GeekSpeak - UFOs! Are they real?- Join the discussion on May 29th at 12pm SLT

 

Last month the Pentagon officially said that UFOs are real. That is, people have seen things that exist and that cannot be explained. Congress has set up a task force to study UFOs and they will bring out a report next month. So this is a good time for us to ask a few questions and suggest some answers. UFOs are now called UAPs (unidentified aerial phenomena), and they could be anything or rather anything that can travel at 13000 miles an hour and can change direction while moving at that speed. There are hundreds of eyewitnesses who can help the task force to find out what the hell is going on. What do you think? Have you ever seen a UAP? Are they alien ships? Or alien robots? If so, why are the aliens not talking to us? Or are they some unknown natural phenomenon? If so, what?

 Come and join us, and bring your alien friends! IM Vulcan Viper, who teaches a meditation class at 1pm every Wednesday in the GeekSpeak auditorium, if you have ideas for new subjects.

TELEPORT: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/153/129/50

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GeekSpeak – The Future of our Food. Join the discussion on May 1st at 12pm SLT

This week we will discuss what our future meals will look like.  Will we eat meat grown from animal cells in big factories?  Will the various kinds of meat, steak, chops, sausages, be printed?  Will we also have 3d printed fish and eggs and cheese?

Will any farm animals still live on earth, outside of zoos? 

Will we all eat the same food everywhere on earth?  Or will local food, and meat from real animals, survive for the rich?  Will cooking, though no longer necessary, remain a hobby?

Will our food be policed, with some foods being banned for being too unhealthy? 

Will we still enjoy eating?  And what strange new foods will we eat?

Bring a knife and fork and all your hungry friends.

IM Vulcan Viper, who teaches a meditation class at 1pm every Wednesday in the GeekSpeak auditorium, if you have ideas for new subjects.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/143/127/51

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GeekSpeak subject for Saturday 24th April at noon SLT: Will a moon base change life on Earth?

Last week SpaceX was chosen to land humans on the moon in 2024.  The ship will carry a lot of cargo so we will soon see a permanent moon base.  And there are a lot of other moon projects waiting.  Moon spiders anyone?

Let’s imagine how all of this will change our lives.  When we look up at the moon will it look different?  Will it be a favorite place for honeymoons?  Will there be moon delicacies in restaurants?  Or a new religion based on the moon?  When will the first Pizza Hut arrive?

Will the best and brightest of young people dream of jobs on the moon?  Will there be television reality series set on the moon?

Will our future as a species look more hopeful when there are people on the moon?  Will there ever be a proper colony there?  Or just tourists and temporary workers?

Come and discuss our very near future.  Bring your fellow space geeks!

IM Vulcan Viper, who teaches a meditation class at 1pm every Wednesday in the GeekSpeak auditorium, if you have ideas for new subjects.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/143/127/51

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GeekSpeak subject for Saturday April 17th at noon SLT: Mass Delusions

These days the internet is flooded with crazy theories.  There are people who believe that the planet is ruled by space lizards, that the earth is flat, that the earth is hollow and we live inside it, that recorded history began in 800 CE.  Crazy ideas were not unknown in the past. The witch-hunting of the Reformation is an example.  But are they more common now?

Why do people believe such things?  And how can we protect ourselves? How can we distinguish the sensible from the crazy?  After all, some conspiracy theories may be true.

Is logic the answer?  “Logic is the cement of our civilization, with which we ascend from chaos, using reason as our guide.” – Vulcan philosopher T'Plana-Hath. Or can misapplied logic make things worse?

Join us at GeekSpeak.  Bring your space lizard friends and all the gnomes, witches, angels and flat earthers you know!

IM Vulcan Viper, who teaches a meditation class at 1pm every Wednesday in the GeekSpeak auditorium, if you have ideas for new subjects.

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GeekSpeak subject for Saturday 10th April at noon SLT: Is Overpopulation a problem?

 Some cities are so crowded that people sleep between the lanes of the highways or live in boxes. Can we produce enough food for everyone?  Is there room for all of us?  And what effect does the increasing population have on the animals and plants in the world?

Is overpopulation just a temporary problem?  Some countries are already experiencing underpopulation, with a birth rate lower than replacement.  Will the population of the whole world decline in the future?  Have people lost interest in having children?  Will the number of humans steadily decrease until there is only one person left, who perhaps will be bitten by a poisonous snake? 

