Geofutures

Futurist at the movies microreview: "Superman II," which came out 45 years ago today, in 1980. It does not compare well even to the weak crop of films that year.

Geothermal’s time has finally come This source of energy could become bigger than nuclear

"Widely available geothermal power could, by 2050, produce nearly triple the current output of the country’s nuclear power plants (which supply roughly 20% of America’s electricity at present)." #energy #future www.economist.com/interactive/...

Futurist at the movies microreview: "The Tenth Victim," which came out 60 years ago today. Its plot of human hunting as spectacle foreshadowed ideas in The Running Man (a 1982 novel and then movies) and The Hunger Games.

Michael and Susan Dell to Put $250 in 25 Million Children’s Accounts

These kind of universal accounts could be a step toward a lift-all-boats economy. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/02/b...

Beast Philanthropy and Rockefeller Foundation Launch Strategic Partnership GREENVILLE, NC; NEW YORK | November 24, 2025 — Beast Philanthropy, the charitable organization founded by Jimmy Donaldson, the world’s #1 creator known

"We've offered 1,000 African families UBI if they live at the bottom of a well for one year!" www.rockefellerfoundation.org/news/beast-p...

Trump Announces Pardon for Honduran Ex-President Convicted in Drug Case

"'This action would be nothing short of catastrophic and would destroy the credibility of the U.S. in the international community,' Mr. Vigil said" www.nytimes.com/2025/11/28/w...

Harvard Astronomer Takes Up Skeptic Publisher’s $1,000 Bet on Alien Disclosure by 2030 Skeptic magazine publisher and historian of science Dr. Michael Shermer has issued a $1000 bet that discovery or disclosure of alien visitation to Earth will not happen by December 31, 2030. Taking hi...

An astronomer and a skeptic bet $1,000 over whether the existence of advanced aliens will be confirmed in the next 5 years -- www.skeptic.com/article/harv...

Futurist at the movies microreview: "Superintelligence," which came out 5 years ago today.

Extreme power concentration Advanced AI technology may enable its creators, or others who control it, to attempt and achieve unprecedented societal power grabs. Under certain circumstances, they could use these systems to take c...

"AI-enabled power concentration would mean the political disempowerment of almost all humans. For the vast majority of people, this would mean having no meaningful say in decisions that shape their lives and futures." 80000hours.org/problem-prof...

Poll: Most Americans think AI will 'destroy humanity' someday A new Yahoo/YouGov survey finds that real people are much more pessimistic about artificial intelligence — and its potential impact on their lives — than Silicon Valley and Wall Street.

"A majority of Americans (53%) now think artificial intelligence is likely to “destroy humanity” someday" www.yahoo.com/news/article...

Emigration from Africa will change the world As other countries age, they will need African youth

"Emigration rises as countries approach around $5,000 in income per person, peaks at around $10,000 and declines thereafter." "Meanwhile 94% of sub-Saharan Africans—1.1bn people—live in countries with a GDP per person of less than $10,000." www.economist.com/briefing/202...

Futurist at the movies microreview: "Mockingjay II," which came out today in 2015. This Hunger Games sequel was another in the standout crop of 2015 futurist films.

Futurist at the movies microreview: "Ghost in the Shell," which came out 30 years ago today, and is the best of 1995's futurist films, and one of the best of the decade.

China’s creepiest export surge Countries are queuing to buy the tools and techniques of the CCP’s security state

"China is helping governments not only combat crime, but also control their citizens and stay in power—and that is proving stunningly popular." www.economist.com/internationa...

Futurist at the movies microreview: "The 6th Day," which came out 25 years ago today. Even regular human cloning has (probably) not happened yet, much less this adult insta-cloning. But we do now have self-driving cars.

Liberalism Failed to Stop the Trump Realignment. Is There A Way Back? It is a common assumption of the Trump era that America is undergoing a turbulent and protracted political realignment that could reverberate for decades.

"To understand the task before them, Democrats must trace how the terms “liberalism” and “conservatism” have diminished profoundly in their capacity to reflect the preferences, aspirations, and fears shaping the post-Great Recession electorate." www.liberalpatriot.com/p/liberalism...

Futurist at the movies microreview: "The Running Man" (1987). Let's hope the new version is better than this shoddy Schwarzenegger vehicle.

The 1982 Stephen King novel The Running Man was set in 2025.

I guess my plan -- to fire grappling hooks onto the roof of the US Mint in Philadelphia (seen here) and steal 50 pounds of pennies -- has been foiled.

A neighbor has political thoughts involving the game The Oregon Trail

A soldier who died November 11, 1918, the last day of WW I, commemorated in a local DC church.

Futurist at the movies microreview: "Skyline," which came out 15 years ago today --

Futurist at the movies microreview: "Red Planet," which came out 25 years ago today -- and we still aren't a great deal closer to humans landing on Mars.

Humanity’s Endgame | NOEMA A new history of societal collapse by an expert in existential risk argues that our globalized society is edging toward the precipice.

"The correlation between inequality and state failure often rests on whether its institutions are inclusive, involving democratic decision-making ..., or extractive: 'designed to extract incomes and wealth from one subset of society to benefit a different subset.'” www.noemamag.com/humanitys-en...

Why Trump’s cuts to scientific research are a big win for China China is attracting American scientific talent, especially in STEM fields, partly due to funding cuts and immigration restrictions under President Donald Trump.

Destroying the scientific research capacity of universities just because you hate the Middle East Studies department is definitely going to help the U.S. beat China in the race for technological dominance. www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/1...

Per your crucial point about equitably distributing capital, the mutualist economy seems like a serious contender -- cdn.sanity.io/files/9xbysn...

"In Silicon Valley, such reasoning has generated a peculiarly dystopian variant of hustle culture: Make your fortune in the next five years, and you’ll claim a place in the perpetual aristocracy of AI owners — fail, and you’ll forever be at their mercy." archive.is/oAYM7

Futurist at the movies microreview: "Annihilation," one of the better futurist movies of 2018

Poll finds most Americans doubt Trump’s commitment to free speech, fair justice The American people also don’t seem to know quite what to make of the criminal cases against two of Trump’s perceived opponents.

The meaningful aspect of this polling is that independents are much more aligned with Democrats in their views of Trump's treatment of rights and the law -- wapo.st/49ypWx6

The sandwich-thrower (now on trial) has provided Washington DC with a new protest symbol.