So they want all the benefits and privileges of the United States without the obligations and duties.

How bootstrappy of them. If they were serious, they would move completely outside of US territorial waters and take their chances.

Aarontology: So they want all the benefits and privileges of the United States without the obligations and duties.

How bootstrappy of them. If they were serious, they would move completely outside of US territorial waters and take their chances.

You mock, but this is all just bringing us baby steps closer to a real-life version of BioShock.

Colonizing the ocean is pretty cool, so I'm quite happy to see billionaires wasting their money thinking they'll have their Randian utopia.

Shostie: You mock, but this is all just bringing us baby steps closer to a real-life version of BioShock.

Yeah, but if they start weaponizing bees, we'll have to put a stop to it. We can't risk a weapon of mass buzzing to hit our shores!

Aarontology: Shostie: You mock, but this is all just bringing us baby steps closer to a real-life version of BioShock.

Yeah, but if they start weaponizing bees, we'll have to put a stop to it. We can't risk a weapon of mass buzzing to hit our shores!

Seriously, dude. Why do you even think we HAVE Nic Cage in the first place?

Shostie: Seriously, dude. Why do you even think we HAVE Nic Cage in the first place?

I figured it was his treasure hunts contributing 12% of the GDP.

Ignore the lessons of The Spy Who Loved Me at your peril,dreamers!

I like this idea. It allows for flexible population makeup and governance structures. The fundamental problem with governments, and particularly democratic governments, is their inflexibility. They cannot respond well to changing circumstances without bastardizing the stakeholder system. In a world where the playing field is changing daily, this is a big deal.

"Blueseed expects its offshore seastead will bypass U.S. immigration and business restrictions to draw entrepreneurs from around the world allow Mexican pirates to work near Silicon Valley infiltrate and rob everyone on board."

Great, move them to one of those giant patches of floating garbage in the ocean.
Since their goal is mass pollution and exploiting workers, it's the perfect fit.
The bodies of the laborers thrown overboard will even blend in!

So my darling and I make love in the sand
To salute the last moment ever on dry land
Our machine it has done it's work played it's part well
Without a scratch on our body when we bid it farewell
Starfish and giant foams greet us with a smile

PacManDreaming: "Blueseed expects its offshore seastead will bypass U.S. immigration and business restrictions to draw entrepreneurs from around the world allow Mexican pirates to work near Silicon Valley infiltrate and rob everyone on board."

That's why we have government-established and taxpayer-funded entities to protec..... oh, wait. Yeah, best of luck with that.

"We've run out of frontier. All land is claimed. And our revolutions have become superficial," said Patri Friedman, who cofounded The Seasteading Institute four years ago with billionaire venture capitalist Peter Thiel.

Posted this before in reference to another topic. Seems like a good time to post it again. From Chris Cooper's character in "Interstate 60" whom I find myself identifying with more and more:

Bob Cody: Ever hear of Frederick Turner, Mr. Oliver?
Neal Oliver: No, sir.
Bob Cody: Well, he was an historian. About a hundred years ago he came up with a theory about the frontier. He said the frontier was a safety valve for civilization, a place for people to go to keep from goin' mad. So, whenever there were folks who couldn't fit in with the way things were, nuts, and malcontents, and extremists, they'd pack up and head for the frontier. That's how America got started - all the crackpots and troublemakers in Europe packed up and went to a frontier which became the thirteen colonies. When some people couldn't fit in with that, they moved farther west, which is why all the nuts eventually ended up in California. Turner died in 1932, so he wasn't around long enough to see what would happen to the world when we ran out of frontier. Some people say we have the frontier of the mind, and they go off and explore the wonderful world of alcohol and drugs, but that's no frontier. It's just another way for us to fool ourselves. And we've created this phony frontier with computers, which allows people to, you know, think they've escaped. A frontier with access fees?
Neal Oliver: What about space? You know, the final frontier!
Bob Cody: Ah, Star Trek isn't space. That's television - fine farkin' frontier that is. Besides, how many folks can just pack up and go to space?

Where have I heard this one before?

RexTalionis: [fc05.deviantart.net image 600x790]
Where have I heard this one before?

Came for this.

I don't see anything about avoiding taxes. It's about thinking you can do better. Maybe they can. Maybe they can have all of these specialized communities that cater to different kinds of people. One could be very strict and religious. One could allow complete sexual freedom. Fine by me. Why not?

Came for Andrew Ryan, leaving satisfied.