Which scenario worries you most?  Come and discuss population over the fence without too many neighbors.  Bring a barbeque and your friends!

IM Vulcan Viper, who teaches a meditation class at 1pm every Wednesday in the GeekSpeak auditorium, if you have ideas for new subjects.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/143/127/51

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GeekSpeak subject for Saturday 27th March at noon SLT: How do the rich live

 

This week we will wonder about the difference between a rich person and a poor person.  Why does one person get richer while another just falls more and more into poverty?  What does the world look like to the rich?  Can you escape poverty and join the ranks of the rich by changing how you think?

Come and find out how to think and live like a rich person.  This might be the most important time of your life so don’t waste it on Netflix.  Come to GeekSpeak and bring all your poor friends!

IM Vulcan Viper, who teaches a meditation class every Wednesday at 1pm SLT in the GeekSpeak auditorium, if you have ideas for new subjects.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/143/127/51

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GeekSpeak subject for Saturday 20th March at noon SLT: What if Humans suddenly Disappeared?

 

What if all humans disappeared from the planet tomorrow?  What would happen?  How long would it be before all machines and all factories stopped working?  How long before all buildings break down?  How long would the ruins last?

Which species would thrive without humans?  And which species would perish?  Would any species evolve to take our place?  Would global warming be reversed?

After 1000 years will there still be traces on Earth that show we lived here?  Would an alien species visiting the planet be able to learn about our history?  Will, any of our records remain?  Or will they only know that we were a species who used plastic? 

Come and look 1000 years into a future without humans.  Bring your friends, now while they are still alive!

IM Vulcan Viper, who teaches a meditation class every Wednesday at 1pm in the GeekSpeak auditorium, if you have ideas for new subjects.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/143/127/51

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GeekSpeak subject for Saturday 27th February at noon SLT: Do we live in a Virtual World?

 

Second Life is a virtual world but is Real Life also a virtual world?  Do our real-life selves live in a simulated universe?  How can we know if that is so?

According to the Bostrom argument, there are likely to be many more simulated universes than real universes so, statistically speaking, it is more likely that we live in a simulated universe.

Could we be conscious in a simulated universe, like the Doctor in Star Trek: Voyager or Vic Fontaine in ST: Deep Space Nine?  The Doctor is a simulation who lives in the real world, Vic Fontaine is a simulation that lives in the holodeck.  Both are apparently conscious.

Is there a real-world outside of our world?  Could we live there?

Come and find out if you are real or not and if it matters.  Bring all your real, imagined and virtual friends!

IM Vulcan Viper, who teaches a meditation class every Wednesday at 1pm SLT in the GeekSpeak auditorium, if you have ideas for new subjects.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/143/127/51

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GeekSpeak subject for Saturday 13th February at noon SLT: Where are we going?

 

Where are the moon bases that were so confidently predicted in 1969?  Where is the socialist utopia?  Every time humanity has plans for the future something else happens.  What makes our history jump about like a butterfly?  Is it because we depend on ‘black swan’ events that cannot be predicted? 

How can we control our future?  Can we invent something really new or do we have to build on earlier inventions? Could we have thought of flight without seeing birds?  Do we lack imagination? 

What do you see coming?  Let’s discuss why we are so certain about our future and why it will probably surprise us.  Bring your time machine.

IM Vulcan Viper, who teaches a meditation class every Wednesday at 1pm SLT in the GeekSpeak auditorium, if you have ideas for new subjects.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/143/127/51

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GeekSpeak subject for Saturday 23rd January at noon SLT: What if we had never invented writing?

 

All inventions seem inevitable in hindsight but before they were invented no one thought of them.  The steam engine was invented only after thousands of years of cooking.  A number system was invented after thousands of years of counting.  So this week we ask: ‘What if no one ever invented writing?’

Would memory have evolved so that we needed no records? If we had sound recording would we still have books, recited books?  Would we have drawings or songs to convey information?

Is a modern culture possible without writing? What form of writing will survive into the future? Why was writing never universal though the language was?

Bring your friends and a notebook 😊

IM Vulcan Viper, who teaches a meditation class every Wednesday at 1pm SLT in the GeekSpeak auditorium, if you have ideas for new subjects.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/143/127/51

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GeekSpeak subject for Saturday 28th November at noon SLT

 GeekSpeak – International Living.

