I ponder, although briefly, when I take breaks at work outside, and thought of some cool (at least to me) theoretical stuff about energy, buildings, computers, animals, brains, biology, genetics, and a myriad of other things. My mind races all over the place nonstop, which is partly why I need to have the TV on just to fall asleep (my brain can focus on the sound and make it shut up long enough for me to fall asleep).

I was thinking that in order to create a truely non-polluting renewable source of energy and materials we will eventually have to create everything out of a bio mass of some sort. This spawned from the fact I think of us as complex machines that use alternative power and methods to run. We are still stuck on burning just about everything for fuel, or creating a median substance from a biological source (ethanol comes to mind). I know most people doubt we are just machines, but say we take a human, and detach the brain from all sensory input/output to our body, keep it alive artificially, and then force it to do computational processes for us (we are getting closer to being able to do that with mice brain material), then we just made an equivalent of a machine. This got me into thinking of other applications if we start bringing together all the bits of bio material we can artifically make.

What if we could make entire buildings out of bio material that we can grow just like a farm? We could construct huge buildings made of flesh, or chitin...probably more like a carapace for structure integrity, then flesh for insulation on the interior. Instead of having to have a supply of fossil fuels to heat and supply with electricity, we could literally feed the building corn and use solar energy for photosynthesis as well. It would be neat using bio-luminescence for lighting, or instead of having to paint we could tell the skin to change colors (like a squid can).

One of the issues (theres a ton more obviously, but this is just fun theory) is that the bio-mass could run into health problems just like we do. Imagine, having to make a call to the repairman, or construction company because your building has the flu...or even cancer. I felt that was a humorous concept because it would then require the huge construction workforce we have to require a medical degree just to create and repair buildings.

I then thought of applying it to every day machines that we use, and I thought about a bio-car. Instead of wheels it would have actual legs for quick movement. The brain would be detached until we "started" it. When it wasn't in use it could go into suspended animation that many bacteria and some animals can do. You would also need to carry food with you everywhere to feed it, and it might attack you in its old age if it gets dementia when you don't replace its brain.
Would that not be awesome? I know I would sure as hell get the equivalent of changing my oil every 3000 miles if I knew my car could eat me if I didn't.

Anyways ...I just felt like ranting a bit, and this ended up being a good topic because it was one of my tamer ideas that crossed my mind. Happy Friday!

WhiteKirby