Venutian pollution issues and other general updates

Hello everyone! Been awhile since I’ve been on here. What can I say, I got lazy. Actually just getting into the grove of the new semester. Kids. Doesn’t matter what species they are they are still a pain in the ass. Four didn’t have books, seven were in the class for a week straight and one has a VR interface that’s on the fritz. But, that’s all in a day’s work for your average history professor. It seems to me that as more and more history happens, over 400 years of visually recorded history, more and more people get interested in it. There’s classes dealing with presidential inauguration ceremonies dating back to as far as the mid 20th century.

But that’s getting off topic. I wanted to talk about something that blew my mind when I read about it yesterday. There’s pollution on Venus. Can you imagine? More importantly, who cares? So, I’m sure everyone who reads this is well aware of the state of affairs on Venus. Massive floating cities sit high above the ground, where no man can dare to go, except for adrenaline junkies, miners, and fringe idiots. Basically, how it works as I understand it, the upper atmosphere of Venus is quite nice, while the surface is just a hell. The wind speed of the upper atmosphere spins at nearly the same rate as one earth day. Also, because of the crazy pressures there, a breathable human atmosphere practically floats on the thick Venusian atmosphere. So, design yourself a self contains massive city, plunk it in the upper atmosphere and keep the pressure at the right amount and boom, floating cities. It’s worked so well that Venus is nearly covered in cities. Don’t like your neighborhood? Fly away! It’sreally quite an interesting political and social environment. There are massive floating yachts that some people, rich of course, live on year round. I’ve even heard of a few that can go into high orbit and even leave orbit. There’s one rich bastard I saw on a ‘those rich bastards’ vid, that has built himself a sea faring vessel that he uses on the oceans of Earth. He then takes off from an approved ocean launch site, into orbit, flies off to Venus in it and spends months sailing around the atmosphere. Rich people love to show off.

So what do all those floating cities do with their waste? Dump it out the bottom of course. And where does it all go? Into that thick soupy atmosphere. Now, initially you wouldn’t think anything of it. But, the Venusian cities have been around for a good century by now. More are flooding into the skies as we speak. Of course the recently formed, well within 20 years, centralized Venusian government has put a halt to new cities. They are trying to preserve their pristine atmosphere while at the same time allowing people in to pay more taxes.

At any rate, several Venusian environmental groups have begun complaining about all the garbage being dumped out. Why? Well, there is some loose scientific evidence to suggest it can have an impact on things. Of course, no one cares as those impacts will not effect the sky cities. So why all the hubbub? Corporate interests. That’s why.

In addition to several hippie communities that have managed to make stable structures on the surface of Venus, as well as vast below ground areas, several corporations have taken an interest in the surface in recent years. Why? Resources of course. Some damn fool said there may be something of value down there and everybody went ape shit. Of course, resource allocation is not the same as it was 300 years ago. Most things can be synthesized these days. But some very exotic things can not. I don’t know the particulars but suffice to say, someone things there’s something of value. Well, one day, while a not to be named corporation was setting up shop, a large amount of metal scraps was deposited nearly on their heads. It melted pretty quickly of course but scarred the beejesus out of them.

Funny times. That of course led to lobbyists on the Venusian government, Earth government as well as every space and colony agency there is. You know, there’s so many damn agencies right now I can’t keep them all straight. We need them I guess, but every time you turn around there seems to be one you never heard of.

Well, I have to get back to grading papers. Just thought i’d share the lunacy happening on Venus. I’ve never made it to the floating cities in person though I’ve gone there virutal. Nice digs really.