Fear Armageddon!

[geonagual]

Of course you will need to believe in God and the bible to even think that there will be a armageddon. How do you think it will come and are you scared.
Do you sometimes think the world is so bad that it has to come to and end. Won't our natural resources run out eventually? The population is growing so fast it will make your head spin.


World 6,511,050,496
04:54 GMT (EST+5) Apr 21, 2006

Look at how much the population goes up monthly and that is billions not millions

07/01/05 6,451,058,790
08/01/05 6,457,380,056
09/01/05 6,463,701,322
10/01/05 6,469,818,677
11/01/05 6,476,139,943
12/01/05 6,482,257,297
01/01/06 6,488,578,564
02/01/06 6,494,899,830
03/01/06 6,500,609,361
04/01/06 6,506,930,627
05/01/06 6,513,047,982
06/01/06 6,519,369,248
07/01/06 6,525,486,603

[Oneironaut]

What's really scary is that so many people actually think the apocalypse is coming, and give up all hope in their own species. There is no rational reason to believe humanity is going to end, except maybe through some collision with a near-earth asteroid or something. But we're making progress in tracking such objects and we're coming up with good deflection strategies to save ourselves.

In the long run, the solution to overpopulation is expansion...into outer space. Think about it. It's our only choice, and I think it will make for a glorious future for our species. Give up the fear-based superstitious stuff. There's no need to worry; we're incredibly smart beings, and we've thought ourselves out of lots of conundrums in the past.

[andyandy]

humans have always lived with the threat of armageddon just around the corner (whether perceived or not)
....catastrophic climate change,
....a supervolcano eruption....
.....asteroid, meteroite stike.....
.....global pandemic.....
.....massive solar flares....
.....all these threats are real and will happen someday...we've just been lucky so far.....
I guess you could add nuclear fallout and a pollution of natural resources as new ones we've created in the last 100 years or so - as well as increasing the odds of a global pandemic and for catastrophic climate change....
but the fact remains the whole of mankind could be wiped out tomorrow - one errant rock from space and booom! thankyou and good night. :) As a species we really havent been around that long, and extinctions happen all the time, so there's no reason to expect that it couldnt happen....
all we can do is keep inventing, keep creating new technologies, keep doing scientific research...and keep trying to control our natural environment as best we can....oh yeah, and keep our fingers crossed :thumbsup:

[mrdevious]

....catastrophic climate change,

Hard to say if climate change could actually be drastic enough to whipe us out entirely, but maybe.


....a supervolcano eruption....

I've never known of a volcano that could destroy every human on every corner of earth. Is there something I'm not aware of?


.....asteroid, meteroite stike.....

yes indeed, I hope we can invent some bitchin space-weapons and the appropriate funds soon.


.....global pandemic.....

nope, even the black plague had many people immune to it's effects. I'm pretty sure no matter how bad a virus you have, there will always be a few people who are immune, or at least very secluded (way up north perhapse).


.....massive solar flares....

I have no idea about this one, how bad do they get?


I guess you could add nuclear fallout

Lets really hope that one never happens. overall though, I think if we have nuclear war it won't be the end of the world, just devestatingly damaging to the environment and everybody's health. In fact we'd better have a cure for cancer by then.


and a pollution of natural resources as new ones we've created in the last 100 years or so

I'd break that up into pullition and exhaustion of natural resources, though to 2 do overlap to a degree. I personally think these 2 are our biggest threat.

[andyandy]

well.....id agree that global pandemic is the least likely to wipe out the whole species - not impossible....but there's probably gonna be some survivors somewhere so i'll give u that one.....

climate change could easily wipe out the human population - for large proportions of the earths life we as humans would have been unable to live on it....its only the coincidence of a stable temperature and the right proportion of gases in the atmosphere that keeps us going at the moment....

supervolcanoes are in interesting one - only relatively recently understood - but they would (it is hypothosised) cause catostrophic damage - possibly triggering a massive climate change as a double whammy.....
There's one right under yellowstone park in the US - scientists reckon they errupt every 600,000 years or so....and it was about 600,000 since the last one :) they've got a blast zone of several hundred miles, and the capacity to put enough soot and ash into the sky to stop the suns rays getting through for months on end....which would have a pretty bad knock on effect throughout the earth's ecosystems....