 

Let’s talk about living internationally.  What does it take to pack your bags and go and live abroad?  What practical issues do you need to cope with?  Language, money, travel documents?  Will you be able to find work abroad?  What happens if you can’t?  Is living abroad easier for some people?  Will the number of people who live abroad increase as online living becomes more important?

What kind of people will you meet?  Will you be able to understand their values, their view of life?  If you get used to living abroad will you ever want to go back home?  Will you move around from country to country?  Will you consider the planet as your home?  In the future, will people consider the solar system or even the Milky Way as their home? 

If you think you might want to live abroad come and discuss it with us.  Bring your passport and your friends!

IM Vulcan Viper, who teaches a meditation class every Wednesday at 1pm SLT in the GeekSpeak auditorium, if you have ideas for new subjects.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/143/127/51

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GeekSpeak subject for Saturday 7th November at noon SLT

 

GeekSpeak – When did we become human?

At what point in our past did we become human?  Was it when we discovered fire?  Or language?  Or agriculture?  What made us different from other primates? 

What are humans?  Is a human in 1000 BC the same as one in 2000 AD?  Would we share the same values?  What will we have become in 3000 AD?

We can now start defining ourselves but nobody seems to be discussing it.

Let’s start the big discussion of what we, as humanity, want to become.  Come and join the discussion at GeekSpeak.  Bring all your ancient and new friends!

IM Vulcan Viper, who teaches a meditation class every Wednesday at 1pm SLT in the GeekSpeak auditorium, if you have ideas for new subjects.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/143/127/51

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High Speed Internet world wide - GeekSpeak subject for Saturday 17th October at noon SLT

 

In two years the whole planet will have high speed access to the internet and the World Wide Web will finally live up to its name.  What will happen?

Will we see live footage from the middle of the Sahara, from Antarctica, from ocean going ships, from North Korea?  How will that affect Earth’s society as a whole?  Will it lead to greater understanding or will everyone go crazy when they learn about all the conspiracy theories that are out there?

Will everyone on the planet have an equal chance to have a better life?  Or will the evil regimes drag us all down to their level?  Will some countries block the internet and remain isolated?  Will there be a big market in black market satellite dishes in China?

Will the world become a global village?  Or will there be digital borders?  Come and discuss the near future.  Bring your online friends from weird countries (if you do not have them, you might soon😊

IM Vulcan Viper, who teaches a meditation class every Wednesday at 1pm in the GeekSpeak auditorium, if you have ideas for new subjects.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/143/127/51

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GeekSpeak subject for Saturday 19th September at noon SLT

 

Scientists have discovered a marker for phosphine in the clouds of Venus.  That might indicate life on this barren planet since phosphine on Earth is produced only by living organisms.

But how barren is Venus?  On the surface of the planet lead will melt but up in the clouds it can be a comfy 30C.  We could live in cloud cities there, especially since Venus is ‘en route’ to Mars because of orbital mechanics.  Would you like to live in a Venus cloud city?  Are there maybe sentient lifeforms living in such cities now?

If there is no life on Venus where do you think we will find it?  On Europa, Callisto, Titan, Pluto?  What is life anyway?  Would we know it if we found it?  And if we find it, how will it change our art, our religion and our way of living?

Come and discuss alien microbes in GeekSpeak.  Bring your friends.

IM Vulcan Viper, who teaches a meditation class every Wednesday in the GeekSpeak auditorium at 1pm SLT, if you have ideas for new subjects.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/143/127/51

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GeekSpeak – Neuralink: Saviour or Disaster? GeekSpeak Saturday 5th September at noon SLT

Last week Elon Musk unveiled the latest plans for Neuralink, the company that plants a chip in your skull that connects your brain to a computer.  This technology promises to make the paralyzed walk and the blind see.  If it can do that it will be an amazing benefit for all disabled people.

What else will it be able to do?  Will we be able to link our brains to robots on Mars so that we can experience being there on another planet?  Will we be able to share thoughts with other people?

Are there dangers with this technology?  If a couple links their brains will they live happily ever after, or get a divorce straight away?  Will companies be able to put advertisements into your thoughts?  Will the government force all children to get a link so that they can be controlled?

