Topics worth the researching.

[scarab7]

I've started a thing that I not sure if I'm going to follow up on in the time it takes to do, but I'll try anyways. I remember my Economics teacher telling my class how a good investment for the future was hearing aids because my generation listened to much more music and in much higher volumes. My class thought it was funny and he meant it to be, but he was also serious. So I got to thinking and did some reading and realized there was a chance he was right, but it was uncertain and it was a "Only time will tell" kind of thing.

So I started a portfolio with subjects that time would clarify with hearing aids and my generation as the first subject. I've gathered a few articles and studies and I'm going to let it sit, until I'm retired I guess, before I do check the topic in serious pursuit of knowledge, or truth, or whatever I find. I wondering what topics you people would think are good ideas worth researching. I trying to stick to subject where there is no clear answer at the time and where as time passes the answer becomes clearer (talking a lot of time here, decades). I have two requests for any suggestions you guys place; one: avoid the big obvious stuff, like Climate Change, Quantum Physics Research, the induction of GMOs into nature, etc, etc. I'm looking for things a little more obscure, but not completely pointless. Two: No American politics. It's not that I have anything against America, I'm an American in fact, it's that I'm so sick of hearing pointless arguments and I don't need people flaming each other either on television or this topic about how the president's doing, or the fed's reserve requirement, or why people are still following Palin around. I don't need people to recommend me political matters worth sitting on, I can find an endless supply without the internet.

So besides that I'm open for suggestions. This may actually be a long thread I'd read every post of, or at least skim every post. Or this could just be a short as hell thread because a majority of people on forums don't like reading more then a paragraph. O well open for suggestions still.

 

[SckizoBoy]

Synthetic blood vessels...

For smokers, those with atherosclerosis etc. etc.

Not saying it's necessarily a good thing, but I think someone's going to come up with that idea at some point...

 

[incal11]

Is the Alcubierre drive actually possible ? Will humanity ever be able to use it's principle to spread in the universe ?

And another more philosophical one: the true nature of Morality.
No, it ain't so obvious when you start digging in and try to shed the social brainwashing.
More precisely, is there a need for a moral code if you are smart enough to respect the well being of others. Faced with something disturbing and/or unusual, is it really logic that makes you feel against it ? Most often you'll find the answer is no, and to accept it may be really painful.
Tied to the debate on piracy: is stealing really absolutely bad ? even when it has good consequences ? by extention, can anything be absolutely bad or "wrong".

 

[SckizoBoy]

Is the Alcubierre drive actually possible ? Will humanity ever be able to use it's principle to spread in the universe ?

Ah-hahahahaha... you're kidding, right?! Creating a region of distorted space in undistorted space using a device that has no frame of reference to create that bubble? We can only dream. Besides, space doesn't always conform to the rules require to create a consistent warp bubble, so even if we can develop an Alcubierre drive, there are only certain places (granted, most of the galaxy as we know it) where it can be used. Practically, we don't have any technology that can be applied to develop technology to support technology required to create such a device.

Yes, I am an FTL sceptic... and always will be. (Believe there's another thread out there... somewhere in OTD, that asks about the possibility of creating the Alcubierre drive...)

 

[TheIronRuler]

Is the Alcubierre drive actually possible ? Will humanity ever be able to use it's principle to spread in the universe ?

And another more philosophical one: the true nature of Morality.
No, it ain't so obvious when you start digging in and try to shed the social brainwashing.
More precisely, is there a need for a moral code if you are smart enough to respect the well being of others. Faced with something disturbing and/or unusual, is it really logic that makes you feel against it ? Most often you'll find the answer is no, and to accept it may be really painful.
Tied to the debate on piracy: is stealing really absolutely bad ? even when it has good consequences ? by extention, can anything be absolutely bad or "wrong".

Since everyone have their own point of view, then by definition morality is relative to each individual.
What one would call terrorists other claim them to be freedom fighters.
What one would call a thief, other claim him a victim of circumstances or a modern Robin hood, the list goes on.

 

[Lilani]

I've started a thing that I not sure if I'm going to follow up on in the time it takes to do, but I'll try anyways. I remember my Economics teacher telling my class how a good investment for the future was hearing aids because my generation listened to much more music and in much higher volumes. My class thought it was funny and he meant it to be, but he was also serious. So I got to thinking and did some reading and realized there was a chance he was right, but it was uncertain and it was a "Only time will tell" kind of thing.

