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How many atoms does it take to change a light bulb? Seven. One to change the bulb, and six to preserve the memory of the old light bulb.

Right now, the people managing everything can ignore a certain percentage of the unemployed. And they do. If we implement regions, then a group of unemployed people can make a new region that doesn't ignore anybody. Nobody would get left out. Zeitgeist is only one possible region. There are...

The voters selected to become part of SEZ/region B because there are more jobs there. The reason there are more jobs is because the manager of region B is working harder to make more jobs. You can have one of those jobs. The manager of region A was not bothering to improve things, so region A...

No to both. If my body was taken apart then reassembled exactly the same, it would still be alive, right? What if it was reassembled with a few atoms different? Well, that happens every day, I learn something and the brain cells have a physical change to record the information. How many atoms...

I agree, but every country will be responsible for making the first few test regions within its borders, and they will have plenty of experts to oversee everything so it gets off to a good start. Also the alliance consists of representatives from every region, and will have a vested interest in...

there is already a proposal for a region like that, it's the "credit union" region because its owned by the members instead of rich shareholders. It's a socialist region. In the real world, the UK is planning to privatise police...

If they vote for that, it is voluntary. My complaint is right now there are many people who don't like the existing system, but have no choice. I want to live in an automation region, but can I? No. I doubt all the libertarians would vote to live in a region with planned markets, in fact...

I have always wanted to start a region where all manufacturing is automated, and the money from selling the products goes to a fund, then the money is given to the residents. Since machines don't mind working double shifts, they could make twice as much money, meaning I would get twice as much...

They still own their land. It's just the new group manages everything better than the local government. As it stands right now, a lot of land owners are being foreclosed because of the bad economy. This new system would have a stronger economy, so land owners could avoid getting foreclosed.

The same thing that stops them now. The government. Also, all regions are part of the alliance which oversees them. Every region sends representatives to the alliance so they work together to prevent problems. Of course, in the future all manufacturing will be automated anyway. This process...

Proportionally, if one percent of the population chooses a region, then that region gets one percent of the land. Everybody can choose which region they prefer to live in. But competition results in all regions getting better, so most people won't move. They still use currency, so some...

Everybody here probably has a job, but in many parts of the world people apply for a hundred jobs and get nothing. Here is an idea to help them: Competition is the reason that stores or shops usually don't have shortages of products. What if competition was used in other aspects of life...

But pain does exist. We agree on that, right? When my body dies, it will not disappear. It is recycled and becomes a new body that continues to feel pain. Memories are lost; pain continues. Do you see what I am getting at? Death is not the end, just a transition where everything except...

Maybe our misunderstanding is about whether individual atoms feel pain, or is pain only felt as part of pain receptors or brain cells. The answer is that it doesn't really matter what an individual atom does, because all or most atoms will become part of pain receptors and brain cells once...

I don't think atoms hold any memory of the previous person, but the atoms do have the property of feeling pain and pleasure under some conditions. There is an important difference between memory and pain. If I have a toothache, then develop amnesia but the tooth still hurts, that's what I am...

What is your opinion of gene therapy? In most gene therapy studies, a "normal" gene is inserted into the genome to replace an "abnormal," disease-causing gene. http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/medicine/genetherapy.shtml#work So when they change a persons DNA, to what...

I need to clarify my assertion. We know our atoms came together in our bodies and became self aware, with the ability to feel pain. We know our atoms will be recycled by nature to make new bodies, which will again be aware and have the ability to feel pain. My assertion is that this process...

Chapter 5: Winston said, I still don't care about the "new me". Colin said, right, but when you "are" the new you, then you won't care about the old you. It's still your atoms and "your" pain/pleasure, even though you get a new name each time, and sometimes a new gender. It's true that your...

Colin is an old man with a lot of wisdom. He works at a secret research building, part of which is completely sealed. The sealed portion includes a greenhouse where they grow the food. The same biomass is continually reused, going from carbon dioxide in the air, to the food plants which take...

I think I would like to see doctors making the medical decisions, not the government. If the government would stay out of it, and not ban so many substances, then maybe we would have a cure for cancer by now.