Debate on the U.S.'s long term strategic and technological goals in an increasingly multi-polar world.

[Agent23]

With regard to de-urbanization, it's not necessary or helpful to do so in a general capacity. What needs to go are ultra-dense metropoli, where people are packed so tightly that simply commuting for work is an hour or longer slog.

Small and medium sized cities are fine, and meet the economic requirements better than megacities like New York.

Megacities have outlived their utility.
They made sense when industry, public and private bureaucracy and communications were much more centralized and harder to implement and when transportation systems were much less developed.
Places like NY IMHO are seeing diminishing returns and frankly a city of over 1-2 million is pushing the envelope.
"Urbanism" will see radical changes soon.

 

[Scottty]

Megacities have outlived their utility.
They made sense when industry, public and private bureaucracy and communications were much more centralized and harder to implement and when transportation systems were much less developed.
Places like NY IMHO are seeing diminishing returns and frankly a city of over 1-2 million is pushing the envelope.
"Urbanism" will see radical changes soon.

Telecommuting is becoming more practical and accepted. And hopefully that means in the long run that the paradigm of masses of people physically having to travel into the CBD each morning and back in the evening will become a thing of the past.

 

[Agent23]

Telecommuting is becoming more practical and accepted. And hopefully that means in the long run that the paradigm of masses of people physically having to travel into the CBD each morning and back in the evening will become a thing of the past.

Telecommuting was possible 10 years ago, the tech was there, the boomer bosses were the problem.And still are.
You have one more nail that needs to be driven into the overpriced mega-city coffin, IMO, the trendy, moviestar hype of those places needs to die, too.
The problem is that lots of young people, mostly females or guys that chase them, go there for the social life.
E.G. vacuous, overpriced nonsense.

 

[Abhorsen]

I'm pretty sure there's a federal police already, isn't there?

Called the FBI. And they only are supposed to do federal crimes, but slowly that's expanded and expanded what that includes.

 

[Agent23]

Called the FBI. And they only are supposed to do federal crimes, but slowly that's expanded and expanded what that includes.

According to RazorFist you had, and still have, federal marshals before the FBI was created as a temporary agency to fight alcohol bootleggers, but apparently Hoover was focusing on collecting dirt on politicians and celebrities, then blackmailing them to keep his ass afloat instead.

 

[Abhorsen]

According to RazorFist you had, and still have, federal marshals before the FBI was created as a temporary agency to fight alcohol bootleggers, but apparently Hoover was focusing on collecting dirt on politicians and celebrities, then blackmailing them to keep his ass afloat instead.

The marshals have a very limited role now. They're actually seconded to the US federal court system. So protection for judges, baliffs, witness protection, Con Air, and apprehending fugitives.

But they really never have been classic national police. They don't investigate or gather evidence. They're job is the wrap up of a case, mostly.

In the wild west days this was a little different, with them serving as de facto law enforcement where there wasn't an established government, but once there was one, it was a local sheriff.

 

[Abhorsen]

According to RazorFist you had, and still have, federal marshals before the FBI was created as a temporary agency to fight alcohol bootleggers, but apparently Hoover was focusing on collecting dirt on politicians and celebrities, then blackmailing them to keep his ass afloat instead.

The marshals have a very limited role now. They're actually seconded to the US federal court system. So protection for judges, baliffs, witness protection, Con Air, and apprehending fugitives.

But they really never have been classic national police. They don't investigate or gather evidence. They're job is the wrap up of a case, mostly.

In the wild west days this was a little different, with them serving as de facto law enforcement where there wasn't an established government, but once there was one, it was a local sheriff.

 

[ParadiseLost]

Also just privatize the TSA entirely.

Just get rid of the TSA - like 20 mph speed limits, the costs aren't worth the economic/time inefficiencies created.

Megacities have outlived their utility.
They made sense when industry, public and private bureaucracy and communications were much more centralized and harder to implement and when transportation systems were much less developed.
Places like NY IMHO are seeing diminishing returns and frankly a city of over 1-2 million is pushing the envelope.
"Urbanism" will see radical changes soon.

Economically yes - but economically megacities outlived their utility long ago.

It hasn't made sense to live in NY or LA unless you were doing a very specific type of high-paying job for a LONG time due to the high cost of living.

But people making ~$20 an hour keep living their for the culture or amenities that the city offers.

That will probably keep happening even if WFH happens.

 

[Sailor.X]

Comes in whistling................



The US actually built a real hypersonic cruise missile. Or should I say just revealed already existing tech that has been secret.

 

[The Whispering Monk]

Not really secret considering I was reading about it in Popular Mechanics in the 90's.

 

[Zachowon]

The US has always been ahead

 

[Scottty]

What's the significance of Mach 5? Why is that the line for "hypersonic"?

 

[bintananth]

What's the significance of Mach 5? Why is that the line for "hypersonic"?

It's an arbitrary and easy to remember number.

 

[ShadowArxxy]

What's the significance of Mach 5? Why is that the line for "hypersonic"?

Mach 5 is a convenient approximation; unlike supersonic speeds, there is no "hard line" that clearly defines hypersonic velocities. However, the hypersonic speed range *is* distinct from the merely supersonic speed range in that the dissociation of air by shock compression becomes a significant factor, in addition to heat loading becoming ever-higher.

 

[Bassoe]

Not actually relevant. Once you've already got nuclear MAD deterrence, being able to blow up the rubble again is pointless, so long as the enemy can still destroy you in retaliation, you can't actually attack them and vice versa. Wunderwaffe are just expensive wastes of taxpayer money and any potentially actually useful technologies with civilian uses invented in the process of building them buried under military classification where they'll do nobody any good.