Anybody for VHEM?

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

A declining growth rate is still growth.

Yes, and an increasing decline in the growth rate can lead to a negative growth rate.

As we all know, any rate of increase or decrease is unsustainable.

Originally Posted by Xist

Redpoint,
the homeless should have access to water fountains, and that is an advantage that millions lack.

Access to drinking water was not on my radar considering where I live. Portland has many public fountains that run continuously. I agree that everyone should have access to publicly provided drinking water.

That said, people elsewhere in the US must be finding adequate sources, otherwise we would see many people dying of dehydration.

[Frank Lee]

Yes, and an increasing decline in the growth rate can lead to a negative growth rate.

Ha Ha, we can cross that bridge when we get there.

I'm sure inducing an increase in birthrates won't ever be an issue.

[freebeard]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benson_Bubbler

They're all in the West side downtown area.

[redpoint5]

99% Invisible just had an interesting podcast about the first public drinking fountains. The Benson Bubblers were mentioned.

Fountain Drinks | 99% Invisible

[freebeard]

Have all the VHEMers left the room yet?

Here's a water story, a new metaphysically engendered material (as Bucky would say)—a nanometer thick membrane of molybdenum disulphide with 'nanopores'. It has less pumping losses than reverse osmosis and doesn't clog up to boot.

Scientists develop ‘nanopores’ that inexpensively filter the salt out of seawater

Just think what this could mean.


Also:
Onion-like layers help this efficient new nanoparticle glow

"A new, onion-like nanoparticle could open new frontiers in biomaging, solar energy harvesting and light-based security techniques." Basically a carefully crafted bead absorbs infra-red light and re-emits it as blue or UV.

[Frank Lee]

Trying to change the subject?

[redpoint5]

VHEM is absurd enough to safely ignore. The debate about publicly provided drinking water is a more interesting topic.

Is there anything to debate here? I find it quite a large leap to go from choosing to bear no offspring, and wishing all of humanity to do the same.

[Frank Lee]

It is a VHEM thread, after all.

I suppose one could start a water fountain thread and see how that goes.

[freebeard]

Trying to change the subject?

I was trying to offer a counter-point to the VHEM premise. The proportion of VHEMers in society should diminish over time, right? Not that we couldn't all be snuffed out at the same instant of course, but what's the point of planning for that?

Maybe the proper refutation would be to point to R. B. Fuller's Design Science Revolution.

Fuller's main premise was that nature's existing and omnipotent order must be allowed to guide designs made by man, if they are to survive and thrive as a species. Fuller wrote that humanity was approaching its "critical test" as a species, in which it would be determined "whether or not man was a mistake of nature, or its greatest accomplishment."

[freebeard]

https://www.google.com/search?q=incel