Still Waters Posted August 27, 2011 #1 Share Posted August 27, 2011 PayPal-founder Peter Thiel was so inspired by Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand's novel about free-market capitalism - that he's trying to make its title a reality.The Silicon Valley billionaire has funnelled $1.25million to the Seasteading Institute, an organisation that aspires to launch a floating colony into international waters, freeing them and like-minded thinkers to live by libertarian ideals. Mr Thiel recently told Details magazine: 'The United States Constitution had things you could do at the beginning that you couldn't do later. So the question is, can you go back to the beginning of things? How do you start over?' The floating sovereign nations that Mr Thiel imagines would be built on oil-rig-like platforms anchored in areas free of regulation, laws, and moral conventions. The Seasteading Institute says it will 'give people the freedom to choose the government they want instead of being stuck with the government they get'. Read more... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beastly Decimal Posted August 28, 2011 #2 Share Posted August 28, 2011 They're trying to build Olympus, then leave all of us "normals" (or mortals) here in the heavily governed hell (earth) that they've destroyed. Conspiracies, man... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aquatus1 Posted August 28, 2011 #3 Share Posted August 28, 2011 He's awfully proud for a man who is basically repeating the same thing humans have been doing since they felt Africa getting too small for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xXHellkittiesXx Posted August 28, 2011 #4 Share Posted August 28, 2011 This will be the backdrop for Bioshock 4. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rlyeh Posted August 28, 2011 #5 Share Posted August 28, 2011 They're trying to build Olympus, then leave all of us "normals" (or mortals) here in the heavily governed hell (earth) that they've destroyed. Conspiracies, man... They've destroyed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AwakeTheSoul Posted August 28, 2011 #6 Share Posted August 28, 2011 This reminds me of a book I once read. But on a much smaller scale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaddoxHQ Posted August 28, 2011 #7 Share Posted August 28, 2011 1.25 million, woah, lets not let this project get out of hand... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Littlehawk Posted August 28, 2011 #8 Share Posted August 28, 2011 Hmmm... maybe Atlantis was a man made floating city and not an actual continent. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regeneratia Posted August 28, 2011 #9 Share Posted August 28, 2011 (edited) I like this quote: Mr Thiel said: 'the nature of government is about to change at a very fundamental level' Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2024761/Atlas-Shrugged-Silicon-Valley-billionaire-reveals-plan-launch-floating-start-country-coast-San-Francisco.html#ixzz1WKyXa2q9 Let's hope the change is for the better for democracy, something we have completely lost in this day and age of hackable voting machines with secret codes few people get to assess, that leave no trace of your vote, no verification of if it registered your vote the way you put it in. Edited August 28, 2011 by regeneratia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoIverine Posted August 28, 2011 #10 Share Posted August 28, 2011 Whatever associated governments won't allow this to happen. It will show everyone that they realistically are losing their perceived "control". Cue civic unrest. Awesome project though, I wonder if this guy can succeed with his "Metropolis" idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marharthm Posted August 28, 2011 #11 Share Posted August 28, 2011 It will fail because his ideaology fails. Governments will have no problem with it. The guy is rich, rich people run the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beastly Decimal Posted August 28, 2011 #12 Share Posted August 28, 2011 They've destroyed? Well, it's still functional to a point, but it's going down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soupy Posted August 28, 2011 #13 Share Posted August 28, 2011 Building ontop of the sea seems to be inevitable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rlyeh Posted August 28, 2011 #14 Share Posted August 28, 2011 Well, it's still functional to a point, but it's going down. You gotta blame someone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StarMountainKid Posted August 28, 2011 #15 Share Posted August 28, 2011 (edited) Few restrictions on weapons? Guess they'll have to defend themselves from the lower classes. The United Nations currently only requires that a sovereign state has an effective and independent government within a defined territory. According to current international law norms, states are only required to have an effective and independent system of government pursuant to a community within a defined territory.[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sovereignty The Principality of Sealand has an interesting history that may be relevant: There were several attempted takeovers by invasion and in the British courts, one by pirates if my memory is correct. http://www.sealandgov.org/About.html Edited August 28, 2011 by StarMountainKid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xanthurion2 Posted August 28, 2011 #16 Share Posted August 28, 2011 yeah floating city in the middle of the ocean so a hurricane can whiz by and tear it apart in two seconds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverCougar Posted August 28, 2011 #17 Share Posted August 28, 2011 It reminds me of a city sim from Secondlife... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Fluffs Posted August 29, 2011 #18 Share Posted August 29, 2011 Will he call it The Ark? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redoubt Posted August 29, 2011 #19 Share Posted August 29, 2011 A city floating on the high seas would not fall under anyone's jurisdiction so, we're talking an independent nation afloat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aquatus1 Posted August 29, 2011 #20 Share Posted August 29, 2011 The term is micronation. It's been done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dataslayer Posted August 29, 2011 #21 Share Posted August 29, 2011 Ehhh sounds stupid to me. Like xanthurion said. Hurricanes will be a big issue. Also, by floating I thought it meant literally floating not a city held up by a slab of land being supported by 4 beams. :/ Flooding will also be an issue depending on how high it will be. But how do people plan on getting on and away from this "floating city" without aircraft? So it's for a few well-off rich people to live on? This is a bad idea and I don't think it should ever come to fruition for several reasons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueandi Posted August 29, 2011 #22 Share Posted August 29, 2011 Just another way for the Mega rich to hide their billions away from the tax-man, and play god with peoples lives......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taut Posted August 29, 2011 #23 Share Posted August 29, 2011 Hmmm... maybe Atlantis was a man made floating city and not an actual continent. ;-) Interesting thought! yeah floating city in the middle of the ocean so a hurricane can whiz by and tear it apart in two seconds Can't say I'd like to be "in the city" when that happened. Can't imagine they can make it storm proof. Hope they've picked their spot well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anotheryahoo Posted August 29, 2011 #24 Share Posted August 29, 2011 You cant ever escape man wanting control over other men, its a genetic flaw in man kind. Even though its a great idea before they know it there will be those telling others how to live,how to pay for it and what they can and cannot have or do. Man is a flawed,control FREAK of nature. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoIverine Posted August 30, 2011 #25 Share Posted August 30, 2011 It could literally be an above water Bioshock, if this guy starts bringing scientists over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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