The new frontier

"The ideals of a people, their aspirations and convictions, their hopes and ambitions, their dreams and determinations, are assets in their civilization as real and important as per capita wealth or industrial skill." -Pioneer Ideals and the State University 


From the beginning our nation, pioneers have kept one common ideal: conquest. The first pioneers had to fight with nature for the chance to exist. Burning, cutting, fighting just to let the sun reach a few dozen acres of farming land. Soon, the pioneer made way all the way to the west coast. California is a beautiful example of the accomplishments of our original pioneers. For a beautiful work on this, refer to Jeffrey Whitlock's "The Frontier and the City of Angels".

But what happened once we conquered the land? Where to next? where was our conquering spirit to go? And where are the boundaries of complete knowledge? Here are some short examples of how many areas we have to explore, and how, in the year 2010, we are still making new, world-changing discoveries.






A new species of fish was discovered living in the Peru-Chile trench of the South East Pacific Ocean at a depth of 22,966 ft (7,000m) or 4.35 miles!!!! Discoverer of this new species, Dr. Alan Jamieson, states, "Our findings, which revealed diverse and abundant species at depths previously thought to be void of fish, will prompt a rethink into marine populations at extreme depths." This is a new frontier.

A research team in Sweden discovered two new proteins that are important to the survival of Streptococcus gordonii, a bacteria that causes endocarditis and infections associated with implants. With the enhanced knowledge of how bacteria fasten to surfaces, it will be easier to find effective new strategies to treat infection and disease of the heart and implant organs. 

Economist Cindy Wagner suggests that "a globally accepted networked currency would reduce costs and alleviate many problems." Just look at how much money has changed. Some laundry machines only accept cash-value cards. Phone, gas, and water companies encourage automatic payments through banks. Money (foldable bills and clinky coins) is inconvenient. Traceable digital coins can hinder illegal activity, making it hard to steal. The OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) describes digital money as "network based, transparent, easy to use, and highly secure." The digital-money world would be beneficial to the knowledge economy, which makes intangible goods like ideas and creativity, easy to buy and sell. Just look at the music industry.

These are examples of new frontiers we are making. Each one of us embodies the pioneer spirit. So find something you are passionate about, explore it, discover! who knows? it could change the world!