Originally Posted by millennialX

I wonder how many women I'm going to see at the comic book store, tonight at 12:01am for the launch of the rebooted DC universe. Probably a lot.

It's been a private joke with me for years, how many of the adolescent males the producers insist are Star Trek's core audience, are now past menopause. And we have written the vast majority of fanfic, too - started the practice, in fact.

Originally Posted by Child of Socrates

I believe that to be the case. I married a fellow geek.

<G>! My friend Tanley says of her husband Duke (they met at an sf convention and have been going to them together for decades) "He has the body of a geek god." Tanley runs filking (sf-related singalongs) and Duke runs sound and video for the convention and for the club when needed.

I sometimes run for the bar when the movie is being shown. Our Tribe has the sort of sense of irony that likes the truly bad ones

Originally Posted by Odin

I have pointed that out myself and it annoys the Hell out of me. I think you can tell when a philosophical position has "gone mainstream" if it is used by Social Conservatives without they themselves realizing it, LOL

"People who claim to be plain folks of action and common sense are generally parroting some long-dead philosopher they never heard of, and writings they never read." No attribution because so many different people have said this in so many different ways, that if you know the original, go ahead and post it here. But it is so true!

Originally Posted by Odin

Why do you think most of my relationships have been with geeky gals?

Good for you!

Originally Posted by The Grey Badger

Good for you!

By the way, I attended a special mid night release party (at a comic shop) for the release of new DC comics and pretty much every geek, had a very attractive (and geeky) young lady with them. Some of the women even wore Superman shirts.

Originally Posted by millennialX

By the way, I attended a special mid night release party (at a comic shop) for the release of new DC comics and pretty much every geek, had a very attractive (and geeky) young lady with them. Some of the women even wore Superman shirts.

Were you in the twilight zone?

Originally Posted by pizal81

Were you in the twilight zone?

Sort off....but at the same time, it's still my geeky zone. What made it weird was the fact that we were all out at mid night, at a store that closes by 5pm.

Originally Posted by millennialX

Sort off....but at the same time, it's still my geeky zone. What made it weird was the fact that we were all out at mid night, at a store that closes by 5pm.

When you say attractive could you put a number on it? 1 to 10 scale. haha

Originally Posted by The Grey Badger

"People who claim to be plain folks of action and common sense are generally parroting some long-dead philosopher they never heard of, and writings they never read." No attribution because so many different people have said this in so many different ways, that if you know the original, go ahead and post it here. But it is so true!

They could have came up with the idea themselves. Not everything is a derived from something else. I mean children say things that are in philosophy they hadn't heard from anybody. They just figured it out for themselves.

As for the right being master's of their own destiny, I don't think they are presuppose a postmodern world view to get even if it is similar. I have hard time thinking a lot of today's Republicans have a cohesive belief system of any sort that doesn't contradict itself.

Geeks of both genders may have have similar interests, but what does a male jock have in common with a prom queen? Or cheerleader?

Perhaps the next Age will combine: aspects of the present; aspects of past eras; and novel features.

Originally Posted by TimWalker

Geeks of both genders may have have similar interests, but what does a male jock have in common with a prom queen? Or cheerleader?

This. "When you say attractive could you put a number on it? 1 to 10 scale. haha "

Originally Posted by TimWalker

Geeks of both genders may have have similar interests, but what does a male jock have in common with a prom queen? Or cheerleader?

At the high school level, the ability to act superior and think you have "special" social status? Having said that, the most wonderful kids I remember growing up with in high school were the football players and cheerleaders who were genuinely nice people and not stuck up because of their position. I just wished there were more of them.

