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Long article on the Seasteading Institute

June 17, 2008 / Klint Finley

Seasteading Institute

There are many reasons to doubt that the Seasteading Institute will realize its vision of floating cities in the sea; but there are at least two reasons to think that seasteading may prove to be more successful than past efforts to escape the grasp of the world’s governments. First, the project’s planners are pragmatic-at least by the standards of their predecessors-pursuing an incrementalist strategy and focusing primarily on solving short-term engineering problems. Second, they recently announced a half-million dollar pledge from PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel, giving them the resources to begin serious engineering and design work. While there are many obstacles to be overcome before they will have even a functioning prototype-to say nothing of a floating metropolis-their project doesn’t seem as obviously hopeless as most of the efforts that have preceded it.

Full Story: Ars Technica

(via GPOD)

Previously on Technoccult

(The founders of the Seasteading Institute would do well to study the problems of Pitcairn)

Pay Pal Founder Makes Down Payment on Libertarian Ocean Colonies

May 19, 2008 / Klint Finley

seastanding

Tired of the United States and the other 190-odd nations on Earth?

If a small team of Silicon Valley millionaires get their way, in a few years, you could have a new option for global citizenship: A permanent, quasi-sovereign nation floating in international waters.

With a $500,000 donation from PayPal founder Peter Thiel, a Google engineer and a former Sun Microsystems programmer have launched The Seasteading Institute, an organization dedicated to creating experimental ocean communities “with diverse social, political, and legal systems.”

“Decades from now, those looking back at the start of the century will understand that Seasteading was an obvious step towards encouraging the development of more efficient, practical public-sector models around the world,” Thiel said in a statement.

Full Story: Wired

McCain to campaign at Burning Man

April 1, 2008 / Klint Finley

Senator and presumptive Republican Presidential nominee John McCain has rocked the political world by announcing his intention to bring his campaign to Nevada’s Black Rock Desert this summer, during the counter-cultural art event known as Burning Man.

“While our opponents would callously ignore them, this proud American believes that even temporary cities deserve the attention of the President of the United States,” said McCain senior staffer Mark Dosenberner. “We are proud that Black Rock City will be a stop on the ‘Straight Talk Express’ tour this summer.”

Full Story: Burning Man.

I think this might tip me over to the McCain camp. It shows that he truly values liberty.

How to Start Your Own Country in Four Easy Steps

February 28, 2008 / Klint Finley

Step 1: Make sure you are eligible
Step 2: Declare independence
Step 3: Get recognized
Step 4: Join the club (the UN)

Full Story: Foreign Policy.

(via Disinfo).

Lakota tribe declares independence from the US

December 22, 2007 / Klint Finley

I’m visiting my parents in Wyoming for the holidays, and here’s an appropriate regional news story that’s making international news:

Descendants of the American Indian chiefs Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse yesterday declared their independence from the United States, announcing they were withdrawing from treaties signed with the federal government 150 years ago.

The Lakota Indians, whose territory includes parts of Nebraska, North and South Dakota, Montana and Wyoming, sent a delegation to the State Department in Washington to deliver the news.

“We are no longer citizens of the United States of America and all those who live in the five-state area that encompasses our country are free to join us,” said Russell Means, an Indian rights activist.

The tribal group said it was unilaterally pulling out from a series of treaties signed in the 19th century that it described as “worthless words on worthless paper” because they had been “repeatedly violated in order to steal our culture, our land and our ability to maintain our way of life”.

Mr Means said the new country would issue passports and driving licences, and its citizens would live tax-free.

From: The Telegraph.

Regional Coverage: Rapid City Journal.

Lakota Freedom Delegation.

S?o Paulo homeless group claiming abandoned buildings

December 11, 2007 / Klint Finley

squate in sao paulo

The Prestes Maia building in downtown S?o Paulo, abandoned for 12 years, had become a haven for drugs and prostitution. Then, in 2002, more than 400 homeless families, in cooperation with a local group called the Downtown Homeless Movement, occupied the 22-story building. Conditions were crowded and difficult-the building lacks electricity and running water-but residents established a free library, cinema, and educational and social activities.

The Brazilian Constitution recognizes the right to housing and states that all property must serve a ‘social function.’ But in S?o Paulo, where slums and homelessness are common, an estimated 400,000 housing units are unused. The Downtown Homeless Movement, which has reclaimed more than 30 buildings in S?o Paulo, is just one of many groups reclaiming abandoned buildings across Brazil. At Prestes Maia, residents have fought eviction with protests, road blockades, and legal battles. After years of struggle, they have won either new housing or assistance from the government.

From: Yes Magazine.

(via Hit and Run).

Micronations and autonomous zones covered in new book

December 1, 2007 / Klint Finley

Jesse Walker reviews Micronations: The Lonely Planet Guide to Home-Made Nations:

The patron saint of such projects is Joshua Norton I, the San Francisco eccentric who in 1859 declared himself the emperor of the United States. He issued his own currency, which local businesses honored; he made royal proclamations, which the local newspapers printed; according to legend, he once managed to stop an anti-Chinese riot merely by standing in front of the mob and reciting the Lord’s Prayer. I can’t endorse all of his policies-the fines he levied on anyone he overheard calling the city ‘Frisco’ were an unconscionable interference with freedom of speech-but his reign was altogether far less bloody than that of his two rival emperors in the east, Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis. When he died in 1880, tens of thousands of people attended his royal funeral.

Full Story: The American Conservative.

See also: Footnotes to History‘s guide to micronations.