
Peter Thiel Makes Down Payment on Libertarian Ocean Colonies - naish
http://www.wired.com/science/planetearth/news/2008/05/seasteading
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Prrometheus
For the theory, history, and practical details of the project, don't miss
Patri Friedman's exhaustive book on the subject:

[http://seasteading.org/seastead.org/book_beta/full_book_beta...](http://seasteading.org/seastead.org/book_beta/full_book_beta.html)

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henning
I suggest calling this brave new world Rapture (
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioshock#Plot_summary> ).

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danteembermage
The burbclave goes prescient?

On a more serious note, it would seem that governments tailor made for
specific purposes might have a large competitive advantage over more
established legal structures.

Suppose, for example, startups were allowed to hold equity auctions for a tiny
fraction of their company on a weekly basis, with no SEC filings and only
whatever accounting the market demands. I suppose that example is more
generally libertarian, but perhaps particular law on what contracts are
enforceable (the NDA for one) might be helpful.

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LogicHoleFlaw
Do you know the current Kongbuck exchange rate, by chance?

Jokes aside, leaving the accounting to the market seems ripe for fraud.
Finance is staid, but it's got a lot of years of experience behind it.

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Prrometheus
>Jokes aside, leaving the accounting to the market seems ripe for fraud.
Finance is staid, but it's got a lot of years of experience behind it.

Where do you think accounting rules come from? Accounting practice comes from
hundreds of years of custom and precedent, also known as "the market". It is
only recently that accounting standards have been codified into law.

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as
Things Peter Thiel has funded:

 _The Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence_ (Making sure our
eventual AI overlords are benevolent)

 _Aubrey De Grey's Methuselah Mouse Prize_ (Research toward ending aging)

 _The Seasteading Institute_ (Build your own nation)

I'm really excited about the kind of people the tech boom has made rich.

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abas
It would be cool if they could go out to the "floating garbage continents" and
make use of the plastic to build out their colonies.

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zach
I always get a kick out of Patri's work, but it raises the question, _why_ are
countries so reluctant to sell or trade territory? Even if it's universally
considered short-sighted, well, governments do a lot of short-sighted things.
What incentives are missing?

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bokonist
I've wondered that too. Why doesn't Mexico set up a bunch of low-tax,
corporate run, special economic zones to attract high tech businesses from the
US? With low taxes, low cost of living, and a proper regulatory environment,
many businesses would set up shop. Mexico could make an enormous amount of
money.

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rp
Perhaps the comparison is off-base but I have not read any mention of the
Principality of Sealand in relation to this.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principality_of_Sealand>

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pchivers
Check out the "Review of Similar Projects" section in the Seasteading book:

[http://seasteading.org/seastead.org/book_alpha/review.html#S...](http://seasteading.org/seastead.org/book_alpha/review.html#Sealand)

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ca98am79
Peter Thiel is awesome

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Tichy
What do they plan to eat and drink?

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dangoldin
And what about pirates? =)

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Prrometheus
From the article:

"Of course, one major role of government is to provide security, which would
seem to be an issue on the open sea. But Friedman's not worried about defense
beyond simple firearms because he thinks pirates will lack the financial
incentive to attack the seasteads.

"More sophisticated pirates will take entire container ships that have tens of
millions of dollars of cargo and 10 crew [members]," he said. "On a seastead,
there's a much different crew-to-movable assets ratio."

In fact, his only worry is that a government will try to come calling and
force their jurisdiction upon them. Toward that end, they are planning to fly
a "flag of convenience" from a country that sells them, like Panama, to
provide them with protection from national navies. "

Also, you should check out the website (<http://www.seasteading.org>) and read
the FAQ. The founders have thought of the obvious questions.

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ivankirigin
Tactical nukes hidden in the capitals of potentially aggressive countries
should be a good enough deterrence from state actors. Robot Sharks with lasers
should be enough to stop the pirates.

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thwarted
I'm sure the pirates will listen to "reason". Ultima Ratio Regum and all that.

