When I've asked people who are well-informed about ag-tech, they've generally said that the costs of electricity are way too high for indoor farms to be practical.https://twitter.com/balajis/status/1160425211818176512 …
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"But most people can't afford to save $1M!"....exactly. If you want fully-automated-luxury-autarky to be available to all, it needs to be *more* affordable than frugal early retirement, not less so. $1M is an upper bound; you'd have to do much *better* to get mass adoption.
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What you need is for the cost of the tools/equipment/materials to produce food, water, and power, plus the land in a much more remote location, to be cheaper than groceries/electric bill/gasoline plus the cost of a house within driving distance of stores.
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I don't know the current costs of automated farming and electricity generation well enough to know how close we are to this; I welcome other people with figures. (
@perrymetzger?)Show this thread -
My suspicion, however, is that automated farming driven by renewable energy will be practical for agriculture corporations before it's practical for household autarkists. (Just as computers were worth investing in for companies before they were cost-effective for individuals.)
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If you want to expand autarky now, here's an idea: build apps that help with the intimidating cognitive work required to be frugal enough for early retirement.
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Frugality takes a lot more thinking and planning than spending. Budgeting, yes, but also scheduling (because you're doing a lot of chores/errands yourself instead of paying for convenience), planning (because buying in bulk or on sale), and learning skills (like cooking)
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This type of cognitive load is exactly what apps can help with. "Gosh I should learn to (cook, drive, repair my home, play an instrument) but when will I have the time?" is a question a scheduling app should be able to answer!
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End of conversation
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