Electric cars...

[Mary Terry]

So it's similar to Australia in some ways. Mainland Australia and mainland US are almost exactly the same size in area.

US pop: 330 million
Aust pop: 27 million. (Texas has a bigger population than Australia)
Here's a map showing our population density:

View attachment 131007

I'd love to live on one of those million-acre cattle ranches in the middle of Australia, be virtually totally self-sufficient, and have to deal with humans only once or twice year.

 

[Outdated]

I'd love to live on one of those million-acre cattle ranches in the middle of Australia, be virtually totally self-sufficient, and have to deal with humans only once or twice year.

I did live in a remote area for a while. When I first moved out there most people didn't even have electricity. A small region of about 2000 square kilometres had a population of 250 people, one of the lowest population densities on the planet.

It was great for my mental health but it's a bit rough on the physical health, very few people in these areas live beyond their 60s.

 

[Judge]

I'd love to live on one of those million-acre cattle ranches in the middle of Australia, be virtually totally self-sufficient, and have to deal with humans only once or twice year.

A mind-blowing proposition, considering most places I've lived all my life were fairly but not necessarily densely-populated.

Hard for me to wrap my head around the idea of such desolation. But then I adore desolate places.

 

[Judge]

I did live in a remote area for a while. When I first moved out there most people didn't even have electricity. A small region of about 2000 square kilometres had a population of 250 people, one of the lowest population densities on the planet.

It was great for my mental health but it's a bit rough on the physical health, very few people in these areas live beyond their 60s.

Was that southwest of Darwin? Must have been an interesting lifestyle, for better or worse! Awesome just to look at that area with a map.

Funny, I suddenly thought about whether or not living in Nevada might have some sense of parity with those living in Australia? We live in a very large state with a very small population.

While I live "in town" it doesn't take long to get out into "the middle of nowhere".

 

[Outdated]

Was that southwest of Darwin? Must have been an interesting lifestyle, for better or worse!

Yes, Dundee. In 2015 the government started putting in bitumen roads and building bridges over creeks and that was the end of that. There's still only 250 permanent residents but every weekend that swells to around 15000 people. It's a world famous fishing region - Bynoe Harbour.

With little or no government regulation the ecosystems in the area were all but destroyed in just a couple of years and will likely never recover, for the sake of a few tourist dollars.

https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-12.7694697,130.4561005,16810m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en&entry=ttu

 

[Judge]

Yes, Dundee. In 2015 the government started putting in bitumen roads and building bridges over creeks and that was the end of that. There's still only 250 permanent residents but every weekend that swells to around 15000 people. It's a world famous fishing region - Bynoe Harbour.

Ironically Nevada has a celebration of counter-culture and freedom we call "Burning Man".

Where a huge number of people from everywhere converge on a virtually unpopulated area well north of Reno, Nevada.

https://burningman.org/

 

[Mary Terry]

A mind-blowing proposition, considering most places I've lived all my life were fairly but not necessarily densely-populated.

Hard for me to wrap my head around the idea of such desolation. But then I adore desolate places.

I've always craved solitude. I grew up on an isolated farm, nearest neighbors were about a mile away. Today, I still live on an isolated tree farm, by choice, and treasure the peace and quiet every day. I've lived in some major cities and pray I never have to do that again.

 

[Outdated]

Bynoe Harbour is no longer great for fishing. It's been fished out and there's very little left. With roads and bridges there also came commercial fishermen so now there's also no mudcrabs, no prawns, no scallops. It's shameful.

 

[vergil96]

I did live in a remote area for a while. When I first moved out there most people didn't even have electricity. A small region of about 2000 square kilometres had a population of 250 people, one of the lowest population densities on the planet.

It was great for my mental health but it's a bit rough on the physical health, very few people in these areas live beyond their 60s.

I wonder what would be needed to live a fairly contemporary life in such a remote area. I figure power generators, satellite phone? Water purification system?

 

[Shevek]

I wonder what would be needed to live a fairly contemporary life in such a remote area. I figure power generators, satellite phone? Water purification system?

Every location is different. Some have so much pure, running water that it can power the house. Usually, solar power or wind power are the best choices, combined with battery storage, but you could also use a windmill directly to pump water uphill, and use a hydro power generator at will. Various degrees of water purification are usually needed, but they don't have to come from a store. Homes can be built that keep their temperature comfortable without fuel most places.

 

[Outdated]

I wonder what would be needed to live a fairly contemporary life in such a remote area. I figure power generators, satellite phone? Water purification system?

Shevek is right in a lot of ways but for the most part where ever conditions are exceptionally suitable for people to live then there are already people living there. Remote areas tend to be in areas of harsh conditions.

A lot of the people in Dundee moved out there with exactly the sorts of ideas you mentioned. No need for water purifiers, the water you bring up from underground in that region is better than anything you'll ever find in bottles.

A lot of people have extensive solar power setups and they're fantastic until they start to age a bit. In temperate climates you can expect solar panels to last up to 20 years but in the tropics they burn out much more quickly and need replacing every 8 years or so. Batteries also die much more quickly and need replacing. There's no such thing as free electricity.

A lot of people when they first move out there find themselves running out of money quite quickly, until they start adjusting their lifestyle. Finding a compromise between modern convenience and affordability. If you have enough wealth behind you before you move out to somewhere like that then you can have the best of both worlds but for most people that's never as possible as they first imagined.

 

[Outdated]

Just a reaction I thought some of you might like.

I was in a take away shop getting a burger and chips for lunch, and there were two business owners in there complaining about the electric cars they've bought for their companies and how impractical they are, and how much money and time it's costing their businesses.

I told them about Toyota trialling ammonia engines in China and straight away everyone all pulled out their phones and started searching the net. Then the two business owners thanked me and shook my hand.

 

[Outdated]

The world reaches a historic tipping point thanks to 'the most rapid change since the Industrial Revolution'

 

[Ronald Zeeman]

The want to flood the world Chinese dumping their electric drive the legacy manufactures under, I can see a real demand for quality engineers again (Boeing), the Chinese are no good at this, sort of like the Japanese just after the war in 1960's and then seventies where they took over the automotive industry. Here we go again. The Chinese need this to save their skin. Expect to see a lot of garbage.