Come and discuss the digitalization of your brain patterns.  It is closer than you think.  Bring your friends, with or without brains.

IM Vulcan Viper, who teaches a meditation class every Wednesday at the GeekSpeak auditorium at 1pm SLT, if you have ideas for new subjects.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/143/127/51

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All your data belongs to us! Who is listening? And should we worry? Saturday 29th August at noon SLT

So much data is collected about all of us.  What is it used for?  Is it an invasion of privacy?  Does it make you angry?  Will all humans eventually get sick and tired of all the spying?  Will the Big Five data collectors, Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix and Google, cease to exist?

Or do you think they should use the data to give you information you really need?  Like what colour the flowers you buy for your mother on her birthday should be.  Or what sort of job you should take. Or who you should marry.  Would you listen?  Or would you find it creepy?

Can we ever get our privacy back?  Is there a way to escape the panopticon we all live in?  If you do escape, how long will you be safe from the ever-seeing Eye?  Come and join the discussion.  Turn off your phone and wrap it in tinfoil.  And bring your non-friends to confuse the system.

IM Vulcan Viper, who teaches a meditation class every Wednesday at the GeekSpeak auditorium at 1pm SLT, if you have ideas for new subjects.
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/143/127/51

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GeekSpeak – What is the single best thing that could happen? For the world, or for you? Saturday August 15th 2020 at Noon SLT

 

What do you hope for most?  A cure for cancer, disability aids that can be controlled by the brain, an end to money, an end to nation-states, human colonies on other planets, artificial organs, worldwide democracy?  Come and tell us what possible, or even impossible, change you would most like to see.

Let’s discuss also what we all want in our personal lives.  What change do you want for yourself?  More money?  Better health?  Time to learn a new language?

This week we will hold the GeekSpeak of hope.  Tell us what you hope for.

IM Vulcan Viper, who teaches a meditation class every Wednesday at the GeekSpeak auditorium at 1pm SLT, if you have ideas for new subjects.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/143/127/51

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GeekSpeak – Space War! Join the discussion Saturday August 1st at 12pm SLT

This week the USA’s space force get their new logo (Semper Supra): Above Others.   Does it mark the start of a cold war in space?  Both China and Russia have already destroyed a test satellite in space. So, who knows?

Do you think that mutual threats will mean better technology for all of us?  Have wars helped us all?  Will a space war help us?

What will happen if one of the superpowers makes a space-based weapon first?  Will that be a done deal?

Come and join us.  Let’s hope we can survive any new development.  Bring your alien buddies who can phone home and hitch us a ride away from here.
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/143/127/51   

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GeekSpeak – Do Rich People have a duty to the World? For Saturday July 11th at noon SLT

Do you think that the very rich have an obligation to the world above the obligation of ordinary people?

Should they give a lot of money to charity?  Or start charities themselves?  Or just invest their money wisely?  If the very rich have a duty to the rest of us are they fulfilling that duty by investing in Tesla?  What more should they do?

Should the government strip the very rich of their possessions and re-distribute them?  Or are the very rich an important part of society?

Where do the rich belong?  On a pedestal or the guillotine?

What would you think if you were about to become very rich?  Would you still think the same way?  Let’s discuss the position of the ultrawealthy of our world ! Bring your friends, and your banker :)

IM Vulcan, who teaches a meditation class every Wednesday at the GeekSpeak auditorium at 1pm SLT, if you have ideas for new subjects.

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GeekSpeak – The Future of Garbage Join the discussion on Saturday the 27th at 12PM SLT

What happens to our rubbish now, especially our nuclear waste?  And what should happen to it in the future?  Should we shoot it into the sun?  Or into space?  Or dump it into the sea?

How about Extreme Recycling?  What if we could recycle every atom and every nanoJoule of energy back into use?  Would we still need new materials?

What can we do about all the rubbish in the sea?  Could we filter all the oceans of the world in search of the last bit of plastic?  And maybe, kill the last fish?  What if we don’t clean the seas?  Will they end up 99% plastic?

You may want to watch the video 'The Future of Garbage' by Isaac Arthur on YouTube.
Join us in GeekSpeak.  Bring your friends and a feather duster.

IM Vulcan Viper, who teaches a meditation class every Wednesday at the GeekSpeak auditorium at 1pm SLT, if you have ideas for new subjects.
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/143/127/51

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