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by ben_w 643 days ago
I'm not suggesting we don't want or benefit from high speed internet, I'm saying there's other ways of getting the same result, alternatives which don't mess with fundamental science for however long it takes to get around to building replacement radio telescopes in space.

And I'm saying this as someone who was seriously considering getting a Starlink connection (wired internet turned out to be good as well as cheap, but I was seriously considering Starlink).

> But if it meant 2x the price of the subscription, I'm pretty fine with them keeping it as it is.

If it was just about prices and nothing else, I'd be promoting the construction of an orbital ring launch system, which would inherently double as a global power grid and be a good place to mount PV.

Cheap space access (cheap enough to be used as a global 90-minute railway even if you have to go the long way around), cheap power supply (no clouds and less sun blocked by the air), cheap power transmission (because it's cross-subsidised with the other two).

> Global internet is just way too good for humanity to not do it.

So is "knowing where the asteroids are".