A Little Lunar Settlement - Facebook on the Moon

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A lunar settlement could use blockchains as a substitute for some forms of centralized command and control. "Every time in history that people have tried that, it's failed," says author Robert Heinlein. As a science fiction author, how do you view the evolution of social media, including how it would relate to a lunar settlement? Facebook on the moon? I don't see why not.

Before writing a single word of his new book Artemis, Andy Weir worked out the economics of a lunar colony. Without the economics, how could the story hew to the hard sci-fi style Weir cornered the market on with The Martian? And, more importantly, how else can Tyler find out much a Cantonese meal would run him on the moon?

In addition to these important questions of lunar economics, Andy and Tyler talk about the technophobic trend in science fiction, private space efforts, seasteading, cryptocurrencies, the value of a human life, the outdated Outer Space Treaty, stories based on rebellion vs. cooperation, Heinlein, Asimov, Weir’s favorite episode of Star Trek, and the formula for finding someone else when stranded on a lonely planet.

Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links.

Recorded November 15th, 2017 Other ways to connect

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