as long as the "ground" is able to flex by about 5-10 degrees every 100 meters or so, i think would be adequate to be safe.

you could also make a bunch of platforms and just join them together with bridges, so if one goes down, they don't all go down lol

also, how do you keep the island from floating too much without having to waste a bunch of energy on motors and such?

how about food, import it all? or set up farms?

according to this http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_much_agricultural_land_can_feed_one_person

300 square meters is enough for 1 person. id imaging this would scale some, and allow for dietary variety with about 100 people.

for 100 people thats 30km, square. depending on the meat to veg ratio (although i bet fish would be the main diet thing and i dont know how much that number assumes on hunting and fishing and such)

assuming it takes on average $75 per cubic meter of concrete to be laid, and the land or platform is .5m thick. 75*0.5*30*1000=$1.125m and that is just for the concrete to make the land to grow the food you eat, this would probably be higher, as i have no idea how much that $75 per cubic meter really covers. id guess its like $150 or even $200, as you are laying it in the ocean. this does not cover the cost of buildings or the soil you put on the concrete, along with roads and everything else. from start to finish, id throw out $100m or $50m if you are optimistic. although im sure the number could be in the billions.

another idea is everyone builds their own house or business to working standards and specifications. then people who agree to the same things, like laws and ways of government, simply latch on to each other and make a micro nation. if you do not like the way things and running, move your house or business elsewhere. when you make things this scale, overall it costs slightly more, but the cost load is distributed a lot more. so instead of billions, you talking maby 200-300k for the platform and another 100-200k for the house. if everyone had an efficient garden on their roofs, you could probably cover 10-30% of your dietary needs(one person, not a family).

I was attempting, using a comedic monologue, to impart the idea that to truly eliminate undesirable behavior in the human animal you need to eliminate the religions of the world. Don't start with money. If you want to be successful start with GOD.

BTW: Lietaer, while he has some interesting ideas on human greed, will probably go down in history as the founder of the most rapid failure of a globally accepted currency system.

I agree with everything you said, Bruce, except I disagree completely about where the 'REAL magic" happened.  In my opinion, and I assume in the opinions of many of those who did not attend the conference, the real magic didn't happen at all. 

I would agree that there is something to be said for the utility of those conversations that were had amongst those at the convention, particularly among those who were (I hope) discussing real plans for forward movement.  However, the real magic that WE as the miners, sellers, and consumers who did not attend the conference wanted to see did not happen. 

The magic we wanted to see was an explosion of media hype.  We wanted all those amazing conversations converted into newspaper headlines.  Why?  Because the media has consistently gotten Bitcoin wrong.  It has misunderstood the program, the theory, the consumers, the merchants (omg omg omg illegal drugs everywhere!!!) and because of this, we wanted our collective voice heard. We wanted investors to have a reason to get involved with Bitcoin. 

Of course, it was beneficial for the Bitcoin Big Dogs to be there for each other for support and for communication about the future of Bitcoin.  But I have a feeling that most of that was just "feel good" talk...talk that reassured you that you all weren't wasting your time or crazy (don't get me wrong, I'd feel that some REAL magic happened if I got to interview that chick from Bit-pay, too).  The most common reason businesses or presidential candidates succeed is because they are known, and they are known through the media. 

Beyond the hype, the ideas and theories supporting the businesses or candidates barely even matter...they are secondary.  Because of this, Bitcoin must also be known through the media, and on a large scale.  Otherwise, you end up with Ross Perot -- a guy with really amazing ideas and a common sense approach, but nobody will ever give a shit.

By the way, I love your commitment and your show.  And, I want you to enjoy your conference high.  Just please come down from it sometime and realize how important the media coverage really is.

Cruises have satellite internet spread out via wifi to passengers.

P2Pool generated its first block! http://blockexplorer.com/block/000000000000046acff93b0e76cd10490551bf871ce9ac9fad62e67a07ff1d1e

once again:

+1 to mrbashfo
+1 to LightRider

loyal customers of gift cards