A recent technology trend that we all need to become aware of has recently been leaked to the public. The technology could be both a godsend and/or bring on a new dystopian Skynet nightmare scenario as a society.
Globalstar and other similar satellite communications company stocks have recently perked up in trading after AppleInsider analyst Ming-Chi Kuo postulated that the new iPhone 13 might use the Qualcomm X60 baseband chip to allow users to make calls in cellular dead zones by relying on low Earth orbit satellites.
Though this announcement discusses using this technology only in dead zones, what if this technology could be used universally on all smart devices, both mobile and fixed, in any location. This technology is within our reach to become a reality very soon. Several key factors to understand.
- Disaggregating the last mile in communication, which tends to be the most expensive (53%), whether land-based or radio (e.g., 4G and 5G) will drive communication costs drastically downward. This could eventually render your current local telecommunications company irrelevant – globally.
- An effective satellite-based technological leapfrog event drives communication (both in speed and size) to rates only dreamed of before – while at the same time providing coverage virtually anywhere on the globe – “free of any local regulatory constraints.”
First, a little about the technology.
A low earth orbit (LEO) satellite is an object; generally, electronic equipment circles around the earth at lower altitudes than geosynchronous satellites. LEO satellites orbit between 2,000 and 200 kilometers above the earth. For example, The Iridium telecom satellites orbit at about 780 km (480 mi) and have low communication latency (240 milliseconds).
LEO satellites have a much smaller field of communication with the earth than a satellite at a greater altitude. They also have a faster rotation around the earth. These factors necessitate a constellation of satellites to operate in concert for coverage. They typically will need boosting several times a year due to their orbit decay.
Elon Musks’ SpaceX, with its (planned) network of up to 46,000 small satellites (eventually; 12,000 to start with) in low orbit, and interconnectivity by laser-based optical communications in the vacuum of space, will have infrastructure that can beat any terrestrial communications in the sense of very low latency, and even speed – though antenna size may still be an issue for mobile phones.
See a short video below that explains more:
SmallSats and CubeSats are now a reality, as the industrial space race is on putting ever-increasing form factors into space. After all, Starlink or any potential competitor will need 46,000 or more of these gadgets in a swarm or constellation in LEO space.
CubeSats are a class of nanosatellites that use a standard size and form factor. The standard CubeSat size uses a “one unit” or “1U” measuring 10x10x10 cms and is extendable to larger sizes; 1.5, 2, 3, 6, and even 12U. Originally developed in 1999 by California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly) and Stanford University to provide a platform for education and space exploration. Here is a brief:
Hitching a ride into space has traditionally been extremely expensive. Though the satellites to be launch are small, we have a lot of to launch – so the cost of space transportation will be critical. Prices continue to fall with each passing decade as new technologies are developed, and the sector becomes more commercialized.
SpaceX, for example, has demonstrated the potential of reusable rockets. Other advances in the future may include lighter materials, the use of inflatable modules, new fuel types, space planes, and/or more efficient engines. Here is a current cost curve where one can see that getting to space and satellite miniaturization makes the dream possible.
The global space industry is currently worth USD 414.8 billion and could grow into a trillion-dollar industry by 2040. This growth is leading to new markets and stellar investments in the top space companies in the world.
The top private space companies recently received USD 5.8 billion in private investments alone, led by leading companies such as SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Sierra Nevada. Since 2009, the private investment numbers for the biggest space companies surpassed USD 26 billion. See here for a breakdown.
All this technology sounds exciting, and the possibilities are endless. Innovation is the engine of growth (and good-paying jobs) with higher standards of living for us mere humans. It is only a few years away. So what could go wrong? Metaphorical in one word – “Skynet.”
Skynet is a fictional artificial neural network-based conscious group mind and artificial general superintelligence system that serves as the antagonistic force of the Terminator franchise. Skynet is often used as an analogy for the possible threat that a sufficiently globally connected advanced AI (artificial intelligence) could pose to control and/or eliminate humanity.
Imagine a world where all information (voice, video, and data) is funneled through a handful of companies, not really accountable to any government. For sure, these companies, to show good faith, would set up some type of truth commission to govern themselves. Or worse yet, call on a dysfunctional UN. But make no mistake, these companies would maintain ultimate control.
Anyone could purchase a device and connect to a global satellite system that knows no global borders (“free of any local regulatory constraints”). It would be hard for local governments to control, if at all. Due to the higher costs of legacy ground-based systems, they would soon disappear, leaving in place a global monopoly on human communication and the management of the information it provides.
These SkyNet monopoly companies would be free to censor, manipulate and/or distort information via their artificial intelligence robots.
- No more would governments be able to control information standards – any standards would be dictated to them by the SkyNet monopolies.
- Using existing AI, free electioneering would be a thing of the past. Democracy would be considered dead if it isn’t already – though its charade is on full display. Social media companies would need to comply or be banned from their networks – or merge with them.
- Media and ultimate control of what is deemed “fake news” would be strongly enforceable.
- Social engineering could be easily implemented via social media, online gaming, and entertainment to create whatever narrative the elites desired.
- Healthcare and “pandemic” management can be easily and centrally managed. Dissent from the approved narrative would virtual be unheard of.
- Given that most businesses today rely on a network, almost all business sectors could be affected.
- Global security AI could manage political and military dissent. It also becomes a surveillance Disneyland for the approved intelligence agencies.
The SkyNet monopolies could work together to ensure no competition exists. The cost of putting these networks in place would make it difficult for many to compete. In short, it could be a technological way to implement the dream of many elites who have long had for their “New World Order.”
In a recent video, Elon Musk gives his final warning about AI. Elon Musk discusses his look on life and why he figures we could be living in a reenactment, the secret subtleties that show why we’re in a recreated reality. See Elon’s final warning about AI below.
Elon’s main concern is that “smart people think they know more than they really know.” Have we not heard this from many of our elites already today? We are from the global government, and we are here to help you. Accept our cultural indoctrination or be shamed from existence. Take the jab, you fool, and if you don’t, you will be targeted for canceling.
These technologies discussed here are the building blocks that could mechanize this thinking well beyond the speed of humanity and enslave us into a technological groupthink prison of our own making that can’t be stopped. Will humans control SkyNet, or will Skynet control us?
Humanity must solve its cultural and political issues concerning advanced technology, or Elon’s warning of a Dystopian Skynet could become a reality. Perhaps as Elon suggests, it may be already too late.
