Jim Cameron switches gears into the space mining industry (yes, you read that right)

[DarkSovereignty]

hey bum, did you ever think that maybe he enjoys this stuff more than making movies at this stage in his life? he's not a young man anymore. granted he's not ancient, but he's had quite a fruitful career in film. it might not be his number one priority anymore, and you know what? he doesn't owe anybody anything. you make it sound like he has some obligation to make films, like it's a penance or something.

 

[Asteroid-Man]

What a boss!

 

[Mike_D202]

Why limit himself? He has the ambition and resources to do those things... why not? Why not be a film maker, explorer and philanthropist?

 

[Mike_D202]

I wanna be a space miner by the time this picks up steam i'll be too old.

 

[Marvolo]

I don't want to get ahead of myself, but think about what this could change.

Trillions of dollars worth of resources becoming available, trillions of dollars going into the global economy, a new industry, millions of jobs, countless discoveries resulting from this endeavor, etc.

This could change the way our world works. It could change the way we view the world. It could inspire us as a species again. Maybe even unite people, and overcome old dividers. I fell like the possibilities are endless without even knowing what this company is. My biggest comfort is that it is a private endeavor. I don't want any one government getting control of this. This should benefit everyone, and not just one country in particular.

 

[Mike_D202]

I don't want to get ahead of myself, but think about what this could change.

Trillions of dollars worth of resources becoming available, trillions of dollars going into the global economy, a new industry, millions of jobs, countless discoveries resulting from this endeavor, etc.

This could change the way our world works. It could change the way we view the world. It could inspire us as a species again. Maybe even unite people, and overcome old dividers. I fell like the possibilities are endless without even knowing what this company is. My biggest comfort is that it is a private endeavor. I don't want any one government getting control of this. This should benefit everyone, and not just one country in particular.

 

[Marvolo]

I thought of that when I was talking about this with my dad. One day we are gonna lose communication with a mining site and Cameron's just gonna smile and say "Call in the Space Marines."t:

It is always interesting seeing Science Fiction becoming Science Reality.

 

[RKO]

Anyone who thinks that James Cameron will bring the human race significantly closer to being a 'space faring' race has watched too many movies, so I would think you would be more sympathetic to my p.o.v.

Just like how they believed Howard Hughes wouldn't be able to fly around the world or fly the biggest aircraft in the world.

I rather believe this will indeed help the advancement of human technology, than have that terrible point of view.

 

[Thebumwhowalks]

Just like how they believed Howard Hughes wouldn't be able to fly around the world or fly the biggest aircraft in the world.

I rather believe this will indeed help the advancement of human technology, than have that terrible point of view.

eh, I don't know enough about Howard Hughes to comment in depth, but from what I know, he was not really an artist, he produced movies, and if he ever directed one(don't know if he did), he was never hailed as a great director/artist. He was always more of an entreupenuer(sic) with movies being just one of the notches on his belt.

And as for my 'terrible point of view', bleh, try reading my posts more thoroughly, I have enthusiasm for the human race developing in this manner, of course I do, but it's not gonna be Jim Cameron who significantly brings that to frutition, it's gonna be some scientist working in a labratory coming up with the formulas.
Whenever this happens, however it happens, I would wager that Jim Cameron's involvement will not be that significant, if at all.
So, imo, he would be doing mankind more service making us movies that give us pleasure in life.
and again, as I have said over and over(some people seem to have reading comprehension difficulties) he can do what he wants, whatever makes him happy, but I just think he should take more of a backseat to this kind of thing so it does not get in the way of his artistic talents.

 

[HighFivingMF]

eh, I don't know enough about Howard Hughes to comment in depth, but from what I know, he was not really an artist, he produced movies,

Producers did a lot more back then, they were basically directors.

and if he ever directed one(don't know if he did),

He did.

he was never hailed as a great director/artist.

He was. His movie is an Oscar winner.

He was always more of an entreupenuer(sic) with movies being just one of the notches on his belt.

He was originally the movie guy, it's just been overshadowed by everything else he did.

