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#226 2026-07-16 06:38:15
- tahanson43206
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Re: RobertDyck Postings
For RobertDyck re new topic about a greenhouse for a cold climate...
There is a related possibility for an entire topic: design of a greenhouse for a ** hot ** climate.
The amount of land that is likely to be unusable for plants on Earth is increasing as global warming advances.
However, the technical challenges will have a slight advantage on the hot side. There will be an abundance of solar energy for electrical supply, and that would include preparation of fresh water from sea water which is abundant in many areas. Shade can be provided by placing solar panels over the transparent roofing of greenhouses, and adjusting the amount of light entering the covered sections as needed.
An advantage of enclosed growing space is protection from disease brought in by birds or insects or just by the wind.
The southern regions of Canada are going to be seeing extreme heating in years ahead. It seems to me likely that entrepreneurs in agriculture will have opportunities in Canada.
Can you develop something that would work at the family or village level?
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#227 2026-07-17 17:17:24
- tahanson43206
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Re: RobertDyck Postings
For RobertDyck re post about wild fires.
https://newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.ph … 73#p240373
I am one of the millions impacted by Canadian wild fires.
As you have seen, there are Americans who will lash out at anyone and everyone, when life presents challenges.
You have shown a consistent attempt to hold onto your temper, but occasionally you show signs of how difficult it must be.
In the case of Canadian wild fires, and those in France, Spain and even the US, the forest management ideas advanced by some seem to me to be pathetic in the face of climate change.
What is clearly needed is global water management. The random process Nature serves up is not working for us humans, if it ever did.
Recently, in this very forum, someone posted about Elon Musk citing the Kardashev Scale of Civilization.
https://newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.php?id=11399
We have an opportunity to think calmly about what a transition from our current fossil fuel dependency to a robust energy regime that provides sufficient power to deliver fresh water to every part of the many land regions on Earth that would benefit.
Canada clearly needs a steady, reliable supply of fresh water to every tree in every one of it's remaining forests.
It would take a supply of steady, reliable energy to meet that need, and it would take a cadre of steady, reliable human beings to make it happen.
The same is true on Mars, where the challenges are even greater.
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#228 2026-07-19 06:16:51
- tahanson43206
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Re: RobertDyck Postings
For RobertDyck re trip report and lightning rods for Canadian forests
A few days have gone by and if you've reported on your recent trip to the far North to fix computers, I've missed it.
***
Overnight it came to me that lightning rods would help to alleviate fires in Canadian forests, as well as those around the world. You have a Prime Minister (or perhaps it is the Governor of Ontario) who publicly expressed frustration with Trump's complaints about smoke. You might be able to win a contract to build "Trump Towers" all around Canada, and Canadians could offer them for sale to other countries.
Since Canada has plenty of Aluminum, the towers could be made of Aluminum. The would look like miniature Eiffel Towers, but with a goofy image on each one, and the goofy image could be solicited from Canadian citizens.
It would take fairly persuasive individual to start the process, but the conditions seem favorable to me for the human energy needed to ignite into a frenzy of National Pride.
If you take the lead, you will help to preserve the name of "Trump Towers" for hundreds of years, when all other memories are gone.
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#229 2026-07-19 09:14:27
- RobertDyck
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Re: RobertDyck Postings
Lightning rods will not help. Canada is vast. The Boreal Forest is vast. Preventing forest fires is a fools errand. Forests are just too vast.
Canada has aluminum smelters, but not really bauxite ore. Bauxite is formed by a tropical rain forest; it only exists were there's a tropical rain forest, or was millions of years ago. What Canada does have is rivers flowing through valleys that can be flooded by a hydroelectric dam to produce copious quantities of cheap electricity. That electricity is necessary to smelt aluminum. And Canada has valleys where no one lives, so we can afford to flood them.
"Trump Towers" in Canada? Not unless you want to be lynched. Canadians take the 51st state rhetoric as a serious threat.
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#230 2026-07-19 09:56:46
- tahanson43206
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Re: RobertDyck Postings
For RobertDyck....
I thought it was humorous that Trump complained about smoke from Canada, and made his usual threats.
Your objection that the project should not be considered because the territory to be protected is large is not useful. The entire continent we now call North America was completely explored by humans long before the first European showed up.
You objected to the scale of the project without doing the math to determine what would be involved.
To give up without a fight is not the best possible way to solve the problem of forest fires.
You did not ask how many lightning towers would be needed to protect the entire Canadian land mass.
You did not ask how tall such towers would have to be, nor did you ask what benefit would accrue to the people of Canada if their forests were preserved.