solar flares are another possibility but I dont think they're too well understood either - the sun always has solar activity going on - and the radiation does reach the earth, although most of it is stopped by the ozone....but the sun goes through cycles of greatly increased solar activity - which could send enough solar radiation through to the earth to fry us all....

of course sooner or later (well....probably trillions or years later) the suns going to burn up, expand and swallow the whole solar system.....but i dont reckon we're still going to be around to worry about that one......

best not to think about it really :) :) :)

[mrdevious]

That's some interesting stuff andyandy :) . Though actually I believe our sun has about 4 billion years before it engulfs earth, no sun could last trillions.

[andyandy]

i get confused after about 9 zeros.......:)

[Polymirize]

In the long run, the solution to overpopulation is expansion...into outer space. Think about it. It's our only choice,

I love this. A one word solution to all the human problems: Space.

What about humanism, or education?

Don't you have any faith in the possibility of turning it all around?

[geonagual]

Don't you have any faith in the possibility of turning it all around?

No way...I personally think we are to far gone

[Moose101]

How high does that ash and soot go? One solution maybe to create a medium for the rays to get past it. At least a small amount of the population could survive. They'd still be cave dwellers for some time though =) That would be so cool. I could like thunk girls over the head, throw em over my shoulder, and take em to my cave.

[andyandy]

They'd still be cave dwellers for some time though =) That would be so cool. I could like thunk girls over the head, throw em over my shoulder, and take em to my cave.

lol
maybe armageddon wouldnt be so bad....
:) :) :)

[MoonStarer420]

solar flares are another possibility but I dont think they're too well understood either ....but the sun goes through cycles of greatly increased solar activity

It's more of a problem with lack of solar activity. Solar flares are directly associated with sunspots. Sunspots were first seen...well ok I canâ??t remember but it was (perhaps) a few hundred years ago? Anyway, there were seen and then no one saw them for a 70 year period before they started showing up again. During these 70 or so years the Earths climate dropped enough so that lakes in Europe, that rarely had dealings with snow, froze over.

A guy in my astronomy class thinks that the opposite is happening today. That the Sun has had an increase in solar activity (flares and such) and that is why our Earthâ??s climate is warming up. We have a bet going over a bottle of wine between his and mine. My opinion is that humans are the main contributor. Itâ??ll probably turn out to be a factor of both, (It usually does) but itâ??s hard to say until the sunspot activity drops off again, if it does.

[Oneironaut]

I love this. A one word solution to all the human problems: Space.

What about humanism, or education?

Don't you have any faith in the possibility of turning it all around?
Of course I don't think space is the only thing that can be done to curb overpopulation. I just happen to think it will ultimately be the means by which the problem is eliminated once and for all.

There is, of course, the economic factor of overpopulation. Overpopulation is only really a problem in poorer countries where having a child is an economic asset rather than an economic burden. In poorer countries a child is seen as an extra set of hands on the family farm, or perhaps capable of paid labor. However, in industrialized countries children do little productive work, since their primary task is to learn. That's why the population is soaring in places like Nigeria and India, but growing very slowly or even dropping in places like Europe and Japan. A lot could be done by using our great industrial might to increase the standard of living for the Third World. But alas, we'd rather use it to make race cars, silicone breast implants, wall-mounted singing fish, beer helmets, exercise equipment we buy from infomercials but never use, greasy hamburgers that we eat instead, and tools designed by our top scientists to be as efficient as possible in the task of murdering other human beings. Ah, the wonders of capitalism...

[andyandy]

i was thinking about virus/diseases that could do for humankind....

at the moment we have the mosquito as a pretty effective carrier of disease - malaria being the greatest killer....now as luck would have it it's unable to carry the HIV virus (a genetic fluke for us)....

because if there was a combination of a disease that could be transfered sexually and one which that could be transmitted via carrier then we would be properly in trouble....especially if it was a disease like HIV that can lay dormant and unnoticed for years - giving it a greater potential for spread.....

we'll just have to keep our fingers crossed that the mosquito doesnt do any evolving any time soon :) :) :)

[Moose101]

Of course I don't think space is the only thing that can be done to curb overpopulation. I just happen to think it will ultimately be the means by which the problem is eliminated once and for all.

