I think it is worth reading, but rather than simply copy/paste it here, I think it is better if you go to his site, read the original post, and the following comments.

http://www.spacepolitics.com/2008/01/18/prospace-agenda-and-activism-issues/#comment-34675

On thing I can say - for sure - is that this form of political activism is working.  Maybe not the way CNN expected, but working none-the-less.

Finally, I am a big supporter of ProSpace, and will try my damnedest to get to DC for the March Storm.  It was a great experience a few years ago, and i think this year will be amazing.

Take care.  mjl

Nothing about space on last night’s debate, but we didn’t have much time to organize that. However, we have about 2 weeks left - and a lot to do.

Please pass the word - vote on current questions (Rep and Dems) and create your own question. (http://dyn.politico.com/debate/) And let’s see if we can get a “story” generated with the help of the press.

Thanks.

MJL

P.s. This is NOT a “space elevator” task, but a “we need to get ourselves out into space - for everyone” mission. The following is the message I got from John!

mjl

_____

Mjl:

I want to be involved with organizing and supporting the space communities involvement in the political process. I identified the process on politico and sent messages to the operators of spacepolitics.com, nasawatch.com, space.com, marssociety.org, SpaceX.com, spacehab.com , faculty in planetary geology and science at several universities, thespaceshow.com, bigelowaerospace.com, members of Boeing Space Exploration down in Houston, some members of Science at NASA podcast’s publication team, the facebook marssociety members, the operators of the facebook groups: “support space exploration,” “supporters of mars direct,” and “the official nasa facebook group,” to name a few. I started sending out these messages on Saturday night, and I believe that they have had a major impact.

I believe that we can organize the space community into a forceful tool that can speak loud and clear in a unified way.

One of the problems that I see with the current organizations is that they are often to specific, and while there needs to be groups that are pushing specific initiatives, the fact that they charge to be members and that they exclude some of the space community hampers their growth and effectiveness. Perhaps we should have a new website ( spaceactive.com or something) that was free and had a constantly updated list of current legislation, debates, important politicians; as well as tools like fax.marssociety.org that allowed you to call, write, fax, or text message politicians and legislators. It could become a regular place for people to stop on the Internet and do something frequently to push the space agenda.

Let me know what you think.

Ad Astra,

John

____

I think he has a great idea. So, if you want to get involved, send an email (and comment on this page) to info at liftport dot com with the subject “Political Will” and we will contact you.

Take care. mjl

***Update*** www.actionforspace.com is now live, and ready to get to work!

http://www.spacepolitics.com/2008/01/15/getting-space-questions-into-campaign-debates/

This blog post of his got me thinking, and I decided to take some action.

Read the entry and the comments over there, and then commit to taking this same action yourself, please.

This is a golden opportunity. My comments are below, and I would love to hear some remarks. If you do decide to post something on your own blog, feel free to use my words, or create your own. But please link in my info at liftport dot com address for email, as I think a mailing list of space activists might be very powerful in the future… and I think/hope your blogs and newsletters will reach beyond the typical space advocacy community.

Thanks. Take care. Mjl
________

Well, with 2 weeks left until the events, “Space” has 2 questions in the top 10, and 4 questions in the top 20… so, if we can keep up the presence and activity, and make sure we vote on each others topics, we are bound to get some of our questions asked/answered.

My request/suggestion - to forward to whatever mailing lists you have available, and ask that every person in the space activist/advocacy/think-its-cool community, respond to the space questions and ‘vote’ for what is important to them.

Does anyone remember that during dark-ages of the Internet, People magazine posted a poll for the “most beautiful person in the world”… and Howard Stern fans nominated (and won in a landslide - Hank, the Angry Drunken Dwarf… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hank_the_Angry_Drunken_Dwarf).

I would submit that ‘where this country goes, and what we do in space’, is significantly more important than who is the prettiest person. SO, why not rally the troops, and flood this site with the questions we want answers to? Why not vote on the issues that are important to us, and make a political statement in the process?

