Update 2: OCTOBER 23, 2019

Time for our second weekly update on the Power Struggle superthreat.

Firstly, congratulations to everyone who completed our weekly missions and earned badges by introducing new SEHIs to the Superstruct cause (over 5,100 volunteers and counting!) and encourgaing cooperation, taking a lead from PlatonicJensen's essential Facilitators superstructure. The current missions are always listed on the main Power Struggle page.

Judging by the response we're clearly able to rely on you and stretch you a little more in our collective quest to reshape the future. Do feel free to suggest missions that you feel a number of SEHIs could usefully get involved with too - in just the short time Superstruct has been active we've pushed the Global Extinction Awareness System (GEAS) survival horizon back six years to 2048, but personally I'd like a longer future than that, so we have plenty yet to do. I'd especially like to see more contributions to the discussions in the PowerStruggle section of the site. There are a lot of you starting discussions but not so many contributing to the existing ones - it can feel like csven and I are holding court at times!   Badges are on offer for those who bring useful contributions to the table.

Of course, the worrying development this week has been the arrest of GEAS president Dr. Audrey Chen and her team by the US Department of Justice. The one organisation that's actually doing something concrete, organised and constructive about facing up to the challenges of our times and this happens. It seems the proverbial ostrich not only has its head in the sand - it's also blindly kicking out at anyone who might want to take a look around...

There's all sorts of speculation as to the reasons behind all this, but for now the most important thing we can all do is show our support for Dr. Chen. Post this banner everywhere you can.

Anyway, I guess we all have to get on with our own personal struggles in the meantime, so my thanks to all those who have been sharing their stories of toning down their power needs in response to last week's update. And of course it's great to be hearing more tales of local ingenuity, fun, idea sharing and those little day-to-day successes (eek, welcome back to the magical world of the internet, but one hint - turn up the volume!)

What's really caught my eye this week though has been that many seem to be moving their thoughts beyond their own personal struggles and triumphs and starting to grapple with bigger issues like monetary systems and the nature of wealth, unity and division and the maintenance of our collective environment (thanks for this one rtgarden2019 - as the Chinese have always said, the best time to plant a tree was thirty years ago, the next best time is now).

In particular I've been affected by seeing SEHIs taking a long view on the past, thinking big about the future, and perhaps most crucially of all, reminding us to live in the present.

With all these thoughts in mind, it's been great to see some of the challenges we're all facing in bringing up the next generation being addressed in creative ways and in good spirits. On a personal note, I guess it happens to all of us, but October 18th 2019 was officially the first day I truly felt old - I was astonished to learn what the teenagers are up to in Europe. Clearly impressing the cute girl from your neighbourhood remains the most powerful motivation known to man, and we oldies might need to learn a few new tricks ourselves!

I predicted last week that we'd be seeing a lot more engagement from businesses and government, but as yet (with one or two notable exceptions) they seem to be stuck in response mode rather than taking the opportunity to get proactive. Having said that, I do wonder about the origins of the mysterious 'drpeppa' who turned up to defend the (surely discredited by now!) free-market ideology. Maybe they know that actually nobody much cares for their opinions right now, and have decided to go for a more 'stealth' approach?

Speaking of which, someone clearly has the energy to be running stealth tech on airships, and I'd be surprised if there weren't a government or big corporation involved in that somewhere along the line... On the other hand I wouldn't put anything past Thomas Ubiquitous (AKA Infrarad), founder of the legendary Open Source Scientists, who has clearly found something new to spend his time on... He may be the original competitive collaborator, but I hope he meets his match this time!

On that note, a couple of useful tools have been launched to help you out:

Firstly, we have the sehi-cens.us. This was created by Foundation and allows you to quickly identify colleague SEHIs who are with you in any Superstructures, as well as a number of other features. Check it out.

Secondly, a brilliant Superstructure has just been launched by lehall and some co-conspirators - if you feel that your own Superstructure has stalled, or you're not sure how to move it forward and contribute to a better future then get in touch with the Mission Makers. They'll help you give Infrarada run for his money. Good luck!

And my final word for this week - a lot has changed over the past few millenia, but the best ways to keep fit and warm are just what they've always been - an honest day's work and a good night's company.

Here's to many more centuries of good company.

~DarkOptimism (Shaun, Santa Maria, Azores) and csven (Sven, New England), October 23, 2019.