 

[Bat-Gasm]

Just like how they believed Howard Hughes wouldn't be able to fly around the world or fly the biggest aircraft in the world.

I rather believe this will indeed help the advancement of human technology, than have that terrible point of view.

edit: I don't see anything wrong with my opinion, I've said nothing that should cause such hateful comments from people who disagree.
It sounds like the human race has a lot of work to do on themselves before they can get to grips with encountering other intelligences in the galaxy.

You're saying that JC is NOT going to further the human race at all in any way. Why don't you respond to the Hughes comments? You do realize that JC ALREADY HAS! Don't you? That the machine used to make him the 1ST SOLO trip to the deepest part of the ocean was not government funded. I'd say that's pretty damn impressive. I'm sorry but....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVmBAd76kak

 

[Duke]

yeah you have said your piece and you sound like a lunatic especially with the absent minded selfish point of view saying he's been squandering his time... you've been proven categorically wrong over and over again and each of your arguments de-constructed and pissed on. No one's misinterpreting. He's not here to serve you as a filmmaker or born here to make entertaining great sci fi films for you so just knock it off.

This & if James Cameron can contribute something more than just making movies I highly commend the guy.

 

[Bat-Gasm]

Eventually someone would have got to that point of exploring the ocean, right? and exactly how has it 'furthered' mankind? Sure, we got deeper, but, it didn't change anything. We just got a bit more scope for our nosy.
I just bemoan the fact it is one of the greatest living filmakers who has spent over a decade spearheading such endevours, at the expense of his art, when someone else could have done it.

Oh, and another thing, that someone said, about how 'space travel' will probably be instigated and controlled by the private sector.
I grimace at that thought, it should be in the hands of everyone, ie the government. Sure, it is not an ideal world, and more money is spent on war, but I don't wanna be living in the far future where it will be similar to Gattaca, where an elite rich get to travel into space, where nobbie nobody from skintsville won't have a chance at getting up there. It'll be a new class divide of the future.

But he didn't just wait around for "someone else to do it." HE DID IT. I'm glad Nolan didn't start The Dark Knight and think, "I'm just gonna' wait around until SOMEBODY ELSE starts to experiment with IMAX."

 

[Thebumwhowalks]

But he didn't just wait around for "someone else to do it." HE DID IT. I'm glad Nolan didn't start The Dark Knight and think, "I'm just gonna' wait around until SOMEBODY ELSE starts to experiment with IMAX."

and Cameron did the same with Avatar. People were commenting on how he invented a new type of camera, and look at how much he pushed the CG rendering of digital characters to new heights, as well as the 3D immersive experience(as reported anyway, I never saw it in 3D).
What else could he have done for film in those years that no-one else could have done, due to their lack of vision and resources?

But, ok, as you have pointed out he is passionate about the deep sea exploring, so that passion took him in that direction, I really can't fault the guy for that. I just would have liked to have seen what he could have came up with filmwise if he had given that his undivided attention, like his contemporaries did, Scorsese, Spielberg, Lucas...

and I he did move into tv with Dark Angel in those dormant film making years, co-creating/producing the show and directing the series finale, I enjoyed that show a lot. It brought Jessica Alba, Jensen Ackles and Kevin Durand into the limelight, and I enjoy the work of all 3 of those performers.

 

[Bat-Gasm]

Ya' I still disagree. Especially mentioning Lucas.... I'm glad Cameron doesn't make movies often, makes them better. Given the plot of Avatar, if he made a movie every say...2-3 years I wold probably criticize the man as much as I do Lucas.

 

[redhawk23]

because a person can only have one single defining attribute apparently. no more can a man be multidimensional and have different hobbies and life ambitions, oh no, he can only have one, and stick to it.

As Robert Heinlein once said, specialization is for ants.

 

[echostation]

I guess Bill Gates when asked if he prefers his computer side or charity side and he said that's like choosing between his two children, you'd force him to choose his computer side cuz that's what he's mostly known for right? Despite all the massive benefits his foundation has helped with India's polio problem and literacy and all the other projects he helps manage and many micromanage as well, you'd still want to put him to working on his microsoft and computer based side of things as he can only serve one function right? Let others pick up the slack and do the other work for him.