I’ve got a mailing list. So do many of the people that read and contribute to this site. Why not see what kind of muscle we have, and make our voice heard. The Mars Society has already sent a notice to its members. What about the Planetary and National Space Societies? What about Space Generation and Yuri’s Night? What about the students and the professors and people that work at Boeing and LockMart? What about the NASA, FAA, and NRO folks? What about the army of Science Fiction fans (worldwide) that are “true-believers” and think that ‘going to space matters’.

I propose we each do 3 things:

• Register with Politico (http://dyn.politico.com/debate/) and write 1 question for both the republican and democratic debates. I used the same question, and posted it 3 times, under the headings of “Leadership”, “Economy” and “Education”, to each party.
• Then vote on at least 15 space-themed questions that other people proposed. Remember to vote for your own question, too. I followed links from “most recent”, “most popular” and by “topic” to find the questions I wanted to vote on.
• Finally, pass this message on, via blogs, newsletters or direct comments. If you have the power to Digg or Slashdot a message, and get wider distribution, do it. If you have media influence and can get a story written about this coordinated effort, do it. Personally commit to 5 people that will follow these 3 steps.

The way I figure, it can’t hurt, and it would be a rare case of the space ‘community’ acting as a true community. You do not need to be a citizen of the US to participate. And the way I figure it, this set of space questions will affect the whole planet, so we might as well get the global space community involved.

One thing that I want to caution against – please – you can write your own question, and vote on whichever questions matter to you. But, please, don’t divide “US” into:

• Mars vs. Moon,
• Manned vs. Robots,
• Earth Studies vs. Solar System,
• NASA vs. Commercial vs. Military, or
• California vs. Texas vs. Florida.

My goal in this is not to set an agenda of “my vision is better than your vision”. That sort of in-fighting is too common in our community. My goal here is to have, at the end of the day, our (potential) political leadership hear that “WE” care about space - and that there is Federal level support for our combined goals. Once the national budget and goals are affirmed, we can then continue with our informed debate on the merits of one vision over the other.

I am not a “single-issue” voter. And I suspect that most of you are not either.

However, wouldn’t it be interesting if, by banding together, we were able to influence whom the next President of the United States were? These debates are perfect leverage points for us. We have the ability, and the reach, and the passion and the vision to make a statement that could change the world. Why not use it, and do some good? Wouldn’t it be worth the effort, if we, through these 3 simple steps, were to influence who was chosen as the leader of the United States of America. Wouldn’t it be worth the effort of these 3 simple steps if that leader were chosen because they inspired hope, and were – in fact – leading this nation (and the world) in the direction of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. And wouldn’t it be even better if they actually understood why STEM mattered in the first place.

We have a unique opportunity. Let us take it!

I will do my part. Will you do yours?

Take care. Mjl

P.s. If you want to email me, please do. Info at liftport dot com, and use the subject “political will”. I would love to get a feel for what sort of grass root activism is available ‘out there’. If there is enough, I will formalize things a bit, and create a mailing list, to keep people informed and updated. I think this particular action is short-lived (the debate is in 2 weeks), but if there is demand for it, and unity, then this list might have value later in the year.
Mjl.

***Update*** www.actionforspace.com is now live, and ready to get to work!

Well, that code from Del.Icio.Us didn’t work the way I hoped it would. It is constantly updating. As I add in new links, (8 new ones today) they rise to the top, and the links that I actually posted today, are shifting to the bottom, and eventually out of the field. While I can see that this would be helpful to most people using this tool, this is not what I wanted at all. I guess there isn’t anyway to just ‘lock down’ certain links, without massive edit of the code, and if I were going to do that, I would just write my own damn HTML file, and be done with it. Not going to happen.

Well, if it has to be this way, hopefully you will take the time to review my links, and that this commentary makes sense.

I think the ones that are the most connected to the Space Elevator are the 2 regarding the Chinese test of their Anti-Satellite rocketry last year. Further, the essay (Bob Munck alert, it is a 3M Pdf) from Patti Grace Smith is a “must read” for anyone in the space industry. It is a great pep-talk, about why we are doing what we are doing.

