Fractal Vivaria

Having been a professional in environmental science since its infancy, I have been often surprised at some of the chaotic developments that have resulted from inquiring minds. I have found few new outgrowths that have both amused and enticed me as much as the burgeoning field of exoecology. Perfunctorily, Exoecology is an environmental science dedicated to the study of non-terrestrial ecosystems and the life forms that inhabit them. As I said, I have been both amused and enticed by this.

First, I have been amused because I know of no other technical discipline where an entire field of study is dedicated to something not yet known to exist. It has been often said that lunatics build castles in the sky and psychiatrists live in them. By way of analogy, science fiction authors envision alien ecosystems and exoecologists inhabit them.

Second, I have been enticed by exoecology, because I find some of their premises so very alluring. One such premise is that the earth is a very dangerous place to live and we place all of our eggs in this basket only at the risk of extinction. Just ask the dinosaur victims of the Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary asteroid strike. One way to minimize this risk is to become a space faring civilization and diversify ourselves so that no single calamity would result in our extinction as a species.

At the 31st International Conference On Environmental Systems, July 2001, a paper was given by NASA scientists on exoecology. The premise of the paper was that all ecosystems are highly constrained by their environment and conform to well-known and inescapable system design principles. An ecology could exist wherever there is an energy source and living things can employ some method to capture, store, and use the available energy. Terrestrial ecosystems use energy sources including light, organic molecules, and, in thermal vents and elsewhere, simple inorganic molecules.

Naturally, to someone inclined towards flights of fancy, such as our Abysimus doppelganger, the vision afforded by such a venture demands expression. I have always been an advocate for the fundamental nobility of humanity. This video envisions a time in the distant future when that fundamental nobility has triumphed.

The video is set in a far distant time when, having long since spread out and colonized our own solar system and in so doing harnessed resources far beyond our needs, we have initiated a humanitarian _in the best sense of the term_ effort in the proliferation of life. A vast armada of Life Arks has set out on a one-way journey across the unknown gulfs of space with the sole objective of proliferating life as widely as possible. Many fail; some succeed. This video is a sort of brief overview that illustrates some of the noteworthy experiences among the stars. Among those experiences, are revelations of spirit, which we so often encounter unexpectedly when we seek to do good.

My Life Arks do not look anything like the sort you would see portrayed in, for example _Silent Running_ starring Bruce Dern. Nevertheless, I have given them considerable thought and consider them technically defensible against most of the arguments familiar to me _and I am a life-long science fiction fan_. Technically defensible or not, however, I am not only a scientist, I am also an artist and as such artistic license is permissible. Abysimus and I are often at war on this matter, and in most skirmishes where art is at issue, the old fart usually wins.

Finally, there is the matter of scale to consider. The Life Arks are of varying sizes; however, even the smallest of them is five hundred miles across. Several images are shown where the Life Arks are grouped in vast armadas vanishing to a point off in the distance. The length of these armadas also varies but a convoy may contain on the order of ten thousand units and be as much as twenty thousand miles long.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• fractals
• environment
• nature
• color
• light
• science
• fractal
• art
• exoecology
• mandela
• archetype
• infinity
• flowers
• philosophy
• religion
• Fibonacci
• golden
• mean
• metaphysical
• spiritual

[CharmaineZoe]

Fabulous! I never cease to be amazed by your artistry and imagination, I found myself going 'Wow!' on a number of occasions while watching this. Particularly like the white lacy sphere from 08.00, that's just gorgeous :-)

[abysimus]

Ah, CharmaineZoe the kaleidoscope sorceress from Ageless Rock Chick! I am so pleased to have you visit, and with such lovely things to say. The white lacy sphere is one of my favorites also and I am delighted that you got the concept of white lace, which is exactly what I was attempting to portray. Thank you so much for the company; please drop by anytime.

[drdickbigger]

Wonderfull...We can expect no less..

Thankyou..

[abysimus]

Thank you; I can think of no higher praise for my work than having _ no less than wonderful_ be the expectation for it.  I am glad you liked it.

[defect530]

amazing

loved it!

[abysimus]

Thats what I like to hear. Many thanks!

[1homothehomo]

Its not just your efforts in the things you do.Its your choice in music that for me just blend together that make the experience "Spiritual".All I can say is Thankyou..

[ka85ak]

That is absolutely magnificent my dear!!! Amazingly beautiful!!! I loved it!!! Thank you!!!!!

[ka85ak]

The spirit of Easter

is all about Hope,

Love and Joyful living.

Happy Easter!

:-))))

[defect530]

@CharmaineZoe that was my favorite as well

[abysimus]

Thank you for dropping by, NagarajVasuki; I hope all is well with you. Yes indeed, those geological eye blinks nail us every time. No prescience here, however, just fanciful fiction and a hope that Beethovens Missa Solemnis is not too overbearing an accompaniment.

[NagarajVasuki]

Fanciful fiction... or prescient peek into what lies only one (geological) eye-blink away?