What a naive, poorly thought out and selfish POV you have... I thank that that other forum members who have responded on here have some good moral fiber in them to fully demonstrate over and over how ridiculous you sound.

 

[Thebumwhowalks]

Wait for someone else to do it, what a dumb precept... Do you recycle? or are you the type that says, oh someone else will do it. Anything that can contribute to benefiting those around us is part of a basic moral spectrum of human goodness and the fact that you're detracting that from Cameron seriously puts your entire moral framework and character into question.

I think people should do what they are best at, Cameron is not one of the world's top scientists, he is however, one of the world's top filmakers.
I already said that it's all well and good for him to get involved in worthy projects, but people are also given artistic talent for a reason, and if their talents are not being developed as well as they should, or being as practised as much as they should, then that is wrong, imo.

I also think that people are dissing the creative arts far too much in here, as if mankind does not progress through artistic expression.
where would the world be without poetry, painting, filmaking, music etc...we would be a bunch of boring bastards that where the world would be, with no expression of the soul.

He's not trying to cure cancer here is he?

Moral framework? I do have one, as you can plainly see if you read my posts properly, which you plainly have not bothered to.

 

[RKO]

Anyway. I can't wait for the announcement on Tuesday. Should be pretty exciting.

 

[echostation]

You're the one whose arguing that he's squandering his time... I'm putting other examples in context and have thoroughly proven you wrong and now you're just trying to back peddle uselessly from your own ill thought out poor completely moronic arguments. Enough with you, as you're a clear waste of time and a troll.

Back to the thread, I wonder how they would try to approach an asteroid? Would it be via robotics or harvesting minerals from other planets possibly? One challenge that puzzles me is, and please correct me if I'm totally wrong here for those who are good at engineering, space and physics, none of which I'm an expert on, how would they make machinery that would be able to land on hurtling fast moving asteroids or meteor rocks which would be able to detach itself from such rocks and come back to Earth with these rich minerals? Or am I completely misunderstanding the idea here?

 

[Matt Mortem]

I think people should do what they are best at, Cameron is not one of the world's top scientists, he is however, one of the world's top filmakers.
I already said that it's all well and good for him to get involved in worthy projects, but people are also given artistic talent for a reason, and if their talents are not being developed as well as they should, or being as practised as much as they should, then that is wrong, imo.

I also think that people are dissing the creative arts far too much in here, as if mankind does not progress through artistic expression.
where would the world be without poetry, painting, filmaking, music etc...we would be a bunch of boring bastards that where the world would be, with no expression of the soul.

He's not trying to cure cancer here is he?

Moral framework? I do have one, as you can plainly see if you read my posts properly, which you plainly have not bothered to.

I really want to argue against what you're saying, but I just don't know where to begin. Nobody is dissing the arts, nor saying that they're unimportant, but if a man has decided that exploration is just as important as making a movie why is that a problem? Your point of view on this is impossibly selfish and stubborn and all around asinine. James Cameron made a few good movies therefore he should never EVER do anything but make movies. You say that Cameron should only focus on making movies because they are other people to handle the boring non-movie science crap. On the other side of the coin aren't there other filmmakers? There are plenty of people that can churn out film after film. IMHO it takes someone special, like Cameron, to add a sense of wonder and excitement to innovation and exploration. People like, some even love, James Cameron. By focusing on deep sea exploration and space travel, those endeavours are going to get media attention. Would the news have made a headline out of a scientist going to the lowest depth in the ocean? Doubt it, but James Cameron got a headline out of it, thereby bringing awareness to it.

 

[Bat-Gasm]

You're the one whose arguing that he's squandering his time... I'm putting other examples in context and have thoroughly proven you wrong and now you're just trying to back peddle uselessly from your own ill thought out poor completely moronic arguments. Enough with you, as you're a clear waste of time and a troll.