More tomorrow. Take care.
MJL

I hope you like it, and are curious enough to follow the links. Feel free to Set up an account and follow what I am linking to. I will post on the blog, with new links, and you can remark, here, if you wish. I am going to do this a couple times a week. I will do my best to provide some sort of commentary on each of the links, as to why I think it matters.

I’d appreciate comments on the articles; if they are helpful in understanding the project better, if they are interesting, if they spark some thoughts or questions about the direction I am taking, or whatever else crosses your mind?

Take care. Mjl

… and here is wishing high hopes and a prosperous future to you and yours. Ad astra, y’all.

Anyway, the movers will be here in 2 hours, and my Internet access (and the computers managing it) will be packed in 45 minutes.

Wish us luck, a lot depends on this new location.

Take care.  mjl

Get your own TokBox at www.tokbox.com.

So, I put this together. In my life, I have traveled to every state, except Hawaii, and I have lived in 9 states and 5 countries. But for these 2 maps, I specifically limited it to trips I took to develop the Elevator. You see, there is a lot you can do with a phone or an email address, but some things just need to be done in person. I have been very fortunate, and hope it will continue. I love traveling, so this nomadic lifestyle really works for me.

create your own visited states map
or check out these Google Hacks.

This next map is the same thing, only bigger - the world. I really love this job! For this project to work, it is going to take a global effort. You will know we are making progress when this map is more complete.

create your own visited countries map
or vertaling Duits Nederlands

I will update this periodically. If you have an event or would like me to speak to a school, organization or business about this project, please contact me.

Take care.

mjl

—Canned Signature File—
Find the SpaceElevatorGuy (Michael Laine) on the ‘net:
President - LiftPort Group - The Elevator to Space Companies
Presence: http://spaceelevatorguy.jaiku.com/
Bookmarks: http://del.icio.us/SpaceElevatorGuy
Images: http://www.flickr.com/photos/space_elevator/
Video: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=ElevatorToSpace
Blog: http://www.liftport.com/progress/wp/
Social Network: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/5/a95/933
Email: info (at) liftport (dot) com

What I was thinking of, was to develop a dangling ribbon, that would fall below the gondola of a large balloon. And then building a Lifter robot that could climb in that extreme environment.

That environment is no joke: -20 – -70C for between 2-5 hours of operation at 35K high, and then, waiting around in the cold for 36 hours, while they recover everything. The ‘bot must withstand a thump, when it falls to the ground with a parachute. Oh, and it only has 10millibars of atmosphere at that height.

So what does this all mean to a robot? It needs to be tough, and control its temperature, and battery usage. It needs to be able to handle the cold, and the brittleness that those temperatures create. It needs to be able to stay lubricated (and not have motors freeze up). These are not simple tasks.

This sort of project was slated in our LiftPort Roadmap. First, we were to do a 3K test. We prepared it, but never actually ran it. We considered our 1Mile test sufficient and were moving on past that. Last summer we were working on an 8K test, but that ran into all sorts of roadblocks – you know about them already, no money and no time. So, while there has been a lot of work done on a robot that could endure the lower part of this environment, including a “5mile high” robot, it’s never actually climbed into the sky. In 2011, when we were to tackle the 30K altitude, we had intended that to also be a laser-powered ‘bot as well.

To stay on schedule with our Road map, we have to achieve 3K, battery powered climb in 2008, 8k on batteries or laser in 2009, and then 30K on laser in 2011.So the 30K test needs to be broken into subcomponent tests. Working with ESA would be great, in that they will pay for the most expensive part – the lift itself! So, “all” we have to do, is build a robot that can climb on a string.

Anyone interested in working on this, together? Leave a remark, and I will email you.

Take care. mjl

More information here:
http://www.esa.int/esaED/SEM7IA53R8F_index_0.html
http://esamultimedia.esa.int/docs/edu/bexus_tech.pdf (bob munck alert)
http://www.liftport.com/papers/SE_Roadmap_v1beta.pdf (bob munck alert)

Read past his cartoons (which I think are sometimes clever, sometimes dark/ironic, and sometimes sad) down to the post where he is re-prioritizing his life and personal/professional goals. I can relate.

Anyway, I commented on his post, and thought it would be relevant to you guys.