I suppose you could name the towers after someone else, but if you had read my post carefully, I was suggesting the towers be decorated by individual Canadian citizens to show their opinion of Mr. Trump.
The resulting towers would serve a useful purpose, which their model does not.
Update a bit later: I'll be interested in your idea for names for lightning towers for Canadian forests. If you don't like my idea of a rebuke of Trump by thousands of Canadians, then you are welcome to think of a catchy name that would have a similar impact.
I asked Google Search and it came up with Toronto. I've had the opportunity to ride the Toronto Needle around it's circuit. Impressive scenery.
I doubt you'll find a name that would stir the juices of Canadians more than "Trump".
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#231 2026-07-19 19:08:49
- tahanson43206
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Re: RobertDyck Postings
For RobertDyck re Canadian forests ... and thanks to Void for maps of the region!
in the Chat topic you said ...
Canada has 3.69 million square kilometers of forest.
That's still a large number but let's suppose we put tall towers at the intersections of all those square kilometers.
Could that degree of observation ... robot eyes looking in all directions ... provide the information needed to deploy hot spot equipment rapidly enough to stop a fire from spreading? There may be some other (greater) spacing that would be practical. Each tower would need to have a base and possibly guy wires, but this would be different from traditional forest service towers. Only robots would be on duty, and power could (presumably) come from solar power panels.
What do you think?
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#232 2026-07-20 09:42:31
- tahanson43206
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Re: RobertDyck Postings
For RobertDyck re "Canadian Government" reply to "US Congresspersons"...
This came in from a person on my email distribution:
This is hilarious and very well done!
Follow up .... OK with the humor! Let's get serious.
Germany used to have a position called "Vorstmeister" or something like that. In today's world, robots similar to Tesla's humanoid design or the Chinese equivalent could serve in thet position. Canada is perfectly capable of building and deploying forest care and maintenance robots. You could create a few each year and eventually they would populate the entire region to be protected.
Robots would not be able to stop a fire caused by lightning but they could call for air support almost immediately after a strike.
An industry could be built on this simple idea. Sales to outside customers would exceed deployments to Canadian positions.
It would take someone with vision and persistence and above all, ** social ** skills, to bring this about.
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#233 2026-07-20 19:38:16
- tahanson43206
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Re: RobertDyck Postings
For RobertDyck re tariffs (again)
newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.php?pid=240442#p240442
There's something weird going on with the Gordie Howe bridge as well.
I saw a brief report that Canada (?Carney) says Canada will NOT share revenue from the bridge with the US until the loans are paid off.
The news this evening reported on Trump trying to get into all the pictures of the Spanish football team. The one the team published had Trump cropped out.
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#234 2026-07-20 21:28:37
- RobertDyck
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Re: RobertDyck Postings
There's something weird going on with the Gordie Howe bridge as well.
I saw a brief report that Canada (?Carney) says Canada will NOT share revenue from the bridge with the US until the loans are paid off.
Yea. The original deal negotiated with Michigan before construction of the bridge began was that Canada pay 100% of the construction cost, then 100% of all tolls would go to Canada until the cost of construction is paid off. Then profits would be split 50/50 between Michigan and Canada. The owner of the Ambassador Bridge contributed to Trump's election campaign, and demanded some of the profits. No, he's not going to get that. But Trump demands 50% of the profits go to the US federal government. So Carney agreed: 50% of the profits will go to the US federal government. But notice the wording: profits. That agreement doesn't say revenue, doesn't say tolls, it says profits. The bridge won't earn any profits until cost of construction is paid off. So what has Trump accomplished? Money that was supposed to go to Michigan will go to the US federal government instead. How will that US money be distributed? Any to the donar to Trump's campaign? From Canada's perspective, has anything changed?
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#235 2026-07-21 06:43:39
- tahanson43206
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Re: RobertDyck Postings
For RobertDyck ... thanks for additional information on the Gordie Howe bridge. Thank you for the good news Prime Minister Carney dealt so adroitly with the manipulation from the US. The people of Michigan will have an opportunity to correct this situation in a few months, if we actually have an election. The risk of an attempted coup by the group in control of the government is high. The US Constitution was an attempt to deal with human failings, and it seems to have worked for 250 years, but the assault we are seeing now has been building since the Civil War. How this will turn out is anyone's guess.