Space isn't our solution at all. We can't fix our own ecosystems; how are we supposed to fix Mars's?
Overpopulation wont be a problem. Children are financial burdens for us youth in trades and labour. They really shouldn't be. But it's the way the middle class wants it. They want to support their crack habbits and buy their 100,000 dollar boats by bending us over and fucking us the ass. You're right, poorer countries are getting up there though. Which should be interesting in a few years when we are all burdened by the same middle classes retirement in hospitals from cancer. But I guess that only applies to Canada. This middle class mainly consists of the babyboomer generation so their time is coming right quick. I hope the other countries wisen up and realize that half their population is already in our country while the other half out numbers ours. Which will start a war. Isn't greed great?

[MoonStarer420]

Space isn't our solution at all. We can't fix our own ecosystems; how are we supposed to fix Mars's?

It's not just Mars, he's talking about extrasolar travel to any of the trillions of other stars in our galaxy.

Overpopulation is already a problem on Earth and will be untill we are able to build a constuctive (instead of a distructive) society.

[Moose101]

Quit day dreaming. This is not star trek. We are never leaving this solar system. Not even with mechines. Technology will have it's limits. I know we wont see it's limits in our lifetime but it will come eventually. BTW, anyone know for sure if USA isn't faking it this time? People seem to have forgotten how much of a joke that moon mission was. Perhaps they found a way to hide this wires this time.

[Oneironaut]

Sorry to break it to you, but we've already got machines heading out of the solar system. You remind me of the people 100 years ago who decreed that man would never make it to the moon. Technology can change faster than anybody expects, and humans are born explorers. Don't tell me our species is just going to leave this open frontier completely unexplored and uninhabited for all eternity. Even if it takes 10,000 years, we'll eventually make it out there. Provided, of course, we don't kill ourselves off.

[Oneironaut]

By the way, have you actually looked at the evidence for the moon landing? I take it by your faith in the conspiracy nutjobs that you are either very gullible or at least incapable of thinking in a scientific, logical manner. I think we can safely ignore your uneducated opinions on space technology, since you can't even seem to recognize it when you see it in operation!

[RatedR]

No I don't believe the armageddon is near. Haven't people been worried about it since the mid-evil times? None of the signs are here, the Anti-christ, the Four Horsemen, although there have been alot of predictions from the bible to come true. Such as.....Israel being founded, some say 9-11 is in the bible, I don't believe it. What do we have left to look forward to before Jesus comes to save us? Death, Famine, Natural Disasters, War, Anti-Christ, Four Horsemen, etc. Plus in the bible it says 'The Rapture will come like a thief in the night, two virgins will be in the field, one will be left, one will be taken." etc.

[Moose101]

Well, for thousands of years the most advanced technology was a hammer. How do you know we wont go another thousand with our current technology? Current technology being what's getting worked on now which includes theories. You must be an american to actually believe that shit they put on that film. I've heard both sides. People died because of that bullshit; I think you took it too far. The world laughed their asses off when they saw how fake it looked. You know why they wont go back? Because they can't, not even now. If they did, they'ld probably melt completely or get fried thru their visor. And if anyone tries to examine the moon, there will be an unexplained sabatage before it happens.
Mars might be a possibility if they can convert all it's CO2. And if it has a magnetic field like earth. That is if the atmosphere consists of mostly CO2. But we're talking about 100's of years of no natural disasters. Possibly thousands to create an ozone layer. At the very least maybe those glaciers might be useful if we ever manage to master anti-gravity. Are you at all aware that it took 10 years just to get there? Every space launch is harmful and possibly very dangerous to our own planet. We may destroy ourselves by trying to expand.

[MoonStarer420]

How do you know we wont go another thousand with our current technology?. Look how fast we went from having just horses to building rockets, or even how fast computers have evolved. Our "current" technology never stays current for too long.


