by Kylon » Tue 27 Jun 2006, 14:32:55
I would use it to test out my idea for fusion(lake fusion) to produce power. The concept is simple enough, and most people I've talked to who have an opinion think it would work(including my mentor, who is a scientist).
The biggest problem with lake fusion is the shockwaves, but that could be dealt with, with another technology which I won't get into.
Ontop of that, I would invest in the development of cellulose fermentors, as a source of food. Development of cellulose fermentors as a source of food would provide a virtually limitless supply of food to the world, and could eliminate hunger in the first and third world.
Those two things would probably only run at most 200-300 million dollars, as Lake Fusion doesn't require any extremely advanced machinery or infrastructure, the concept is so primitive, and the supplies that could be used so general, that it would be cheap to build. Ontop of that, you don't have lots of high energy radiation, so you don't really need containment. The cellulose fermentors wouldn't take a whole lot of money to develop either, just a few genetically modified bacteria, put in a big vat with non-toxic foliage. Ontop of this both of these technologies would actually produce money rather than just consume them.
The biggest problem of course, would be how to deal with the Oil Companies. They would fight tooth and nail not to be replaced with fusion energy, and what their strategy would be, would be to try and block fusion energy from actually being used, long enough for the patents to expire. Then they would love fusion energy, and would get into the business themselves.
I would probably spend 2-3 billion on ads/pr trying to get people on board with Lake Fusion, and Cellulose Fermentors, and then once I got enough support, get the government to allow that kind of fusion as a power source.
Then Bill Gates/Warrent Buffet would become SUPER, SUPER rich, and would save the planet, and most of the third world.
But I don't think he will do that.