So I started a portfolio with subjects that time would clarify with hearing aids and my generation as the first subject. I've gathered a few articles and studies and I'm going to let it sit, until I'm retired I guess, before I do check the topic in serious pursuit of knowledge, or truth, or whatever I find. I wondering what topics you people would think are good ideas worth researching. I trying to stick to subject where there is no clear answer at the time and where as time passes the answer becomes clearer (talking a lot of time here, decades). I have two requests for any suggestions you guys place; one: avoid the big obvious stuff, like Climate Change, Quantum Physics Research, the induction of GMOs into nature, etc, etc. I'm looking for things a little more obscure, but not completely pointless. Two: No American politics. It's not that I have anything against America, I'm an American in fact, it's that I'm so sick of hearing pointless arguments and I don't need people flaming each other either on television or this topic about how the president's doing, or the fed's reserve requirement, or why people are still following Palin around. I don't need people to recommend me political matters worth sitting on, I can find an endless supply without the internet.

So besides that I'm open for suggestions. This may actually be a long thread I'd read every post of, or at least skim every post. Or this could just be a short as hell thread because a majority of people on forums don't like reading more then a paragraph. O well open for suggestions still.

Not long ago, I saw a video about this thing that could literally spray skin cells on a burn victim like an air brush, as an alternative to skin grafts. Here it is:


The process takes about an hour and a half, rather than the weeks it takes to grow skin grafts, and the results are incredible. You can't even tell the victim was burned. After just four days he was basically fully healed, where standard skin grafts can take months to fully heal--and even then the victim is left with large scars.

 

[scarab7]

Artificial blood? In some senses that exists, I'm sure someones working on it. Now I want to know more about that. Alcubierre? True nature of morality? Alucubierre fits more under the massive "FTL concepts" that will take forever to explore. Morality? That's an unanswerable question in my opinion, something I'm sure humanity will continue to explore, but come no closer to any definite fact or truth in the matter.

These are all thought provoking, but looking for something more tangible, specific, and less broad. I know these ideas so far are a part of some of my more specific future entries, but they're apart of things too big to pin down.

O the "Skin gun" completely forgot about the Escapist article mentioning it! And I check the Escapist daily and subscribe to National Geographic.

 

[incal11]

Yes, I am an FTL sceptic... and always will be. (Believe there's another thread out there... somewhere in OTD, that asks about the possibility of creating the Alcubierre drive...)

I haven't looked into the subject as much as you obviously, so no, I wasn't being dead serious. Still one can dream, the concept of that drive may be at least a start for a serious reflexion. Also it's not FTL, just a workaround

What one would call terrorists other claim them to be freedom fighters.
What one would call a thief, other claim him a victim of circumstances or a modern Robin hood, the list goes on.

Then what are the hard undisputable elements that separates a terrorist and a freedom fighter, a petty thief and a robin hood ? I assure you they exist.
It's really not a matter of personal opinion but of objective facts and considerations. To simplify, is the general consequence of an action harmful or not ? Does it become harmful only because of the actions of others ? and does that make it wrong ? why ?
Your simple reaction shows that you are very attached to the banal concept of personal view. As I question this line of reasoning you may want to just dismiss me.
But why? can you ask yourself the question honestly ? Can you accept the answer ?
Perhaps you just didn't think about it seriously, maybe you should.

 

[TheIronRuler]

-snip-

In order to achieve something, it has to be taken from someone else.
Some believe in this theory, but I'm rather skeptic.
'Does that make is wrong? why?' - what makes you differentiate between 'right' and 'wrong'?
If your action harms another individual, do you immediately think it's 'wrong', even if he lives in the future and has no affiliation to you?
If your action helps an individual does it make it 'right'? But what if someones' happiness is someone else's sorrow?

This is complex,
but I can assure you that the only thing I know for sure is that I know nothing.

 

[incal11]

Morality? That's an unanswerable question in my opinion, something I'm sure humanity will continue to explore, but come no closer to any definite fact or truth in the matter.

It's easier if you think of morality as a purely human construct. The truth is that there is no morality, only a set of behavior you evolved to feel good with. That is something most people have a very hard time to accept, and mistake for nihilism.
To try and define "true morality" is to try to raise above the morality dictated by instincts. But you're right it's a very large topic anyway.

Other stuff I can think about are longevity treaments prospects using the telomeres at the end of the chromosomes. Sorry I can't be more specific at the moment.

'Does that make is wrong? why?' - what makes you differentiate between 'right' and 'wrong'?

The amount of positive feelings opposed to the amount of negative feelings is what I think of. Of course it is often very hard to see which one outweight the other, especially if you are in the "wrong" side.
But there is more that the extreme historic "life and death" scenarios, the smaller problems maybe easier to judge objectively. Often someone or a small group has a very positive experience doing something harmless but which is viewed with absolute revultion by the rest of society. Does the huge amount of negative feelings from the general population make the actions of the few condemnable for that reason alone ?
Really, I don't know. But there are actual cases of this for which I'd like to know.

This is complex,
but I can assure you that I only thing I know for sure is that I know nothing.

You know how to type and think a bit, that's a start Being ignorant isn't a reason to not try and know, if we never loose sight of our ignorance we can keep making progress.
If you hide yourself behind that saying it means you believe to know more than me, ironic and maybe true anyway, but ironic.