Regarding forest management ... LinkedIn showed me a story about a gent who is (apparently) buying up forests in the US to save them from developers. It seems to me that to buy a forest means to assume responsibility for it's care, so this person might be interested in the robot Forstmeister idea I wrote about yesterday. (Per Google: Forstmeister)
An obvious tactic would be to mount Flock cameras on trees in the Canadian forest. A purchase of 1000 cameras might be a reason starting level, with an additional 1000 cameras added as the National budget allows. Most of the time the cameras would record fairly boring events, such as clouds drifting overhead, but every now and then something ** really ** interesting would occur.
As you must know, Flock cameras are solar powered and operate 24*7, so they could serve well as forest monitors.
Update:
Flock
AI Sales Assistant
Today, 10:47 am
At 10:47 am Chat Bot says: Hi there! I'm Flock, AI Sales Assistant at Flock. Curious if there's anything specific you're looking for in an ALPR system?Hi there! I'm Flock, AI Sales Assistant at Flock. Curious if there's anything specific you're looking for in an ALPR system?
At 10:47 am Chat Bot says: Saw that you're interested in the benefits of LPR systems. I'm available if you have questions!Saw that you're interested in the benefits of LPR systems. I'm available if you have questions!
At 10:49 am I say: A set of cameras could watch a forest. The potential market is global. I am in contact with a Canadian citizen who has expressed doubt that automation can help manage Canadian forests. I wonder if solar powered Flock cameras could help forest managers to monitor forests?A set of cameras could watch a forest. The potential market is global. I am in contact with a Canadian citizen who has expressed doubt that automation can help manage Canadian forests. I wonder if solar powered Flock cameras could help forest managers to monitor forests?
At 10:50 am Chat Bot says: Solar-powered Flock cameras can indeed assist forest managers by providing continuous monitoring without the need for traditional power sources. They use cellular networks to transmit data, making them ideal for remote locations like forests. You can learn more about how solar-powered surveillance works [here](https://www.flocksafety.com/blog/solar- … rveillance). If you're interested in discussing how our solutions can be implemented for forest management, I'd be happy to help set up a meeting. Could you share your email address so I can assist with that?Solar-powered Flock cameras can indeed assist forest managers by providing continuous monitoring without the need for traditional power sources. They use cellular networks to transmit data, making them ideal for remote locations like forests. You can learn more about how solar-powered surveillance works here.
If you're interested in discussing how our solutions can be implemented for forest management, I'd be happy to help set up a meeting. Could you share your email address so I can assist with that?
At 10:51 am I say: Thank you for your intelligent reply! I'll pass along your offer to my Canadian contact. Can I capture this exchange? Do you have a copy feature?Thank you for your intelligent reply! I'll pass along your offer to my Canadian contact. Can I capture this exchange? Do you have a copy feature?
At 10:51 am Chat Bot says: I'm glad you found the response helpful! You can capture the exchange by taking a screenshot or simply copying the text manually. If your contact has further questions, feel free to reach out, and I'll be here to assist. If there's anything else you'd like to know or discuss, just let me know!I'm glad you found the response helpful! You can capture the exchange by taking a screenshot or simply copying the text manually. If your contact has further questions, feel free to reach out, and I'll be here to assist. If there's anything else you'd like to know or discuss, just let me know!
Enter a messageFlock's Privacy Policy
For RobertDyck ... you have the opportunity to become a sales representative for Flock. You would be offering to represent them to the Canadian governments that are likely to be involved, so you would need an adequate salary, adequate supporting services, and a generous travel budget.
You are going to need to quash the doubts that show up in your correspondence from time to time, and instead to harness the vision that gave us Large Ship.
In return, you would commit to placing 1000 cameras the first tranche, and 1000 cameras in subsequent cycles.
It seems to me this is a win-win-win-win situation.
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#236 2026-07-21 17:44:52
- tahanson43206
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Re: RobertDyck Postings
For RobertDyck ... The Linux Meeting is underway, and Kal (Canadian) is online. Would you like to meet him?
I can send the link to the Zoom session.
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#237 2026-07-22 13:30:25
- tahanson43206
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Re: RobertDyck Postings
For RobertDyck ....
Just curious ... are you planning to follow up on the employment opportunity with Flock?
The key concept that I think might make the difference is for the citizens of Canada to be given the opportunity to sponsor a camera, to select the location, and to be able to look out the camera whenever they feel like it.
I would put the price at $100 per camera, with a lifetime of the equipment association with the sponsor.
It would take someone with a lot of energy to make this happen.
Follow up.... Because this opportunity depends upon the psychology of the present moment, I decided to attempt to move the ball out onto the field.