If you are interested, follow this guy. His views on marketing in a connected world are terrific. And his essays make great reading, because they are 1) thought provoking 2) funny 3) make you add to your to-do-list, in an action-oriented way.

I especially like this essay, but he has bunches that are very good:
http://www.gapingvoid.com/Moveable_Type/archives/000932.html

Although he is best known for his cartoons, I think his essays are the real gold in his site.

Take care. Mjl

p.s. It is a coincidence that he posted this yesterday, as I will be posting 2 landmark essays myself, today. I tried getting these done before thanksgiving, but who am I kidding? It was thanksgiving, and my dad was home from Iraq, so I had other things to do. His change in focus and priorities mimics my own.

Hugh,

We have passed a few emails, regarding “change the world, or go home” and how it has been my company’s motto (for LiftPort - The Elevator to Space Companies) for a couple years now.

The idea of the phrase resonates with me, and the rest of my team. And there are times when you have a really bad day (http://www.liftport.com/progress/wp/?p=1139) and everything comes crashing down around you.

At that point, you have no option but to consider what the hell you are doing, and why, and come up with a plan that works.

It is good to know that you had that crisis moment before, because that is where I am, now. It is also good to know that you are “eating your own dog food” (Microsoft phrase, which I assume you know, but not everyone reading this comment will) and regrouping on your best asset - yourself.

Do yourself the favor of reading “how to be creative” with fresh eyes. Pretend you are one of us, seeing it for the first time. Let it hit you, like it hit us. hard.

I am sure you will find some good stuff in there - we did, which is why we are reading you in the first place.

Take care. Mjl

In response to this blog about the Space Elevator:
http://lifecruiser.com/archive/future-travel-by-nanotube/

Thanks for your interest in the project, we appreciate it.

It will be a great view! As you rise slowly to 22,300 miles above the earth, the planet will shrink and shrink, and over the course of about 1 week, you will loose your “weight”. By the time you get to the station, to have the glass of champagne, it will have to be in a sealed “sippy cup” so that the liquid does not slosh around. But I will be there, in the observation lounge, waiting for you!

And then there is also this one:http://www.linnaeus300.com/the-questions/when-can-we-take-the-elevator-to-heaven/

On this one, I find it very appealing that a researcher is expressing her excitement over building this Elevator - and I had never heard of her before this. It just proves that this idea is taking on a life of its own. I will contact her, and see if she is interested in getting more involved.

SpaceElevatorGuy (Michael Laine (today 19:05)

Developments that help get us into space - cheaply, reliably and safely, will also help feed the poor, and solve real-world problems. The message that i am sending now, is bouncing off a satellite to reach you. you and i share the same concerns about people in developing nations. But the ONLY way to provide enough energy to supply the industrial world AND the developing nations, is to go to space and build enormous solar energy collectors, and beam that power down to earth - for everyone. And the only way to do that, is to build an Elevator to Space. Learn more at www.liftport.com

Take care. mjl

If you follow these links, and decide to remark on them, please try to enlighten and educate. I often see miscommunication, and misunderstandings. I try to clear some of them up, but that is just about a full time job, just connecting to these people. And if you do comment on their site, copy to comment back here, please.

take care. mjl

It has been my sole task for the past 5 years, to figure out a way to tell a story about advanced technologies, the future, and specifically cheap, reliable, and safe access to space. The most effective method I have found is to make the story “personal” to the audience, to intimately involve the people I am speaking to, with the idea I am trying to convey. I have only recently started writing (usually I am a talking storyteller, the old fashioned kind), but I found a book that helped me - a lot - “writing to change the world” by Mary Pipher. I hope this helps you too. http://www.marypipher.net/wtctw.html

Ultimately, I suspect that is why I write such long blog entries, because I am trying to engage people, and that I want help in changing the world. I am told that when I have a live audience, (and when I am “on my game”) that I am good at this. Time will tell if my writing is enough to change the world. I hope so.