You must be an american to actually believe that shit they put on that film. I've heard both sides. People died because of that bullshit; I think you took it too far. The United States isn't the only one sending people into space and there are many more countries with space programs. If you pay the Russians enough you could go into space as well. As for the ones who died, they knew what risks they were taking going on those missions. There are many others who would risk death (including myself) to get into space or even into low orbit. If there was a 50-50 chance that I would die on a mission to the Moon I'd still go.


The world laughed their asses off when they saw how fake it looked. You know why they wont go back? Because they can't, not even now. If they did, they'ld probably melt completely or get fried thru their visor.
I don't know why you say they should have been fried. Fried from what? The Sun via solar flares? That would be the only thing youâ??d really have to worry about, which is also something youâ??d have to worry about when (if) we colonize Mars. An ozone layer wouldn't do anything; it would only protect you from UV radiation. Solar flares give off much more intense radiation that would shoot right throu it. The only solution is to get more mass between you and the Sun, and that would require building underground. Even if we converted all the CO2 into Oxygen we would still need to live in pressurized biotopes and use suits to go outside. The air would be much to thin to breath. I don't think you would have to worry about natural disasters there, the surface is much less dynamical then the Earths. Anywhere you see a large number impact craters means that the ground hasn't move much in millions and millions of years.

EDIT: oh and the reason why no one is going back is because there is no real reason to, It's a big rock with no known resources (that is unless you like dirt)

[Moose101]

Look how fast we went from having just horses to building rockets, or even how fast computers have evolved. Our "current" technology never stays current for too long. )

A rocket isn't much different from a projectile. It doesn't seem like that great of an accomplishment if you ask me. Now if you found a way to make that rocket run at the speed of light, that would be an accomplishment. But it wont get you to the next solar system anytime soon. The settlers used to call the pots and pans they traded with the indians advanced technology. Maybe they are right, we still use em today. Maybe it would be better for this world if we went back to horses. There may not be a choice in the matter if we keep this up.
So we got prettier houses, and better transporation. That doesn't change the fact that someone can break the paper door down and kill you at any moment. Ask ol Charlie and famliy. The only thing we are advanced at is mass producing shit.



The United States isn't the only one sending people into space and there are many more countries with space programs. If you pay the Russians enough you could go into space as well. As for the ones who died, they knew what risks they were taking going on those missions.


The Russians are scratching their heads to this day wondering how the heck they got out in the exposed unprotected space with their space suits on. It's one thing to do it in Earth's orbit; it's another to do it on the moon without Earth's protective atmosphere. 250 degress fahrenheit might be a little bit discomforting.
And I wasn't talking about the actual missions. I was talking about murder.



I don't know why you say they should have been fried. Fried from what? The Sun via solar flares?

Fried from enough radiation to pass thru six feet of solid lead my friend. How do you see thru a visor that's 100% reflective?



EDIT: oh and the reason why no one is going back is because there is no real reason to, It's a big rock with no known resources (that is unless you like dirt)

You know, I did make a mistake. They are going back, to 'find' water. There will be many expolsions on the moons surface soon. Guess what that means? Good bye non existant rover. I bet they wont be showing any photos of the men out in their space suits. If they did, it would prolly be done in a studio like last time.
But then again, I'm just a bum that's prolly going to end up on the street or even dead soon. I have to admit, there are prolly flaws in my arguments. I would rather spend an hour checking my grammer then research it. I have more important things to do then worry about this. Like pick my nose and scratch my hairy ass.

[WakingDream]

The rich will survive.

[Eshelmen]

What's really scary is that so many people actually think the apocalypse is coming, and give up all hope in their own species. There is no rational reason to believe humanity is going to end, except maybe through some collision with a near-earth asteroid or something. But we're making progress in tracking such objects and we're coming up with good deflection strategies to save ourselves.

In the long run, the solution to overpopulation is expansion...into outer space. Think about it. It's our only choice, and I think it will make for a glorious future for our species. Give up the fear-based superstitious stuff. There's no need to worry; we're incredibly smart beings, and we've thought ourselves out of lots of conundrums in the past.

space weed!!!
i cant wait

[kongo]

The earth has a amazing way of healing herself.Lets just hope a better life will come to those fortunate to survive.Let it be those who have suffered throughout time.Those who know how to make it work.No poverty,oppression,depression,isims and skisims.The meek shall inherit the earth.If only the dinosaurs had of known that.

