate conference in Vienna this week. But something seemed to be missing from the event. Were too few nations represented? No. More than 100 nations participated. Did the United States skip out? No. The Bush administration actually sent a big delegation this time. So who or what was missing? Hmmm, let me think. Oh, I know. IT WAS ME! AL GORE! OSCAR-WINNING-FORMER-VICE- PRESIDENT-INVENTOR-OF-THE-INTERNET- SAVIOR-OF-HUMANITY AL GORE!"

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Labels: Environment, Humor, National Politics

// posted by Drifty the Gypsy @ 6:52 AM |

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

The Denver Post - Checking in with Papa on Key West

The Denver Post - Checking in with Papa on Key West: "Key West, Fla. - I saw him on the same bar stool he left 70 years ago. I recognized him immediately. The gray, scraggly beard. The fisherman's cap. The book outline in his pocket. (Or was that an alimony check?) Yep, it was Ernest Hemingway, all right.

I had come to Key West before the start of the college football season and found its most famous resident, who wrote 90 percent of his work while living here from 1931 to 1940, sitting in his old haunt. The bar's name had changed. So had the town.

Maybe that's why Ernest had this sullen, brooding look on his face when I approached him. He looked as if he was going to hit me."

Labels: cuba, Environment, Just Because, Key West

// posted by Drifty the Gypsy @ 7:00 AM |

Friday, March 30, 2007

Dolphin massacre in Japan

Please do not pass this up without signing the petition. This is VERY important and we can make our voices heard with this petition.Dear Friends and lovers of the ocean. Sometimes the ocean needs our help, and this is one of themTo view the video is very disturbing, to not act in stopping such behaviour would be a travesty ...At the very least please sign this online petition. Lovers of the ocean and it's inhabitants - this is a clear call to action. To do nothing is to approve of it.Please take the time to look at the video and sign the online petition. From little things, big things grow........And then send it on to as many like minded people that you know. If we build the numbers, we will be heard eventually and things will change, one way or the otherPlease help! We must change the way people think about their oceans and inhabitants for the good of us all.Click on links belowThe video - http://www.glumbert.com/media/dolphin

The petition - http://www.petitiononline.com/golfinho/

Labels: Dolphin, Environment, Ocean

// posted by Drifty the Gypsy @ 10:10 AM |