How a bustling megastructure in 2220 can thrive underground.
INTERVIEW STYLE:
__________The conditions of Genesis in 2220 will be uncovered in a series of interview style questions. Regina has prepared 4 questions for Nate, and Nate has done the same for Regina. All of our questions and answers were thoroughly contemplated and researched to make sure that this is something that could indeed happen to a structure like Genesis in the next 200 years.
OVERVIEW
__________Genesis developed into a large city where technology reined and hyperloop is the only mode of transportation that people of 2020 would recognize. Hyperloop has become the car in terms of common transportation. Yet the technology is so far advanced that teleportation for humans is nearing a possibility, and the teleportation of data is commonplace with quantum computers. Amidst this technology development, the people of 2220 were complacent regarding the climate changes surrounding them. The weather in the Las Vegas desert drastically due to climate change and global warming. This led to higher wind speeds and more frequent sandstorms in the desert. Genesis was headed towards becoming completely engulfed by sand in the year 2220. The population living in Genesis in and the decades leading up to 2220 deemed the coverage in sand a non-issue. They had the technology to survive underground, didn’t need to go outside for work or exercise due to recent technological advancements, and had at this time an underground hyperloop system to take them wherever they needed to go, including places not submerged in sand.
QUESTIONS:
For Nate by Regina
1. How did the campus of Genesis develop into the underground megacity Genesis?
__________Genesis was originally conceptualized in the year 2020 as an above-ground hyperloop development facility. But as time went on and the site around it began to get more and more hostile, the facility had to adapt. Vast amounts of windblown sand, increasing by the day it seemed, had accumulated around the facility. The climate generally had become less hospitable, so the administration of the facility decided to stop wasting their manpower digging out the sand and accepted it as the new form of Genesis. The facility was reconsidered to become an underground city-type facility with more and more accommodations being added as time went on.
2. What is the population of Genesis, do more people live there permanently, or come for elongated stays via hyperloop?
__________Originally, Genesis was a place of employment where people would commute for work every day and then return home in the evening. The workload for most of the staff grew and living quarters were gradually added to ease peoples commute time and allow for longer
work hours. Families and residents were soon drawn to the safety and security of the underground living situation, the population grew.
3. How did technological advances in 2220 change the mindset of the residents of Genesis, why were they so ready to accept going underground? Are there advantages to living underground?
__________People at the point where people really started moving into Genesis, they had lost their desire to go outside. People spent most of their time staring at a screen with the blinds drawn anyway, might as well do it from underground. Major advances in Virtual Reality as well as other comfort technologies have allowed people to maintain their lives from the comfort of their rooms. Climate control and ergonomic lounging have allowed people to remain in their living areas for extended periods of time.
4. How is it possible for Genesis to function under sand, is this the first civilization to become lost due to a changing climate?
__________Thanks to the advancements in technology, operating underground has become the way of life for all of those who occupy Genesis. Advancements in structure, ventilation, and excavation has allowed Genesis to constantly operate and expand. Systems in place of automated maintenance, ease of transportation, and production of food and necessities has allowed Genesis to be fully operational underground. It is widely considered to be the first civilization to become “lost” due to climate change, but the residents do not consider it so. Many in Genesis see it as the next step in human evolution, living in the safety of the underground super city proves comfortable and enjoyable to all that arrive. Most consider it progress, not necessarily “lost” but a new age discovered.
Part 2:
For Regina by Nate
1. How has governing the people changed due to the underground conditions; is there a need for some type of police force?
__________Along with the advancements in transportation, there were many advancements made in the methods of policing. The overall government of America has not changed drastically in 2220, there is still a democracy and a mayor figure is still elected for Genesis. However, with the advancement of technology, many jobs and public functions were eliminated. This included government functions such as the town meeting. Due to the city being underground, people venture into common areas less and less, and many city decisions are made online or via hologram messages. The police force has turned into a series of computers and robots led by a small number of human police. These human police are equally trained in combat and computer science. Due to the decrease in social interaction, there are less violent crimes committed, and more hacking/identity fraud/data theft committed that has to be monitored. These kinds of crimes are kept in check by smart policing. An article from Techspirited suggests that by the year 2220 computers will be able to communicate with humans just as other humans do; they will be able to analyze and reason like humans. This is the missing link that computers lack in 2020. Already smart policing is incorporated present day with AI aiding in missing children cases, computers are used for virtual patrols, and to check the locations of fire exits and/or previous criminal history on blocks before they go to the location (Gelles,Merkow). With computer intelligence already being heavily profited from in 2020, it is easy to understand why Genesis is protected by a police force of near human computers. These police computers are quickly portable and replaceable, another advantage that places them as a smarter alternative to human cops.