Take care. mjl

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2007/01/how_to_be_remar.html

Take care. Mjl

P.S. And from now on, instead of asking you to post a comment, I am going to ask you to post a remark. Also, I read recently that I should be responding to your remarks, instead of just letting them sit there. I have been counseled that this blog is a 2-way feedback loop, and if I just sit back and spew my stuff to you, without responding to your comments, then I am not really getting the “point” of writing a blog in the first place. So, I got that message, and will respond to your remarks from now on. Thanks for indulging me, while I learn this stuff. Take care. MJL

I am not really convinced that there is any “truth” to this. However, at the least, it is entertaining, and at the most, it is mildly educational. Hopefully this value grows as we improve our site and rankings.

Take care. mjl

My blog is worth $16,371.66.
How much is your blog worth?

I hope you like it. Please comment, if you think this is fun or helpful.

Take care. mjl

www.flickr.com More of Space Elevator Guy’s photos tagged with SpaceElevator

Right, so, literally, where have I been? I mean; I had not blogged since mid-July, right? So what have I been doing, since then, and where was I?

Bremerton

Well, as you might expect I spent most of it in beautiful downtown Bremerton. (Too bad you can’t hear sarcasm when you are reading this…) Bremerton is a run down, dump of a town. Really. When interns would come in from all over the world, they would all be disappointed by how blue-collar and ‘scruffy’ the place is. Now, all that is changing, because the city is working on a huge redevelopment project, and my building sits in the middle of that zone. It will be amazing in a couple more years, but for now, it is like a neglected garden – it’s got potential, if you pull the weeds.

Honestly, I won’t miss it. I’ve lived there 13 years, and it is time to move. The time was right, and I made a lot of money in the real estate market there, but I really won’t miss it.

Packing

One thing I can say that was “positive”, is this: If in your life you are ever foreclosed upon (I hope not!) by the bank, I hope that your bank is Evergreen Financial, out of Baltimore. Believe it or not, they were very reasonable and professional about the whole situation. They gave me a lot of time to get organized and things sorted out. A lot more than I expected, that is for sure. Remember back when all this happened? In April, I was concerned about where I was going to live. Well the bank allowed me to keep my apartment and the office in place and functioning, rent free, from April to September.

That gave me enough time to sort a few things out, and it was not the chaotic mess that I was worried about. In contrast, the people who bought the building from the bank issued an announcement that “if I were seen around the building after Sept 1, I would be considered trespassing and would be prosecuted…” I consider that very unfriendly. And unnecessary.

Office

This was a chaotic mess. A disaster. I mean I had to dismantle a working office that had accumulated “stuff” for several years. Some was trashed, some was treasured, much was simply boxed away for some future date to evaluate.

Apartment

This I did most of, by myself. At some level it helped with the grieving process, of coming to terms with the loss.

I want to make one thing clear – I did what I did, because I wanted and believed that I could build this Elevator to Space. I don’t regret any step I took along that path. The path was just a lot more bumpy than I expected. And I stubbed my toe.

But still, I wouldn’t be human if I didn’t grieve or was sad (a lot). So working in my apartment helped a little. And let’s face it, I also “hid out” up there, too. There would be days when I simply could not and would not leave my room. I would sit, in bed, all day long, and read book after book.

Remember what I said the other day about the project being “leaderless”… this is what I mean. I just shut down for days at a time. That lasted most of the summer.

Storage / Equipment

Whether I like it or not, not everything at the building is completed. My friends (MS, LW, AP, RS, and ML) all pitched in when I needed it, and put a bunch of stuff into storage – in the building of all places… So, someday soon, I am going to have to go over there, and get the last of it. But I will call first, let the new owners know, so that I don’t get arrested. Ya gotta know that that sucks.

Working on Tethered Towers

So, what did I do to work on an elevator to space, while I was feeling sorry for myself? I did a pretty lousy job of trying to develop another subsidiary of LiftPort Group – Tethered Towers. I assume you know the plan there – to take what we had learned in robotics, ballooning and communications, and turn that into a revenue producing company. In short, there was no way that was going to happen. No way. We spent the full summer deluding ourselves with it, but by the time we were actively making progress, the other problems (namely cash) were so great that we were quickly paralyzed.

