Date:

05-24-06

Host:

George Noory

Guests:

Michael Tsarion, Larry Niven

Howard Bloom Transcript

Howard Bloom(1) was our special guest in Streamlink's(2) Live Chat on Tuesday night. Below are some excerpts from the fascinating discussion. Members can view the entire transcript(3).

Rick
What do you foresee to be the future form of energy?
Howard Bloom
Rick, thanks. OK, here's the deal, and here's more of what we--my team and I--are working on. There are five million cars on the road in America today that can run on biofuels there are 73 companies running over 90 plants turning out 4.3 billion gallons of biofuels per year. Yes, that's BILLIONS, and another 2 billion gallons of biofuels are about to come online and the folks in Silicon Valley are pouring their money into making far more biofuels than that. Biofuels cut carbon emissions by 80% and they are made right here in the USA. Making biofuels creates JOBS. So what's missing from this picture? A biofuel pump at your local gas station.
Howard Bloom
Right now our team, the Sunday night Big Bang Tango Media Lab folk have made a Powerpoint presentation on biofuels as the answer for the 20 years it will take to get us up and running with solar power from space. The question is this: Is our effort necessary? There are over 100 corporations with an interest in pushing biofuels and they are bringing those fuels--which can be made from tree shavings, industrial waste, city garbage or human feces to the forefront of public attention at a very good clip. They may not need us to help them along. On the other hand space solar power does need us.

dxGiovanni
The method of collection I understand, solar panels and what not, but by what means would you "beam" it down to earth?
Howard Bloom
Good question-- one I've been asking too. Microwaves are apparently the way to do it. I keep asking what will happen if a bird flies through the microwave beam or if a plane flies through it. We do not want a Kentucky Fried Boeing, do we? I have been told over and over again that beaming this energy down to earth is as safe and as simple as beaming down radio waves from XM satellite. I will believe it when I see it. I still remain skeptical, but as you can see I will continue to explore it.

Doppler FX
What is your take on global warming?
Howard Bloom
There's a simple fact we all ignore, just like we ignore, the fact that war is in our genes and that our egos are gene-products. There have been 144 mass extinctions of species on this planet that we can count and probably many many more that we can't count. There have been periods in which the carbon dioxide level in the atmosphere was 200 times what it is today. There have been ice ages and periods of flood that have turned the continents into marshes. In other words, drastic change is nature's way of doing things especially when it comes to weather. So we make a big mistake when we assume that by lowering our insignificant carbon emissions we are going to bring about climatic stability. The climate of this planet has very seldom been stable, it has dived and soared from cold to hot. So our task is to prepare for change. Change is what made us human to begin with. Your ancestors got you here by making it through over 20 ice ages.

1. http://www.howardbloom.net/
2. http://archive.coasttocoastam.com/streamlink/about.html
3. http://archive.coasttocoastam.com/member/chatLog_2006-05-23.html