Man. Had those "Also"s goin for a sec. OOOH!!! forgot one. Also, I finally found a place to lose myself: EVE Online. Great game, and not one for the weak minded. That's why they don't have the massive fan-base that games like WOW and... Well, that's the only huge game I have played extensively, and while it can be fun, it's not challenging in the slightest, and any troglodyte or 5-year-old that can tie his name or spell their shoe-laces should be able to solo-hack-and-slash their way through it's many missions. Also, unlike Blizzard, CCP(the game developers) don't make a habit of screwing long-time players by taking something they have worked for and making it trivial. CCP at least tries to make the in-game effort and time pay off.
The game itself is sort of a smash up of Star Wars,The Sixth Day, Wall Street(stock market, not film), the Somali coast(pirates included), and unabashed true-to-name free market capitalism. Trans-humanists and Anarchists alike should love this game.
Your character, or Pilot, spends most of their life in the capsule, an egg-shaped space craft that keeps the pilot safe from all the rigors of space, save other pilots. Also, your body has been specifically re-engineered to survive in space for extended periods of time. Your pilot is effectively immortal, since if one is killed, they are immediately cloned at a station of their choosing, while the clone quality is determined by the amount of Isk(intergalactic standard kredits= cash) spent on your future new self. One can also, if one has the skills and cash, jump from one body to another across great distances in game.
The only rules in the game that are set in stone refer only to areas known as Hi-Security space. Do not attack other players, civilians, or members of the game establishment. In Low-security and Null-Security areas, you tend to have carte-blanche. The establishment does not extend very far into Low-sec, and not at all in null-sec. Even in hi-sec space, though, the rules can be bent, or, if you're fast enough, broken.
All-in-all, this is a game where one has to be very careful: in one fell swoop, all your hard work can be lost, and there you are, sitting in a space station, floating in a green football, angry at so-and-so because they just taught you a hard lesson. The learning curve in the game is so steep, many people aren't mentally tough enough to make it past the free-trial.(If you would like an extended free trial-21days- hook me up with your e-mail, the extra week is worth it for a broader view. I don't spam.)
If we, as a species, were smart, we would take a look at this "game"(I prefer simulation) and plan on making it a reality. Over-population, pollution, even in a small part war, could all be solved if we took the next step into space. If we, as a species, turned our creativity away from Ipads and towards human expansion into space, I don't think it would be two or three decades before we at least settled Mars, the Moon, or Space stations.
Transhumanism itself could solve the physical problems associated with travel in less than twenty years. Even EVE's capsuleer notion isn't that far-fetched. The human body is incredibly modular. The core components for individuality and survival can easily be separated from the rest, put into an artificial body, and connected to everything needed for control of that body as well as a craft and remote vehicles for exploration. This isn't exactly the capsuleer notion, but it is realistically achievable for us at the moment.
Even with the spectre of death hanging over me, I managed to find a small connection to one of my passions. The only way to see the future is to create it.
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