Started

We got off to a pretty good start. Once the initial shock wore off, we had a series of internal meetings to answer the question: What next? I wanted to do one project, but the whole team essentially vetoed me (yes, I might act like Captain Bly sometimes, but I really do listen to my team) and we decided to tackle the balloon/communications plan.

Demo

We had a public demonstration. I will skip the horrid details of that, and just say that things did not go the way we wanted them too. Let me tell ya, a public demonstration of untried technology with an untried team is a disaster wrapped in a bow. We were damn lucky no one got hurt that day. The weather was bad, several parts of our system didn’t work, we (ME!) made some very bad judgment calls, and the really stupid part about that adventure – we spent what little cash we had on it… At this point, without having the constant supply of capital from the building to renew our checkbook, we wasted the one truly irreplaceable asset on this demonstration. This was beyond stupid. Way beyond.

In hindsight, we should never have done that. All I can say for justification, was that I assumed success, and that that success would be broadcast over the ‘net, and it would be a critical component of our sales platform. I think that plan would have worked, if we had had better advance preparation. And more cash in the bank. It was an All-or-Nothing kinda day, and we didn’t treat it like that. It was stupid on so many levels. Is it possible that I was STILL in denial over the situation? I wonder about that sometimes. I just don’t know.

Working on Sales

Despite a pretty dismal demo, we were still able to talk with several people/companies that were interested in our product. After the demo, we concentrated (thanks Looch!) on communicating directly with potential customers. The ironic this is, not one of the potential customers that we were courting actually came to the demo. Our vision of showing off our technical prowess was wasted. The people that braved the rain and wind, were fans, but not clients… maybe that was for the best, that we didn’t embarrass ourselves in front of these hoped-for relationships. We never had to do a demo in the first place (and spend/invest/waste) that money. Because the technology that we demonstrated, and the technology that the customers wanted were different, so they didn’t care about the demo, one way or the other. I find that ironic.

Regardless of the demo, we were actively working about 6 really hot leads, and had another 5 that were warm… I am pretty sure we would have closed on at least 4 of these, and had some of our Tethered Towers hanging in the sky, making us money. There were 2 problems though – one I knew about, and the other was totally unforeseen. The known problem was simple; we were running out of cash, which meant we were running out of time. Some of our contacts were talking about funding cycles that would stretch out into 3-9 months, once it was approved by senior management… I was figuring a timescale of weeks or days, and they were talking about months or a year. In short, we had customers lined up, ready to go, that we cannot act on, because we have run out of time. Remember back in April? I predicted we could last until September? Well, we did, and then we were out of money. My team splintered - it was already weakened, back in April, anyway.

But what about that second “problem” I mentioned? Could that problem be turned into an opportunity? More on that, later. (Do people use foreshadowing in blogs? Do they write epic-length postings? I don’t think they do either, but I don’t know any other way of telling this story, that to tell all of it.)

Personal Vacation

A little while after the Demo, I decided I needed a quick break. Road trips tend to work well for me. I think, I process, I plan. If I have a plan, I have hope. If I have hope, I can take action. The first priority is to have a plan. So, I fly to Phoenix (to see a friend and meet his new wife), then drove to Las Vegas (to see my 89year old Grandmother) then on to San Diego (to hang out with an ex-girlfriend).
Greece

It was when I got back from that trip (just 10 days) that I got a pretty big surprise. I was asked to go to Greece for a conference on “advanced technologies, but we really don’t care about the Space Elevator; what we care about are the precursor technologies that will be developed along the way”. O.k., O.k., so that is not really a quote, but that is the kernel of the conversation. They were paying for everything; I just had to talk for 2 hours, during a 4-day event.

They would cover 8 days travel, hotels, flights and food. Basically, it was a paid vacation and all I had to do, was talk for a bit. For those of you that know me, I can TALK. it’s what I do, right? You guys are reading this blog, and this entry is endless, so you must know I can talk for a long long time. So, I figured I had nothing to lose.

When I returned, I planned on closing the company, as I had run out of options.

