A spark, a hiccup. That’s all that humanity ever was on the planet’s geological timescale. A brilliant colorful flicker, a burnt fuse, then time carries on. As they grow and expand, all civilizations are easily deceived by their own momentum. After reaching a certain size, they become arrogant enough to call themselves “empires”. A web … Continue reading The Arrogance of Empire
Although “sentience” is defined as “being able to perceive or feel things”, nowadays the term seems to be used exclusively in the context of comparing humans to animals, or to artificial intelligence applications. There is a desperate effort to prove, once and for all, that humans are the only species, or machine for that matter, … Continue reading The Absurdity of Human Sentience
There was a time when humans were foragers. There were no supermarkets, not even agriculture – in other words, there was no “food production system” as such. The system was Earth itself, and it was the level of food supply that moderated demand, which in turn, controlled population (and this further limitted demand). As long … Continue reading The Myth of a Sustainable Humanity
He reached deep into one of the pockets in his jacket and took out the packet of Black Sky that one of the Revelers at the shelter had sneaked in as a goodbye present. He held the tiny ziploc bag up to the faint light, looking at the transparent crystals inside. Turning the bag sideways … Continue reading A New Earth – Petunia
continued from previous She closed the notebook shut with a single, slow but decisive hand movement. She kept on staring at it for a few seconds, almost in a comatose state, as she tried to wake up from her daydream. How could it be that the entire world was sitting inside a notebook, in a … Continue reading A New Earth – Disaster Gene
continued from previous The city had barely lifted itself out of the flood when the rain begun pummeling it down again. Dangerous rivers were forming in the streets once more, teaming up with the grey sky to compose a picture of a post-apocalyptic urban waterworld. But the downpour didn’t stop some of the last remaining … Continue reading A New Earth – The Revelers
continued from previous “Are you sure?” – said Ben “It is one of our working hypotheses at the moment”, Olivia replied. “It is possible that hurricanes, and other storms, combined with tropical temperatures, act almost like a shaking incubator environment: they increase gas exchange at the sea surface, therefore providing more CO2 for the phytoplankton – … Continue reading A New Earth – Hurricane World
The cloud started its life small: a tiny grey blemish in the sky, completely unaware of its own malignancy. As it sat lonely at the backside of the mountain, it became used to being fed by humans, just like a butcher’s dog. It never rained, not even moved. Just sat there all alone growing fatter … Continue reading Entropy
George Tsakraklides 