Sea men + Sea people + Sea cities = Sea-ciety.

Andulamb: One could allow compel complete sexual freedom perversion.

How about that? Would that be fine with you?

jaylectricity: How about that? Would that be fine with you?

Oh god, yes. Mistress.

It's all well and good until somebody decides that watching it burn would be fun. It would only take a small group to make a big hole in something vital.

KABLOOEY!
Float
float list
list
sink
sink
sink
_sink

You're still going to have to pay taxes on anything you earn, buy, or sell in the United States, retards. Also, just wait until you see how much more efficient having a unified, central police force is than having to each hire your own personal security staff.

The article never said tax free, it said visa free. They could still have fees you'd need to pay to them, and they'd likely pay the US government for some services. They just want to make it easy to bypass visa requirements with this concept. It's not necessarily a bad deal for anyone involved.

If I'm a multi-billionaire, I guess the question becomes a matter of how much I'd pay in US taxes vs. how much it would cost to hire armed thugs and take over your nice little water village for myself.

"Honey Timmy broke his arm playing with some kids and needs to get it looked at, what time does the medical boat swing round again?"

"Hm, looks like it's 3 days. Now Timmy I'd be happy to take you there in my boat but I'd have to charge you at least 3 ayns and you spent all of yours at the candy shop last weekend. I mean I can't just take you there because I'm your father and you 'need' it. You have to earn things in life."

Aarontology: Yeah, but if they start weaponizing bees, we'll have to put a stop to it. We can't risk a weapon of mass buzzing to hit our shores!

Little known fact: the 2010 World Cup was a military test for the weaponization of bees under Project: Vuvuzela.

Pod 6 is jerks.

As long as I don't have to deal with Pod 6. I freaking hate Pod 6!

Tommy Moo: You're still going to have to pay taxes on anything you earn, buy, or sell in the United States, retards. Also, just wait until you see how much more efficient having a unified, central police force is than having to each hire your own personal security staff.

If I had a security staff, I would send them out to terrorize other people's security staffs.

Some idiot has been doing this since 1967.

Principality of Sealand

/they even had their own "revolution", government-in-exile, and fake passport scandal

tuffsnake: "Honey Timmy broke his arm playing with some kids and needs to get it looked at, what time does the medical boat swing round again?"

"Hm, looks like it's 3 days. Now Timmy I'd be happy to take you there in my boat but I'd have to charge you at least 3 ayns and you spent all of yours at the candy shop last weekend. I mean I can't just take you there because I'm your father and you 'need' it. You have to earn things in life."

You can't put a small hospital on a boat? I mean, some delicate surgeries couldn't be done, but I'd think with a large enough vessel you could keep things steady enough to stitch someone up or set a bone.

I suppose this could help develop technologies that would be directly applicable to space colonization, like growing food with no land, waste reclamation, population limitations... or this could lead to the development of giant floating barges sucking down whatever food is flown from coastal cities while oozing a trail of turds and condom wrappers across the briny deeps. Forgive me if I assume that the kind of people who are interested in this will tend to think that the tragedy of the commons is only applicable to the commoners and not themselves.

At least if you pollute your environs in space it's either gonna kill you or be blown away by the solar wind.

Aarontology: So they want all the benefits and privileges of the United States without the obligations and duties.

How bootstrappy of them. If they were serious, they would move completely outside of US territorial waters and take their chances.

Well, if they incorporate their company in the US they'll have to pay US taxes and the taxes of the state in which they incorporate, typically.

If they don't incorporate in the US then a tech company is a bad choice, since all their patents are up for grabs immediately.

My guess is they'll go with the route where they pay taxes.

I'd feel safer in one of those at the bottom of the ocean. Any storm would seriously fark it up, not to mention pirates, or a passing cruise ship that plows into it.

Counter_Intelligent: jaylectricity: How about that? Would that be fine with you?

Oh god, yes. Mistress.

Here's your turtle shell. Make sure you only spill your seed on its exterior.

davidphogan: tuffsnake: "Honey Timmy broke his arm playing with some kids and needs to get it looked at, what time does the medical boat swing round again?"

"Hm, looks like it's 3 days. Now Timmy I'd be happy to take you there in my boat but I'd have to charge you at least 3 ayns and you spent all of yours at the candy shop last weekend. I mean I can't just take you there because I'm your father and you 'need' it. You have to earn things in life."

You can't put a small hospital on a boat? I mean, some delicate surgeries couldn't be done, but I'd think with a large enough vessel you could keep things steady enough to stitch someone up or set a bone.



