User Profile

[Doctor Zero]

I have a question. I am playing a game campaign for some time. My friend for a decade wanted to be the Game Master for a horror rpg for some time, and I accepted his invitation. Unfortunately, we seem to have reached an impasse because we seem to have very different ideas of fun. He ran a one shot adventure with me and another friend. My other friend was a very competitive game player when we played board games, and enjoyed creating and playing combat monsters. My GM friend gave us pre generated characters. My other friend picked the most combat worthy character, and I picked the second most combat...

[Doctor Zero]

On second thought, the GM can allow very high technology and tell good stories because of the Iron Law of Unintended Consequences. It is impossible to predict all the consequences of your actions, how an invention will impact society. There will be very many stories to tell from any invention because the players because they are normal humans will not be able to forecast all the possible ways it could go wrong. Also, Mateus Luz, Arthur C. Clarke wrote, "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

Another consequence of nanotechnology is that it...

[Doctor Zero]

Mateus Luz, thanks for catching my mistake. Another possibility is social democracy. It allows private property and does not outlaw businesses, but it raises higher taxes for safety net programs. The US had such a system in the past, and called it the New Deal. What Americans call democratic socialism is a misnomer; it is actually social democracy. Through time, taxes were lowered (in the 1930's it was 90% for over US $100,000) and the safety net has been undermined. Social democracy is a compromise between capitalism and socialism that America has tried before, and could try again. Europe has...

[Doctor Zero]

LordHeru, I agree. "Engines of Creation" discusses how nanotechnology could be used to create ultra cheap space ships. Terraforming Mars is expensive and could take centuries. Turning an asteroid into an O' Neil cylinder is way cheaper and should take only a few years. Governments could hire people to be space explorers, or create space prisons for trouble makers.

[Doctor Zero]

First point: I want to avoid political controversy.

Second point: Some Silicon Valley industrialists have proposed a Universal Basic Income. All U.S. citizens would get $1,000 per month whether they are working or not. So, this money could keep America a capitalist system, and quell a political revolt. The poor could move away from the expensive big cities. In Europe, there are laws that would tax the owners of the automated machines that destroy jobs. We call them socialist, but they could avoid the political chaos.

Third point: "The Engines of Creation" by...