This is my scrapbook where I will keep all my clippings of interesting tidbits of people trying to free themselves from the tyranny of having to be slaves to other people, but still live decent lives. If you have any other interesting ideas, post them here. If you had limitless free energy, a decent clean humble and safe place to live, a kindle or nook with three thousand books to read, a simple wardrobe, simple inexpensive meals, access to lectures and education, a humble means of transport, a soul mate to share your life with, what more do you need? For those fancy vacations, house, cars etc, you would have to work for money which is ok. Also, we would have to work part time to get access to health care so we could pay for it. We just don't have to work to exist and survive, a notion that is nearing its end as technology advances. We don't have to work for "retirement" because existence is already mostly free. Note that other people don't pay for you to live this way, you pay for those things that you get from other people, like health care, fancy cars, fancy vacations, etc. Number 1 on the list is cheap and "free" energy. Prometheus stole fire from Zeus and game it to humankind. Fire is one of the first great technological feats. The next fire we must steal is fusion. It will be a game changer because it means that societies can spring up anywhere, and like minded people can form mini governments within a government. With that in mind, here is step one towards complete freedom: "Man builds web pages by day and nuclear fusion reactors by night" http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/06/24/new.york.nuclear.hobby/index.html?iref=allsearch
Next is a roof over your head. There are people already trying crazy things, but it is a very hard existence. This will change when we have small fusion reactors the size of a car. No more endless mortgages and "rent". Worth noticing, but still a long way to go: "Couple lives in 2 shipping containers" http://www.azcentral.com/offbeat/ar...20maine-couple-lives-shipping-containers.html
With DirectTV, you can live anywhere and trade from anywhere: http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/index.jsp
With the Amazon cloud, you can have access to enormous computing power anywhere you can access the internet: http://aws.amazon.com/ec2/
Youtube offers some amazing self education: <object style="height: 390px; width: 640px"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/89a8aSf7snI?version=3"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/89a8aSf7snI?version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="390"></object>
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I like your thread, one of the few worthwhile. You are presuming though, because you can do it others should be able to as well. For example, learning online. There is a lot to be said for 1 on 1 interaction.
if nobody has to work, who is going to maintain your kindle? Who will reapir your modest means of transportation? Who will clean the toilets at the hospital you only have to work part time to afford? Maybe I should check it out. Let me go to the hospital and ask if I clean your toilets part time, will you give me free health care? I like your idea, that's the way I have always lived, that's why I can make it as a small trader, but in order for it to work, you need a vast majority of the population to want things you have no need for. As it is going now, you need to be rich just to live like a poor man. You know how much it costs just to have a horse? A car is a lot cheaper. An old farmhouse or a log cabin costs more than a new modern house. Only the rich can afford to live simply. It costs about twice as much to grow your own food than it does to just buy it at walmart. Whenever people talk about living simple, it threatens my lifestyle. I got in before it was cool. Upwardly mobile people sold me their old stuff because they were getting new stuff. Now all that junk is worth a lot and I have to worry about it because it can't be replaced. Being simple is not as easy as it looks. Free energy is nice. It warms you once when you chop it, once when you split it, and once when you burn it. Prometheus had a good idea, the second best invention was the wood stove.