(spoiler alert – that last nugget was foreshadowing… please don’t go off and blog about the “end of the space elevator” or “LiftPort RIP” like you did last time. Just let the story unfold, o.k.? but at that point, the last week of August, it was looking pretty bleak for our heroes…)

Porto Heli

Greece was a global super-power - 4000 years ago. Just take a moment, and try to absorb that. It’s true. Many concepts in western civilization were developed there. I did some star gazing, and realized that “Hercules” was “born” there… Yet, by my standards of being an advanced-tech junkie, I considered this place to be a developing nation. It was a strange divergence, lovely, and odd. Yet I was invited to talk about space, materials, nanotech, robotics, communications, lasers, cleantech and computing… Like I say, it was strange.

Conference

The conference lasted 4 days. It was interesting. In the mornings, I would run along the beaches, and pick grapes and figs while I ran. Then dress, and listen/participate in the meetings. They were surprisingly interesting, and I took pages and pages of notes. I learned a lot, and met some brilliant people, some of which I hope will mentor me a bit. And then, as the conference was coming to close, something interesting happened. I had a brief meeting, and an invitation to have a longer conversation with someone. I am not going to say what that is all about, yet. Before I get into details of that, I have some other stuff I need to say. So you are gonna have to wait a few more days, as I unwrap this.

Spetses

In the middle of the conference, as a “team-building” exercise, we took part of the day off from lectures, and went sightseeing as a group. We had our choices of things to do, but were paired up with total strangers – so part of this was to explore the environment, and part was to get to know each other as professional relationships.

For the fun of it

What my group (Fred, Enrique and David) decided to do was, head off to a local island, Spetses. It was everything you would hope a Greek island would be, without the crush of tourists. We get there in the late morning, and rent mopeds, to ride around the whole island. We stop for food, drinks, beaches, pretty girls, amazing boats (I learned a new word while I was there “superyacht”, burnt down forests, caves and did I mention more beaches and food? My God! The beaches and food! I can’t do them justice… Then, it is back to the “grind” of the conference, and the planned trip home…

Athens

…Except… I am not going home right away. I have been asked to stay a couple days longer, so that I can formally meet someone.

Surprise meeting

We meet a couple days later, as planned. But of course, the country has – literally – been on fire for 3 weeks. So everything is chaotic and delayed. But, as my cash is dwindling (at this point, I have been cut loose from the conference, so I am on my own cash reserves) and I am waiting. And waiting. And getting more and more broke by the day. And waiting. So why was this meeting so important? Because I wanted to ask this guy for a job. A really good, and very important job. Remember, I am utterly broke at this point, and I know I am going home to close down LiftPort Group. So I know that I need a job. And this guy has a dream job, open.

We finally get our meeting, and it lasts for 3 hours. He politely turns me down, when I talk about a job, but we continue talking, for a long time. It is clear he wants something, but I just don’t know what it is. In the last 30 minutes he drops a bomb on me. It is big enough that I no longer want that job, and it is big enough to give me hope for one last push on this Elevator to Space… and no, I am not going to tell you what it is. Yet. But if you link into my Del.Icio.Us account, you might get a hint or two. Or not.

Ydra

At this point, I have a big opportunity. Maybe the biggest I have ever encountered. It is big enough that, if I steer it right, I can get this damn elevator built. Big enough that, even if the elevator is unbuildable (I’m not saying that it is unbuildable, but IF it is) then we can still develop the sorts of Space Access Infrastructure that everyone wants and needs.

But I can’t go home to work on this… I have to start the process in Greece. So, I need a place to live for a while.

Work and planning

What started out, in my head, as a paid vacation, turned into a 7 week, work-my-ass-off-like-I’ve-never-worked-before adventure! I loved every minute of it. I would up on a very very small island, called Ydra. Beyond the fact that it was the best work I have ever done, it was also the best place I had ever lived. I was in heaven.

But I did a lot of work. I had to create a concept – from scratch – that had never been built before, and I had to do it in my head, and on paper. But it was the sort of strategic, long-term planning project that I am especially good at. Every morning I would wake up, with my head on fire with ideas and brainstorming.