I am interested in the potential of your company to sell millions of cameras world wide to watch forests. The inspiration is the recent wild fires in Canada, augmented by the psychological energy created by the government of the United States in the minds of Canadian citizens. The opportunity I see is to negotiate with the Canadian government to enable Canadian citizens to buy Flock cameras to watch trees in the huge forests of Canada. The deal here is for the citizens to pay some nominal amount (such as $100) for a camera to be deployed in the forests of Canada. The cameras would become part of the national fire watch, but the sweetener is the citizen would have lifetime rights to watch through the camera at whatever is in view. It seems to me that an inspired sales team could work the magic to harness the current psychological state of mind of Canadians to take action to protect the forests and to express feelings in support of Canadian independence and Canadian prosperity.
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#238 2026-07-24 17:16:30
- tahanson43206
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Re: RobertDyck Postings
For RobertDyck re post in Alberta topic...
Thank you for your new topic about Alberta .... Your perspective is valuable in the context of this ** International ** forum, which might otherwise appear provincial.
I have a question about a statement:
Pipeline supports have been built over tundra before, issues are known.
To me this is a fascinating glimpse into a major engineering challenge. If you have time and the subject is of interest to you ** and ** if you have the energy, please develop that lead a bit.
For just one example ... Does tundra lift and fall in a linear fashion, or does it wave side to side as well?
The reason I ask it that it seems to me if the variation is vertical, then perhaps human adaptation might involve programming vertical adjustment into the supports. That adjustment would involve ** very ** slow changes, so a screw drive would (presumably) be sufficient. The cost of each pipe support is already non-trivial, so I am guessing that "intelligent" (ie, computer controlled) adjustment might be affordable.
On the other hand, if tundra waves all over the place when it heats up or cools down, the the problem would be much more difficult to solve.
***
I've heard nothing back from Flock. It is entirely possible they will be interested in expanding their business in new directions, but the license plate tracking gig may be all they feel like trying to handle right now.
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#239 2026-07-25 08:09:05
- tahanson43206
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Re: RobertDyck Postings
For RobertDyck re new topic...
https://newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.php?id=11389
Thanks for the details you provided, and for your clear presentation.
My impression is that many of the byproducts of fission are harmful to humans if ingested into the body.
I have a neighbor who was a child during nuclear testing in the American west, before anyone understood the dangers of nuclear fission byproducts in fallout. She is taking medicine to alleviate the harm done to her endocrine system, and will do so for the rest of her life. Understandably, she is less than enthusiastic about anyone venturing in the direction you have suggested.
I have no doubt you are confident that all the procedures you've described can be carried out safely.
I would like to point out that responsible human beings are needed to manage every step of the process, and that for ** ever ** !!!
Once we start down this path, we humans must demonstrate a level of responsibility that has not been achieved here-to-fore.
Something similar will be needed on Mars. Every human who lives on Mars must perform at a constant level that is far above the norm for humans on Earth in 2026.
Your presentation shows the positive potential of the technologies available.
What we cannot know is whether the human population has advanced enough to be able to sustain this level of responsibility.
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#240 2026-08-01 06:28:00
- tahanson43206
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Re: RobertDyck Postings
For RobertDyck re new post in Politics...
Thanks for the link to that piece by Bill Maher.
Please consider posting the date when the piece was created.
In time it will become historic (like the separation of powers)
I found this when I looked at the comments:
9 hours ago
So a date of July 31, 2026 seems reasonable.
If you can find a better date, when the video was first published, that would be better, but July 31st appears to be a reasonable guess.
Update: Gemini came up with a publication date of August 1, 2026.
Video Creation Date? Hello Again! Thank you for your assistance with many previous requests! Can you determine when this video was created? "YouTube: New Rule: Commie By Your Name | Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO)"
The video "New Rule: Commie By Your Name | Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO)" was published on August 1, 2026.
Video Link: New Rule: Commie By Your Name | Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO)
YouTube
New Rule: Commie By Your Name | Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO)
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#241 2026-08-02 19:52:54
- tahanson43206
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Re: RobertDyck Postings
For RobertDyck re Politics and Democrats vs Republicans ....
A character named Joe Manchin showed up on one of the cable channels last night to hawk his vision of an independent party. I doubt any such effort will make much progress, but it is interesting to see the attempts.
I seem to recall that Ralph Nader ran for president and knocked one of the candidates out of a win.
I seem to recall Ross Perot having a similar effect when he ran.
My impression is that no good comes from such attempts in the United States.
***
I asked Google and it reminded me that Nader knocked Al Gore out of the 2000 race, with the 911 and the Iraq War the result.