Pictured: robot/AI Police
2. Do you feel that Genesis has changed people’s lives for the better?
__________Personally, I believe that Genesis has decreased the quality of life for humankind. The advancement of technology is inevitable and wonderful in the way it can make life easier and safer for everyone. However, already in 2020 we have experienced the backlash of technology, mostly in the mental health of young people. Stress and social media has caused a spike of 16% in American youth suicide rates, and an additional 11.6% of suicide attempts (Frishberg). These numbers directly correlate with current day society and the increase in accessibility in technology. People thrive off a sense of accomplishment and purpose. Technology has a tendency to take purpose away from people. Consider how technology in 2020 has already begun to replace the need for spelling, solving math equations, and even face-to-face social interactions. Computers and smartphones allow people to hide behind the accomplishments of technology. The hyperloop is no different. No longer will young people have the rush of pride that comes after successfully passing their driver’s test. They will simply hop into the hyperloop, knowing that their safety in transportation is ensured and out of their hands. It was previously mentioned that computers will replace police jobs, and it is the same in other areas of jobs in Genesis. Many people who populate Genesis have jobs of little consequence and their time is spent primarily in leisure activities. While people are indeed safer and a lot of the stress of living has been relieved from the people of 2220, they lack passion and independence. This is evident by their apathy towards their city falling below sand. The world is so disinteresting to them that they prefer to not see it or experience nature, the sun, and the sky, at all. Tom Chatfield wrote an article warning us of the merging of the human mind with machines. His article suggests that already human nature is taking on machine-like characteristics and that people have less of an independent mindset and more of a collective understanding of what it means to be human thanks to the widespread use of social media (Chatfield). Genesis contributes to this distortion of human nature, and I would argue that it is a negative one.
3. What types of recreational facilities have been developed to help keep people suited to live underground?
__________One of the major program focuses of Genesis in 2020 was on exercise for the people who worked at the campus. The outdoor parks, tracks, and paths that continued to be a focus as Genesis grew, were all lost when the city was covered by sand. These outdoor facilities were sorely missed by the population of Genesis, so new recreation facilities were designed to allow people to circulate the city underground and exercise in the casual manner they used to, without having to solely rely on mechanical exercise equipment in their homes. Some of these recreation facilities were started before Genesis was covered, as scientists were able to predict the change in climate’s effect. These progressive activities included turning pre-existing streets into covered tunnels, as well as erecting large domes around tracks, football fields, and select green areas that would be maintained underground. Some recreational facilities that went in after the engulfment in sand include the continual digging and tunneling to connect all necessary buildings to the covered tunnel streets and hyperloop entrances (most importantly every home and apartment complex for residents to enjoy multiple pathways for excursion, implementing underground greenhouses, and a new kind of planetarium where telescopes have
been installed to breach the top of the sand so Genesis residents can remember what the world above looks like. As long as the residents have proper circulation, access to greenspace, and access to all the entertainment they previously enjoyed there were no major hindrances to going underground. However, movement did slow even with access to recreation. Many people in Genesis do not commute to work, or their workplace is also their living space. For example, many of the labs of Genesis feature attached apartments for its employees.
Pictured above: Genesis Legacy Maintenance Tunnels//covered roads
4. What types of expansion capabilities does Genesis have?
__________The expansion capabilities of Genesis are not limited due to its submersion. Consider the construction underground done in 2020, there are basement, pipe systems, storage facilities, training facilities, etc. all commonly placed underground. The expansive
underground hyperloop system Genesis had allows goods to still leave the city and enter it. This maintains the economy Genesis always had. Genesis grew into a megacity because it was a center for technological progress and brought the commerce that accompanies it.With people who are so determined to stay where they are, there is enough drive for other people to come live there as well. Genesis did not become deserted, but the opposite. Genesis has the capability to spread in construction as well as advance its own hyperloop system to run through
the city similar to the subway in New York City. On a large scale, Genesis has the ability to expand in theory to other cities experiencing the same changes in climate in 2220. Genesis once again set a precedent to follow, the first of cities to disappear only from view, and maintain its previous glory as a megacity.
ADDITIONAL RENDERS
1) Top of Genesis Perspective . . . the top of the megacity Genesis became is barely visible peaking out above the sand of the Las Vegas desert. This render shows the environment one would come across were they to visit Genesis aboveground in the year 2220.
2) Genesis Elevation . . . We thought it was important to show how Genesis progressed as it became a huge city. Many structures were erected for new lab space, apartments and housing for people, as well as the kind of entertainment often found in cities. Genesis’s hyperloop grew along with the city. Many more hyperloops were added and connected to the once very small test track. Major hyperloops connect Genesis to other mega cities in America in 2220, while smaller less important hyperloops branch off to travel to less populated areas in America. This render shows an elevation of the new Genesis, as well as the expansion of hyperloops and technology as a whole.
Work Cited
http://studioknow.com/2012/11/is-teleportation-possible/
https://sciencing.com/the-coming-quantum-computer-revolution-13711527.html
https://www.treehugger.com/climate-change-could-bring-stronger-winds-more-wind-power-4857 464
https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/building-from-1930s-found-in-maine-sand-dune-nothing -left-to-do-but-start-digging/ar-BB19qgMe
https://www.messagetoeagle.com/7-ancient-lost-civilizations-buried-under-the-sand/
https://stefanini.com/en/trends/news/holograms-in-the-workplace-the-future-is-closer-than-you-t hink
Gonano_Regina_Bennett_Nate_WIC04
https://techspirited.com/what-are-computers-going-to-be-like-in-future#:~:text=Computers%20of %20the%20future%20might%20supersede%20human%20intellect.,intelligence.%20They%20wi ll%20be%20able%20to%20implement%20robotics.
https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/public-sector/articles/future-of-policing-and-law-enforce ment-technology-innovations.html
https://nypost.com/2020/11/09/us-suicide-attempts-have-increased-11-since-2015-study/ https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/jan/20/humans-machines-technology-digital-age
Comments