Internal Sustainability (biodome lifestyle)

So I think that in order for a country to maintain the status of "country" they should have to prove internal sustainability. This would mean that the country could support all of it's occupants without any help/supplies/good/services/etc. from any other entity outside of the country. I wonder how many countries wouldn't be able to do this... I say give every country 20 years to make this change and if they can't, they lose their status as a country. A good approach would seem to be allocating food, power, fuel usage, etc. and halting all immigration. It might also be wise to set up an area within the country (maybe 15%) that is to be considered non-country area. Those people who do not wish to live within the restraints of the new country organization can move to the "non-country" area and attempt to lead a new Lawless, helpless lifestyle. If after the 20 year limit has passed and the country cannot become self sustaining then other countries would have the option of bidding for land to claim for their own country. They would then get 5 years to prove they can self-sustain with the new addition of land to their country. Also after the 20 years has passed and a country proves it can self-sustain, any delegated "non-country" area can be reclaimed assuming the "non-country" area has not acheived self sustainability in which case it would be declared a new country. This new country would then have the option of rejoining it's former country or maintaining separatism. I think it could work... maybe...

Free time

How come I feel like the older I get, the less free time I have? I thought somewhere along the line technology was supposed to come in and help everyone get things done faster, but either it's not working or things are getting done too fast and then other things rush in to fill the void. Maybe I'm just getting lazy and so it feels like I have less time to do things because I'm only really doing stuff for less time in the day. It seems to me that clothing manufacturers should be able to make stink-free clothes that require no washing (or at least very little). I think this would free up some time... And what ever happened to businesses going paperless? Now instead of only getting paper receipts for things I also get email and online receipts that I have to keep track of. Maybe I just need to stop watching TV... then I might feel like I have more time... I don't know.

Electric-powered wheels

So I was thinking (again on the drive to work) that it would be nice to have a car who's wheels were powered by electric motors. Then these motors could still be powered by a standard gasoline engine, but you would have greater control over things such as traction and fuel economy. Say for instance you wanted to save gas on your drive; you simply switch off all but one wheel and that is used to move your car forward... if the road becomes slippery or icy you could "turn on" the other wheels to add traction while reducing fuel economy. Seems like a good idea to me, especially with gas prices as high as they are. It would be really usefull on my Wrangler; saving me lots of gas on the drive to work and back.