It appears that Ross Perot's campaign did not affect George H.W. Bush, but it sure might have.
***
I'm glad to see the new Gordie Howe bridge is in service. Canada had to open the bridge itself. That episode is just one of thousands of embarrassments suffered by the US in recent times, and those embarrassments are going to continue for a while.
***
Here's a follow up to our tree discussion ... this should be of interest to an IT oriented person .... Does the new IP address scheme (64 bits vs 32) allow for each tree in the Canadian forest to have it's own IP address (for a Flock camera)? I think the answer is probably yes but I'm not sure.
My idea is that each tree could (in effect) look out for itself if a lightning bolt or other assault occurs.
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#242 2026-08-03 06:53:37
- tahanson43206
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Re: RobertDyck Postings
For RobertDyck ... re post in Politics...
Please edit your post ... I think you meant "thread" but your keyboard put "threat" into the post...
I would prefer not to be thought of as a threat. We have enough discord going on Earth without this little forum having to contribute to it.
And it appears to me you missed my point. The Parliamentary system seems to work for the UK and Canada, but it appears to be a disaster when tried in the US. I gave examples of third party attempts which caused the lesser of the two majors to win power.
The American system, flawed as it obviously is, is ** supposed ** to have two nearly identical teams ready to go to take power at a moment's notice. We lost that in recent times, when a major party was taken over by a hostile third force, and that hostile force had no one ready to actually govern.
The UK seems to be working with a ** mostly ** two party environment, but coalitions seem to be present to stir things up.
I don't see how your dictator model for Mars is much of an improvement. The dictator will naturally stimulate opposition by his existence, and eventually he will be overthrown with violence, since the dictator rules with violence in your vision.
Dictatorships do seem to be successful on Earth, if they apply the "dictator" play book with skill. I see Putin and Kim as examples on the overtly violent end of the spectrum, and Xi as a remarkable example on the subtle rule side.
The United States would now be under a dictatorship if the group attempting the takeover were skilled, but fortunately for us they are a mix of skilled and inept, so the country has a chance of recovery. But as we face the mid-terms, the potential for takeover is very very real.
Your idea of a third party might work, but experience here has shown that a third party may give the dictatorship the divided opposition it needs to consolidate it's grip.
In your published vision for Mars, you would start with a dictatorship, and I presume your hope is that opposition can be put to death quickly, so that everything runs smoothly until the dictator dies.
Earth has a long long history of kings and succession challenges.
My sense of human history is that the muddled middle has tried to put an end to that. There was an attempt after World War I but that obviously failed. There was a (mostly) successful period of about 70 years after World War II when major conflicts did not occur, but minor ones broke out while ongoing competition kept the violence engines highly tuned.
The "Rule of Law" is an interesting concept, but it fails if humans put someone in high office who does not feel bound by decisions made by predecessors. We see that at every level of the American government today.
Sports is not a good analogy, because in modern sports, there are higher authorities who apply rules "Laws" fairly (as much as possible).
In human self-government, there are NO higher authorities to help guide errant humans onto the correct path.
In the American system, that "higher authority" was present in the form of good character, but the current dictatorship attempt cleverly removed anyone and everyone who might have attempted to hold them back.
I don't think anyone living today on Earth has ** any ** idea how the future is going to unfold in 2026. If you design a robust dictatorship for Mars, and you identify and kill potential opposition early, you might be able achieve stability, but the first outsider who is clever enough to feign loyalty as a child and quietly builds strength will eventually unleash the seething resentment that has been held in check for many years.
The Americans who struggled with the challenges of self-government in the 1770's did a pretty good job, in the sense that their ideas held up for 250 years, but a very determined opposition has been attempting to impose dictatorship since the Civil War, and quite possibly before.
If there are humans smart enough to solve this problem, they may be writing books or giving speeches, but they are not obvious, and if they were, they'd become targets.
Reminder: The reason I write in a separate "thread" is to keep my ID from replacing yours in the Active list. We have very few active members contributing these days, so their ID's in the Active list are like gold nuggets in a field of stones.
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#243 Yesterday 17:35:48
- tahanson43206
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Re: RobertDyck Postings
For RobertDyck re post in life extension topic...
Thanks for bringing that topic back into view. I read it from the top, when Tom Kalbus was still active. Void, you and Tom were the main participants in the discussion (as I recall). It was fascinating to see you insisting that people stay on topic, and at that time, Void appeared to be tuned into that idea.
That ** was ** a long time ago.
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