The Seasteading Institute

Reply To: bkemper wrote: Before the

[quote=bkemper]Before the engineering numbers can be crunched, the underlying assumptions needed to be agreed upon.

1. What is the acceptable risk. Are we going to assume this will be as safe as a land home in a good city neighborhood. [/quote] Is driving a car as safe as staying at home? Is having a job as safe as living on welfare? Is going to a nightclub safer than dancing at home with an ipod? Is having a relationship safer than subscribing to Hustler?

Once these questions are answered, the answer to this one won't come with as much of a shock.

[quote] 2. Will this be like a cruise ship, with those who are "crew" and those who are "passengers/home owners"? Or will this be like an old sailing ship, wagon train, or the like where everyone shares in duties?[/quote] Very clearly the latter.

[quote=bkemper]I think a fair assumption would be everyone has a "real job", at least 8 hours a day, plus be trained in both the minimum baseline *everyone* has to know, plus can back up people at least short term in at least two unrelated areas or sections. Keep in mind this means you need a crew at least 3.5 more than the crewing requirements -- three shifts plus extra people to handle sick days, injuries, going on vacation, etc. 12 hour shifts will mean at least 13 hours of work -- a half hour overlap going on and off shift for cross-briefings. This will leave little time for "having a real life".[/quote] You're overestimating the maintenance and readiness requirements of a platform. It's not a warship. Small platforms will have people live like in a house. For small-medium platforms (5-20 people), for extra safety, it's enough to make sure that at least someone aboard is awake at any time - but just awake, not on watch. Only the larger platforms (over 20) will need to keep someone on dedicated watch, and even so, until going really large (close to 100), it's sufficient to have just one watchman per platform. Or one per few small platforms, as long as they're close enough that they can be monitored.

For a 30-person platform or cluster, with 6-hour watches, everyone will only need to take one watch a week. But furthermore, if we assume that most people are awake during the day, someone on dedicated watch is only needed for the night, and that's a watch every next week, with vacations and sick days. A dedicated coordinator at all times is only needed when going over 50 people (the everyone-knows-everyone limit). By that time, the platform will have at least a couple hired workers.

Repairs and the such will have to be done in the free time. But again... do you remember the term "housewife"? That's the person, a woman, who takes care of the house. Today most women are working. They still take care of the house, together with the husband. A seastead requires somewhat more maintenance, true. But then, 9-to-5 jobs are going to be a rare sight on seasteads. Most people living there will be - will have to be - over-the-net freelancers.