Back to the thread, I wonder how they would try to approach an asteroid? Would it be via robotics or harvesting minerals from other planets possibly? One challenge that puzzles me is, and please correct me if I'm totally wrong here for those who are good at engineering, space and physics, none of which I'm an expert on, how would they make machinery that would be able to land on hurtling fast moving asteroids or meteor rocks which would be able to detach itself from such rocks and come back to Earth with these rich minerals? Or am I completely misunderstanding the idea here?

I think they need to contact Michael Bay.

 

[obin_gam]

Back to the thread, I wonder how they would try to approach an asteroid? Would it be via robotics or harvesting minerals from other planets possibly? One challenge that puzzles me is, and please correct me if I'm totally wrong here for those who are good at engineering, space and physics, none of which I'm an expert on, how would they make machinery that would be able to land on hurtling fast moving asteroids or meteor rocks which would be able to detach itself from such rocks and come back to Earth with these rich minerals? Or am I completely misunderstanding the idea here?

It will sure be interesting on tuesday what they say. Hopefully they have some sort of strategy on this. To use human labour, while it sounds exiting and awesome (space truckin' YEAH ) sounds very risky and just not logistically possible. Mostly I think because of the time it will take for the equipment/load to travel to and from these mining sites.

If someone who is knowledgeable of the time-scale of interplanetary travel could make and educated guess that would be great

 

[Matt Mortem]

You're the one whose arguing that he's squandering his time... I'm putting other examples in context and have thoroughly proven you wrong and now you're just trying to back peddle uselessly from your own ill thought out poor completely moronic arguments. Enough with you, as you're a clear waste of time and a troll.

Back to the thread, I wonder how they would try to approach an asteroid? Would it be via robotics or harvesting minerals from other planets possibly? One challenge that puzzles me is, and please correct me if I'm totally wrong here for those who are good at engineering, space and physics, none of which I'm an expert on, how would they make machinery that would be able to land on hurtling fast moving asteroids or meteor rocks which would be able to detach itself from such rocks and come back to Earth with these rich minerals? Or am I completely misunderstanding the idea here?

I'm not an astrophysicist, but I imagine they would send probes and drones to do the bulk of the mining, it's just more cost effective that way. The science of it intrigues me a lot. Landing on a planet that is moving relatively slow in comparison to a comet or asteroid isn't too difficult for NASA these days, but landing on a celestial body thats hauling ass through space will be quite the undertaking. I can't wait to find out how they do it.

 

[Thebumwhowalks]

I really want to argue against what you're saying, but I just don't know where to begin. Nobody is dissing the arts, nor saying that they're unimportant, but if a man has decided that exploration is just as important as making a movie why is that a problem? Your point of view on this is impossibly selfish and stubborn and all around asinine. James Cameron made a few good movies therefore he should never EVER do anything but make movies. You say that Cameron should only focus on making movies because they are other people to handle the boring non-movie science crap. On the other side of the coin aren't there other filmmakers? There are plenty of people that can churn out film after film. IMHO it takes someone special, like Cameron, to add a sense of wonder and excitement to innovation and exploration. People like, some even love, James Cameron. By focusing on deep sea exploration and space travel, those endeavours are going to get media attention. Would the news have made a headline out of a scientist going to the lowest depth in the ocean? Doubt it, but James Cameron got a headline out of it, thereby bringing awareness to it.

Good response, thank you, it's fine to disagree, all I want is decency from people when debating with me, like you have shown here(although you did come in at me with an outright insult earlier, so i guess you calmed down with your anger at disagreeing with me).

Man, as I said, I can't fault the guy for following his passions, but I *can* fault him for leaving some of his artistic garden unattended, and suffering as a result. As I was saying, he wants to be a creative writer too, taking sole credit for his screenplays now(as he did for his last two motion pictures), so if he wants to do that, and have it measure up to his visual skills, then he *has* to buckle down to writing *a lot*, all the time.
This is all i have been saying in one way or another, I don't like to see an artist not fulfill his potential, or do the job to the best of his ability, *when that is what they are best at*, as opposed to focusing on other endeavors that , y'know, a lot of other people could do in his absence.