Slashdot Mirror
Simcity Microwave Power by 2050?
Politburo writes "The Drudge Report supplies this interesting Senate testimony. Dr. David Criswell, director of the University of Houston's Institute for Space Systems Operations, proposes that we develop robots to assist in the construction of a lunar solar array. The power from this array would be beamed to recievers on Earth, either directly or via relay satellites. Dr. Criswell predicts that with this project, "the average American income could increase from today's ~$35,000/y-person to more than $150,000/y-person." He also attempts to put to rest the idea that microwave power is unsafe, saying, "Each power beam can be safely received, for example, in an industrially zoned area." I wonder if he's ever played SimCity 2000" And coming soon, Godzilla from a drop-down menu.
I wonder if he's ever played SimCity 2000
That's exactly what I was wondering!
**ZAP**
"Oops"
the fire department on stand-by...
...ants and a magnifying glass.
Great for barbecuing! No need for a grill, just hold your food outside for a second!
"...proposes that we develop robots to assist in the construction of a lunar solar array..."
Yup. We're screwed.
-
aphex
I Steal Music!
Will it explode after exactly fifty years like my power plants in Sim City do?
By reading this sig, you agree to the terms of my sig license.
I got an idea, Let's hack it and make it pop massive amounts of popcorn in an evil professor's house!
the ecofundamentalists will shut this project down because these invisible rays interfere with the morphic field of their crystal beads and their carrots.
Owner of a Mensa membership card.
Just another weapon for the machines when they rise.
What, the unstoppable cyborgs sent from the past to kill our future leaders wasn't enough? Controlling our nuclear arsenal not enough?
Why don't we just send up the robots to build the solar array in a big ass cube and call it a day?
The wars of the future will not be fought on the battlefield or at sea.
They will be fought in space, or possibly on top of a very tall
mountain. In either case, most of the actual fighting will be done by
small robots. And as you go forth today remember always your duty is
clear: To build and maintain those robots. Thank you.
Or he could always take the easy way out and type 'F-U-N-D-S'. Gotta watch out for that, though. Might get a nasty earthquake...
Now I can heat my food by just holding it out the window
Rus
Cheap UK and US VPS
Of course, when everybody is making $150,000 per annum, the inflation rate will make it seem like $35,000.
Who cares about inflation rates anymore when roasted pigeons fly into your open mouth?
He could achieve this goal by devaluing the dollar to 1/5 of its current value (or so).
There's about $0.6 trillion in circulation in the US. Supposing for simplicity's sake that multiplying the available currency by 5 would devalue the currency to 1/5 of its current value, that means we need an additional 2.4 trillion dollars.
A dollar bill is 66x156mm, so that currency has an area of about 24,710 square km. Now, New Hampshire is roughly 24,000 square km.
I think we can safely conclude that his plan involves covering New Hampshire with a microwave collector constructed entirely from dollar bills.
well, actually yes I do but then that may be because I work in KFC
I think Cartman had a rectenna once.
"My concern is that any nation putting this sort of system into place risks misalignment of the beams and having a solar laser of incredible power strafing across the landscape."
That's why it should be tested in Florida first. Until the bugs are worked out, we can blame any mishaps on the Xindi.
Just kidding. We should do this and do it right. More megawatts is better megawatts. Grow, Grow, Grow!
Friends don't help friends install M$ junk.
So then you immediately shut down the microwave beam...
Don't forget that you can't communicate with the moon faster than the speed of light.
1. Beam drifts off the receiver and points at your head.
2. Receiver loses power and sends command to moon to retarget the beam.
3. The vitrous humor in your eyeballs begins to heat up.
4. 1.3 seconds later, the moon station receives the command to shut off, and does so.
5. The vitrous humor in your eyeballs starts to boil, and you start screaming and flapping your arms. A bunch of construction guys are watching you and wondering wtf.
6. A shaft of microwave beams 250,000 miles long takes another 1.3 seconds to slide into your head.
7. Having absorbed over 2.5 seconds worth of the highest concentration of microwave energy that man can generate, you taste like chicken and look really gross.
And that's if the system works perfectly.
That's impossible! When you use microwaves, it's called a MASER.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
"the upper atomsphere which, full of ions, probably does scatter microwaves"
to test this theory the next space shuttle will jettison several microwaves in a tight cluster towards earth.
Been tried before. Probably still not a good idea.
Best. Comment. Ever. Enjoy!
Pun intended?
So will this be the Microwave power from SimCity 2000, or the Ion Cannon from Command and Conquer?
Aaah, The glory days of mid 1990's gaming.
Er... Wait...
"Relax, doc... All we need is a little plutonium."
"Oh, well I'm sure that in 1985 you can buy plutonium in every corner drug store, but in 1955 it's very hard to come by!"
I've zoned most of my microwave power plants near my schools. 1) I noticed they don't mind the warm glow. 2) They seem to prefer using my newly rezoned "Resort Island" compared to the old 'coal power / trash heap island' for living on rather than for just power generation. ;)
100 percent approval can't be wrong
0- Eamonman Proud member of DNRC
This is silly. Everyone knows that the microwave beams can't penetrate the electro-magnetic field created by the earth's spinning core!