jbrenner assigns HOMEwork - Planning Atlantis
An assignment I give my students in almost every course I teach is what I call a questions and issues sheet. Students are asked to come up with a list of at least 25 questions and issues on a process design, product design, or failure analysis of my choosing. Students start by brainstorming either by themselves or in groups for 0.5 to 1 hour, and then categorize their questions and issues into the following categories: technical/engineering, economic, legal, regulatory, quality, environmental, safety, health, logistical, project management, and social impact. It is better for the questions and issues to be in the form of a question such that the question can be answered with a yes/no or a number. In that way, the exercise serves as a checklist to keep the project on track. Points are given for the number of questions, category coverage, identification of all of the key issues, depth of insight, creativity, and for thoroughness of the list. A critical issue not considered is often the project killer. Your assignment is to participate in this exercise for the development of a physical Atlantis.
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Something like a large scale deep water oil platform you built on would be an interesting option too. Deep water for docking cargo would not be an issue on one of those either.
I know it is in the US, but a Key West lagoon with 62 acres (mostly water) up for auction with an assessed value of over $6000 with $180 in back taxes and a top bid of $770 with only two days left. I wonder if any of it is buildable.
I agree completely on what it would take to leave and start fresh, and on the value of an engineering education.
I had a mechanical engineer once tell me that the value of an engineering education wasn't in all the facts you learned, but that it's value was in that they teach you how to think about the world.
To be quite honest, I thought you were just making your point in said fashion. I would be really surprised if 20 to 50 of you all actually disappeared.
The Profs $500k figure would yield 3-6 million Americans who could afford to buy into Atlantis. (Do you get a family discount?).
B.T.W. The "number of millionaire's" figure comes from http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2014/01/1...
1) Anyone can apply to join Atlantis, but there will be a board to decide who is permitted much like country club admission. We do not want people in Atlantis who are going to cause enough of a disruption that we might eventually have to ask them to leave.
2) Atlantis' founding population will be limited as much by affordability of a space as anything else. I was guesstimating 20-50 citizens (at least at first).
3) Buying one's way into Atlantis will be necessary to some extent, but a rich liberal will not be accepted.
4) Sale or inheritance of Atlantis holdings to non-citizens is possible if the non-citizens are willing to live by Atlantis' code. Otherwise, Atlantis citizens will make a reasonable offer to buy out the non-citizen.
5) Multiple Atlantis sites are possible. In fact, some prefer multiple sites. Many prefer simply a virtual Atlantis, and judging by the lack of enthusiasm I have seen from most of the Gulch citizens, I don't think we have critical mass to go forward at this time.
Atlantis won't stop the motor of the world, we'll just let it wind down. As for the immigration problem, it is one of the main reasons I have been advocating a reasonable naval force to withstand such, an island being the location of Atlantis.
Elites pull off to space platform. Somehow they are the only ones who are successful. The rest of the world wants desperately to get into "Elysium". During a coup, the world gets citizenship (Loots Elysium).
Collectivist movie, but if you think the US and Europe have immigration problems consider what happens if Atlantis stops the motor of the world.
B.T.W. as this is a movie site, have you seen Neill Blomkamp's "Elysium"?
A point or two on #2 and #5 that relate to the safety of numbers.
Although there are numerous examples of smaller forces overcoming larger ones in warfare, generally one would prefer not to attack Atlantis without at least a three to one advantage. Assuming all able-bodied citizens in the reserves of a modern defense force, three to six million defenders should require at least around ten million soldiers in the looter force. That is nothing to sneeze at.
Given that the enemies of Atlantis may wish to destroy it even more than they would like to plunder it, not having all your eggs in one basket might not be a bad idea.
Edit--Fixed Grammatical Error 12:55 CTD
1) Conditionally.
2) The founding population will, most likely, be limited by initial support structure; housing, food supplies, power production, etc.
3) Depends. Looters with money won't be welcome. They produce nothing which adds to the value of the enclave.
4) No. You can sell to an established citizen or to one whose credentials have been established and passed by the "immigration board".
5) Let's get the first one up and running before seeding colonies.
I don't presume *you* went along with the shutdown. It is just a recent event with polling data that suggests the number of staunch anti-collectivists in the United States. Apparently, we are legion.
Now assume that only one in ten or twenty anti-collectivists would want to or be able to join Atlantis. We are looking at a fairly sizable city state there.
My First Five Questions:
1) Can anyone join Atlantis?
2) Should Atlantis limit it's founding population?
3) Can you buy your way in to Atlantis?
4) Could you sell your holdings in Atlantis to a non-citizen?
5) Should there be more than one Atlantis?
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