[Moose101]

I lied, I was a bit curious about Mars's atmosphere (after I instigated fights with the "masters of space travel" to amuse myself) so I looked it up. Mars's atmosphere is 95.32% Carbon Dioxide(CO2); 2.7% Nitrogen (N2); 1.6% Argon (Ar); 0.13% Oxygen (O2); 0.08% Carbon Monoxide (CO). Ozone is O3, so we shit out of luck there. The solar winds blew that away. It did have a magnetic field at one time. Remember the movie, Core? At least that was what I think it's name was. It's kind of like that. I doubt we'll be building a machine to drill into Mars's core anytime soon though.

Read the first link, it's prolly the best info you'll find.
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast31jan_1.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars#Colonization_of_Mars

Check the link below for info on Earth's atmosphere. I think a lot of this was explained in school from grade four for every year up to high school and prolly explained in biology (I was a physics and chemistry guy).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth's_atmosphere

Now this is what I would like to see. USA exporting immigrants that don't know English to Mars to build their colony. I doubt many people are willing to spend 10 years of their life in a tin can. But if you paid an immigrant minimum wage, and travel time, I'm sure they'ld do it. If you remember history well, you'd prolly realize that making a colony far away from home isn't such a great idea.

[MoonStarer420]

Remember the movie, Core?
I wouldn't want to learn physics from any movie especially The Core. It has some of the worst physics in movie history.

http://intuitor.com/moviephysics/core.html
http://www.badastronomy.com/bad/movies/thecore_review.html

[MoonStarer420]

The bad astronomy site (correcting bad astronomy that is) also has a lot of good physics dealing with the moon landing.

http://www.uwgb.edu/dutchs/PSEUDOSC/ConspiracyTheoryDidWeGototheMoon.htm

And another sight on solar flares/wind and the damage ot would cause people. Soalr wind is a limited problem, it's Solar flares you have to worry about.

http://www.firstscience.com/site/articles/moonsolarflares.asp

I thought this was intresting as well,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_Laser_Ranging_Experiment

[Moose101]

Bah, that stuff doesn't mean anything. Look further to the more recent stuff. Not the stuff that was critized when it was first made. Also look at how many defensive points there are. You don't find it all odd that there would be so many problems with that film? One after the other, it almost seems never ending. You don't find it at all odd that the American politicians involved are being very critical to those that question them? All the science is sound untill you add more factors. More and more factors keep getting added and eventually one side will contridict itself. And it has.
BTW, keep twisting what I say. I love it, it's amusing as hell. Go smoke another joint.

[MoonStarer420]

...and I find it amusing that you use NASA as a source and yet deny the Moon landings

[willystylle]

I have a theory:

Excerpt from the book of Revelations, NIV Bible:

16He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, 17so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name.

18This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man's number. His number is 666.

6 is man's number. the MoB (Mark of the Beast) is 666.

Look at any barcode you can find, right now, and you'll see 3 sets of lines which are slightly longer than the rest. Most of the time (not all of the time) the first set has the number 6.

Three sets, three 6's. 666.

Oooh, spooky.

[Stoner Shadow Wolf]

The rich will survive.


og vomit pit, that was idiotic a statement as any i have ever heard.


when it comes down to it, money will be nothing more than a method of starting fires. what good is money when the rest of the world is in chaos and trying to SURVIVE? what good is money when all the things that you used to buy it with are no longe important, and food is scarce?

[harmonicminor]

they can build underground bases and stock up on the rations with money.

[harmonicminor]

btw, I claim titan as mine since no one claimed it yet. If anyone wants land I will sell 10 square mile plots for $50.

[Krogith]

og vomit pit, that was idiotic a statement as any i have ever heard.


when it comes down to it, money will be nothing more than a method of starting fires. what good is money when the rest of the world is in chaos and trying to SURVIVE? what good is money when all the things that you used to buy it with are no longe important, and food is scarce?

GREED WILL DISTROY YOU SATAN.... BYE......

[MoonStarer420]

btw, I claim titan as mine since no one claimed it yet. If anyone wants land I will sell 10 square mile plots for $50.

Notice my location, I'm already there :p