Agrees. (hot)

FTA: Blueseed expects its offshore seastead will bypass U.S. immigration and business restrictions to draw entrepreneurs from around the world to work near Silicon Valley.

Okay, who here thinks this will be a luxurious colony of pampered tech geniuses or a bobbing warehouse full of sweatshop coders? Bets?

The self-characterized bootstappy members of society vow to move to the middle of the ocean, where they will be in utter reliance on us bottom feeders to provide them with the raw materials, food sources and other necessities of modern life. Seems about right.

We're so incredibly fortunate God blessed us with these trailblazers of innovation. We will be lost without them.

jaylectricity: Andulamb: One could allow compel complete sexual freedom perversion.

How about that? Would that be fine with you?

Well assuming they had a choice in going there, I'll allow it.

Shostie: Aarontology: So they want all the benefits and privileges of the United States without the obligations and duties.

How bootstrappy of them. If they were serious, they would move completely outside of US territorial waters and take their chances.

You mock, but this is all just bringing us baby steps closer to a real-life version of BioShock.

I have a great idea; let's build a large, underwater city. Then let's stock that city with lots of guns and explosives. Then we'll give people a highly addictive substance. Everyone will be so happy; that they'll work 24 hours a day. And no one will run out of money and start killing people for more of the highly addictive substance; I promise.

- my name is Andrew Ryan

LeroyBourne: I'd feel safer in one of those at the bottom of the ocean. Any storm would seriously fark it up, not to mention pirates, or a passing cruise ship that plows into it.

Except for the crushing pressures and complete lack of light or oxygen. With space you only have to worry about one of those.

I keep mentioning space because a certain immortality nut will soon find this thread and start frothing about nutters and I want him to feel welcome.

CrackpipeCardozo: The self-characterized bootstappy members of society vow to move to the middle of the ocean, where they will be in utter reliance on us bottom feeders to provide them with the raw materials, food sources and other necessities of modern life. Seems about right.

I'm wondering if they'll be so kind as to include telephone sanitizers with them when they go.

LeroyBourne: I'd feel safer in one of those at the bottom of the ocean. Any storm would seriously fark it up, not to mention pirates, or a passing cruise ship that plows into it.

Or the Chinese "accidentally" test out a new anti-ship missile on it.

I've done some preliminary checking and you can buy retired floatels, which are floating towns on barges, at surprisingly low prices. These are used to house workers and they have dorms, private cabins, theaters, rec areas, infirmaries, surgeries, cafeterias, etc. Everything you need for a small community. A group of like-minded people could easily buy a barge with a kickstarter -like program. It sounds great but while you're planning your vegan, open love, ocean going meditation retreat some one else is planning a racist dreamboat or a floating sweatshop to side step safety standards. It will be interesting to see it develope.

LeroyBourne: I'd feel safer in one of those at the bottom of the ocean. Any storm would seriously fark it up, not to mention pirates, or a passing cruise ship that plows into it.

Actually it would be safest about 30 feet down, in a positively buoyant structure, that is moored in place to stay underwater but can be raised to the surface in case of emergency. You get the protection from ships and storms, can be hidden from view, but do not have to be isolated. something like this:

redsquid: I've done some preliminary checking and you can buy retired floatels, which are floating towns on barges, at surprisingly low prices. These are used to house workers and they have dorms, private cabins, theaters, rec areas, infirmaries, surgeries, cafeterias, etc. Everything you need for a small community. A group of like-minded people could easily buy a barge with a kickstarter -like program. It sounds great but while you're planning your vegan, open love, ocean going meditation retreat some one else is planning a racist dreamboat or a floating sweatshop to side step safety standards. It will be interesting to see it develope.

once you're done with the slum barges, you uncouple them and let them find their own way.

duh.

spend 200 million to avoid paying 30 million in taxes

PacManDreaming: "Blueseed expects its offshore seastead will bypass U.S. immigration and business restrictions."

And Wesley Snipes expected to bypass U.S. tax laws. Assumptions like that make an ass out of u and...well pretty much just you

albuquerquehalsey: Actually it would be safest about 30 feet down, in a positively buoyant structure, that is moored in place to stay underwater but can be raised to the surface in case of emergency. You get the protection from ships and storms, can be hidden from view, but do not have to be isolated. something like this:

You'd want to make sure you have some surface presence because at 30 feet you could get hit by a lot of ships.