Seasteading is the concept of creating permanent dwellings at sea, called seasteads, outside the territory claimed by any government. - Wikipedia

submitted by magnora7 from en.wikipedia.org

all 27 comments
sorted by:
top
newinsightfulfun

[–]Tom_BombadilBombadildo 6 insightful - 1 fun6 insightful - 0 fun7 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

I visited the "Japanese Floating City" many many times as a child.

Below are a few photos and links.

http://jdpecon.com/expo/wfokinawa1975.html

https://render.fineartamerica.com/images/rendered/default/poster/10/8/break/images-medium-5/aqua-polis-the-floating-city-for-expo-75-in-okinawa-retro-images-archive.jpg

Below is a small excerpt from 2000 when it was decommissioned (opened 1975); from a Saturday evening edition no less.

https://web.archive.org/web/20080529032955/http://www.okinawatimes.co.jp/eng/20001028.html

A one of a kind project build to "World Expo '75".

It was really a marvel to see, and it was completely open to the public. It survived numerous typhoons while i lived on the island (and many more since).

I hadn't thought of it for years, and it would be high on my to-do list if I ever made it back to Japan.

There was a section that had large horizontal tubes filled with water in the X-axis and Y-axis, so you could visualize the subtle movement of the floating city, and see that it was indeed floating on huge pontoons.

It's sad when one of a kind marvels like this disappear. I feel lucky to have visited it as often as I did.

[–]magnora7[S] 4 insightful - 2 fun4 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 2 fun -  (2 children)

That's cool! I've never heard about that one.

I've only heard about Sealand: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principality_of_Sealand

[–]Tom_BombadilBombadildo 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

That's awesome.

Where can I find an abandoned sea fortress???

[–]magnora7[S] 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

Yeah I know, right. How did he even find that to buy in the first place

[–]Canbot 3 insightful - 3 fun3 insightful - 2 fun4 insightful - 3 fun -  (1 child)

Check out sailingzatara, sailing la vagabonde, sailing oceans, etc. That is the real seasteading.

[–]magnora7[S] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I get what you're saying but the "steading" in "sea-steading" means to stay in the exact same spot in the sea. It's possible to moor out in a free area long-term, but usually if it's shallow enough to moor then it's not in international waters

[–]bobbobbybob 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I've been dreaming a little about that.

[–]daveeee 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

It looks like it'd make an interesting level in the OG Tomb Raider games.

[–]filbs111 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

With the escalation of "just build your own", it's going to come to this at some point!

[–]HK51 1 insightful - 3 fun1 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 3 fun -  (4 children)

Yeah, I know how it's works: first register some shitty building on the rich plot of land - like a hut for a hunter or whatever, then since a building should have some land to it (to service it or whatever), go to corrupt official (or be the one) and tell him to give you two square miles of land, since you have a building on it. Same here - each "seastead" will claim waters around them for themselves: go-go fishers!

[–][deleted] 4 insightful - 2 fun4 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 2 fun -  (3 children)

Its more like building a ship, sailing out into international waters and declaring independence

[–]beermeem 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

Somebody saw Pirate Radio.

[–][deleted] 3 insightful - 2 fun3 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 2 fun -  (1 child)

Somebody saw Pirate Radio.

I didn't but I'm guessing I should.

[–]beermeem 1 insightful - 2 fun1 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

Eh. It was not entirely a waste of 90 minutes. As far as movies about the time go, it's one of the few so that makes it fun but the fun mostly stops there.

[–]beermeem 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I remember being semi-fascinated with Sealand years ago. Interesting that people are now designing these. Baba Vanga says aliens will help us live under water. Not sure why we’d need to but maybe it’s because there’s a hole, there’s a hole, there’s a hole at the bottom of the sea.

Personally I’d be scared to live on one. But maybe if it had the technology to move around based on weather. That’d be sweet.

[–]blowininthewind 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

reminds you of the free folks from the game of thrones.

[–]kokolokoNightcrawler 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

I'm sure you mean the Ironborn, from the Iron islands

[–]blowininthewind 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

well, it's more like the free folks imho. the ironborn is a feudal society who rivaled the north in its history and worshiped Drown Gods, somewhat like medieval Japanese view on death, while the free folks are more of a tribal society and a true isolated power of the lands.

[–][deleted] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (7 children)

...but what about pirates?

If you leave it alone someone might come and plunder your shit.

[–]magnora7[S] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (6 children)

Yeah that's probably the biggest worry tbh. But most pirates aren't off the California coast, for example.

Like here's a map of every pirate attack that happened in 2019: https://keyassets.timeincuk.net/inspirewp/live/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2016/03/Screen-Shot-2016-03-22-at-09.46.51.jpg

So it looks like if you go off the Americas you're mostly safe (except for the southern Caribbean)

[–][deleted] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (5 children)

However if you create a market for it, where all someone has to do is rent a boat to loot your stuff without any legal repercussions.

People respond to rewards, if a safety exploit is found from which people can easily profit it tends to become common place. Like glass breaking to steal from vehicles. ...or copper theft. If those seasteads start getting popular then an environment where piracy is easy and profitable is created.

[–]magnora7[S] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (4 children)

However if you create a market for it, where all someone has to do is rent a boat to loot your stuff without any legal repercussions.

I mean, you're assuming people won't defend their own property... someone who has the means to build a seasteading base in international waters probably also has the means to defend themselves properly. And then if you go off countries with low incidences of this, it's probably not something you'd ever have to worry about realistically.

[–][deleted] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

Someone who has the means for buying a yatch or a cargo ship surely has the means to defend their property, however Somali pirates think other wise.

How much defense and of what type? Do they leave someone aboard at all time?

Historical precedent: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principality_of_Sealand#Attack_in_1978_and_the_Sealand_Rebel_Government

How about people who pretend to be sailors in trouble and might be a trojan? Are you going to shoot them on sight? If you don't you already failed at security.

On a personal note: Do you have plenty of free time? If so would you mind if I made a suggestion that would broaden your view.

[–]magnora7[S] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

however Somali pirates think other wise.

Yeah that's why you don't build near somalia, like I said lol

If you are in international waters then you can defend yourself as you please. There are lots of hypotheticals, but it's no more dangerous than any other home defense hypothetical situation, imo

[–][deleted] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

Somali pirates arouse because there was a environment that made it easy and potentially profitable.

...also, hypotheticals??? I provided you a link with historical precedent in an area of the world far safer than the US coast.

[–]magnora7[S] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Hm yeah I just read the article and it is pretty bad. But I think if you keep a low profile it's doable, I dunno

[–]JasonCarswellMental Orgy 1 insightful - 2 fun1 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

/s/seasteading