Hints from history - possibilities for the future: 1. Most likely would be a Universal Empire, which includes an entire civilization within one state. ( A weak but subversive version is the European Union). This would likely lead to stultification and stagnation, bringing on the stage of Decay, and eventually the stage of Invasion. 2. The next most likely possiblity would be catastrophic destruction. This may be environmental - the Anasazi culture was apparently doomed by prolonged drought. The Hittites were appently brought down by a combination of drought and invasion. Another possibility is nuclear war. 3. It is concievable that a civilization may skip the Universal Empire stage and go directly to Decay. This might be the result of constant warfare, but with no victor. Apparently something like this happened in MesoAmerica. 4. Revival of a moribund society. This seems to be a low probability - the only example that I know of is Babylon. 5. A return to Expansion (of population, turf, wealth, knowledge). At this point it seem that the only possibility is to go up. Large scale industrialization of space has been a topic of speculation. However, it is not obvious that this is imminent.

Concievable is a Muddling Through secenario. Unlike Expansion, Zero Population Growth and static territory prevail, but can include an expansion of knowledge...and must include some means of prosperity. Countries may be grouped in blocs, but without going all the way to Universal Empire. There may be social/cultural change, likely growing out of Awakenings. We seem to be in a roughly comparable situation right now. As for the next great era, I imagine it being on the other side of the projected Crisis of 2100.

Originally Posted by The Grey Badger

It's been a private joke with me for years, how many of the adolescent males the producers insist are Star Trek's core audience, are now past menopause. And we have written the vast majority of fanfic, too - started the practice, in fact.

I'm sure you were there when the original Mary Sue was born, and cringed at it.

~Chas'88

Regarding China's golden ages:Wikilpedia listed the years for the following dynasties: Tang - 618 to 907. Ming - 1368 to 1644. I find it interesting that a civilization could, after a period of centuries, experience a second high point. The two different periods seem to have substantial differences in character. Of course, we might not necessarily enjoy a second high point, but history indicates that it is a possibility.

Originally Posted by TimWalker

Regarding China's golden ages:Wikilpedia listed the years for the following dynasties: Tang - 618 to 907. Ming - 1368 to 1644. I find it interesting that a civilization could, after a period of centuries, experience a second high point. The two different periods seem to have substantial differences in character. Of course, we might not necessarily enjoy a second high point, but history indicates that it is a possibility.

700 years. That doesn't sound like the same civilization hitting two high points; that sounds like, frex, the Renaissance following the period around 1000 when early medieval gave way to high medieval on our own timeline.

Originally Posted by The Grey Badger

700 years. That doesn't sound like the same civilization hitting two high points; that sounds like, frex, the Renaissance following the period around 1000 when early medieval gave way to high medieval on our own timeline.

More like 460 years from the end of one high point to the beginning of the next one. That would be about 20 turnings or 5 saeculi.

Originally Posted by The Wonkette

More like 460 years from the end of one high point to the beginning of the next one. That would be about 20 turnings or 5 saeculi.

Right. One MegaSaeculum.

So...if this 4T is an Unraveling 4T, does that mean that the next 4T will be a Mega-Crisis?

Originally Posted by TimWalker

So the Millenial Saeculum has been located in The Interregnum. So...if this 4T is an Unraveling 4T, does that mean that the next 4T will be a Mega-Crisis?

Wow...the end all that end all. Why does this sound like "The Lord of the Rings?"

What's another example of mega unraveling 4T? The Glorious?

Originally Posted by TimWalker

Regarding China's golden ages:Wikilpedia listed the years for the following dynasties: Tang - 618 to 907. Ming - 1368 to 1644. I find it interesting that a civilization could, after a period of centuries, experience a second high point. The two different periods seem to have substantial differences in character. Of course, we might not necessarily enjoy a second high point, but history indicates that it is a possibility.

There is no rule that says we have to decline. We will have to adapt though if we are not going to decline.

Originally Posted by pizal81

There is no rule that says we have to decline. We will have to adapt though if we are not going to decline.

We may be forced to decide between what is crucial...and what we must drop or walk away from.

Originally Posted by TimWalker

So...if this 4T is an Unraveling 4T, does that mean that the next 4T will be a Mega-Crisis?

That's my take on it.