Settling the seas no longer science fiction, says NY Times

The New York Times has an article about seasteading developments in French Polynesia:

And yet in 2017, with sea levels rising because of climate change and established political orders around the world teetering under the strains of populism, seasteading can seem not just practical, but downright appealing.

Floating Cities, No Longer Science Fiction, Begin to Take Shape, Nov. 13, 2017

It gives a nod to Ken Neumeyer’s “Sailing the Farm,” and reprises the early history of the Institute — starting with Patri Friedman’s Burning Man talk, and  Peter Thiel’s 2009 Cato Unbound essay. The article is surprisingly optimistic about the prospects, and with good reason. It’s worth remembering that Thiel framed seasteading as the more realistic option for building the future when compared to outer space:

 In a 2009 essay, Mr. Thiel described seasteading as a long shot, but one worth taking. “Between cyberspace and outer space lies the possibility of settling the oceans,” he wrote.

The oceans are a desolate place. Outside of a few die-hard cruisers, we don’t really know how to safely, comfortably and affordably inhabit them.

French Polynesia lowers the barriers to entry but introduces geographic and political barriers to perfect autonomy and mobility. Therefore, it makes sense to try to align the seastead’s interests with the political unit — in this case French Polynesia — to achieve something like an incubator for the real seasteading technology: steady open-ocean platforms, next-generation transport vessels, and life-support systems for a new kind of society. These are the same technologies that islands will need in the event of extreme climate change.