Beach time

And then of course, there is the time-zone difference. 7-10 hours, depending on which coast I needed to talk to. Which put it right at the ‘end’ of my day. There were quite a few times I would be on the beach in shorts, wearing flip-flops (thanks kellie!) having a drink, when I call New York at the start of thier work day. I gotta say that that is a pretty good way of working.

Work and phonecalls

I racked up $3000 in phonebills while I was over there. Almost more that the cost of everything else combined. There is a good chance that my phone will get cut off, if I cannot cover that charge, soon. But the job had to get done, those calls had to be made, and the results I got from some of those calls give me hope for the future – mine and yours.

Utah

Seven weeks later, tanned and healthy, finished with that portion of the project, I was homeward bound. I had a verbal commitment in place, and an obligation to work on this project, and see it completed. I arrive in Seattle, stay here for 10 hours, then hop on a plane to go to Salt Lake City for the Elevator2010 games.

There is PLENTY of stuff on the ‘net about those, so I am mostly going to skip this part.

Renton

Back to Seattle-area… but not back to my building / apartment / office. Why, because the deadline for my occupancy expired while I was away, and the bank sold it… So I had nowhere to go. My friends and family have been amazing, and I am crashing at my best friend’s house for the time being.

Temporarily moving in

Of course, he is moving – his family found a new house while I was in Greece, and sign papers for it next week. So “we” will be moving in 3 weeks… I assume I will continue to live with them for a bit, while I finalize this new project.

For the time being, the “office” of LiftPort Group, and my bedroom, are in his home-basement in Renton. It is not “ideal”, but it will do for now.

Planning for what is next

I will be in this limbo-state for about 2-3 months. I think it will take that long to complete this deal, get it (and ME!) funded, and reclaim my life. The deal itself would not take so long, except that there are a lot of people involved, and we are in the holiday season.

Seattle?

Since this is where my heart and family live, I will certainly be spending a lot of time here. But live here, for good? I just don’t know. I hope so.

Washington DC?

A big part of this project seems to be taking shape in the Beltway, so I will be spending a lot of time there. I really don’t like DC much. Then again, I have been a “missionary” for the cause of an Elevator to Space, for a long time now. I lost everything I owned, and am deeply deeply deeply in debt as a result of this adventure. So, whether I like DC or not, it is now time to become a full-time “mercenary” for advanced technologies in general, Commercial Space Access / Elevator to Space and Space Based Solar Power, specifically. And that means I will be spending a lot of time in DC.

Athens?

And of course, there are certain requirements that I spend a lot of operational management time in Athens.

I am looking forward to that. A lot.

Take care,
Mjl

And I appreciate all the comments in the past few days. Thanks. If you have a blog, blog about this. If you don’t have a Del.Icio.Us account, get one, then link into my network. Together, we really can build an Elevator to Space.

Links

Greek Fires
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Greek_forest_fires

Flickr locations

Personal images of stuff/friends/family, and specifically in Phoenix, Vegas and San Diego – along with all my other photo sets can be found here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/space_elevator/sets/

If you are interested in seeing the sights through my eyes, these links will take you to the various places I “lived” while in Greece for 7 weeks. Each set is pretty different from the other. Enjoy.

Porto Heli
http://www.flickr.com/photos/space_elevator/sets/72157603181292645/

Spetses
http://www.flickr.com/photos/space_elevator/sets/72157603177173866/

Ydra
http://www.flickr.com/photos/space_elevator/sets/72157603177099086/

Athens
http://www.flickr.com/photos/space_elevator/sets/72157603181237771/

Delicious
If you want a hint at the new project – that will transform space development – glance through my bookmarks at Del.Icio.Us… I’d be curious of any comments or guesses – and for the few that know, don’t blurt it out.
http://del.icio.us/SpaceElevatorGuy

Blog about the SE component of NASA’s Centennial Challenge – as if you didn’t know already.
http://www.spaceelevatorblog.com/

I’ve selected some of my better images taken at this years 2007 Spaceward Games to create The Space Elevator 2008 Calendar. I hope you enjoy it, orders yours today.

• Each page measures 11″ x 8.5″
• Measures 11″ x 17″ when hung on wall
• Full bleed dynamic color
• 100 lb cover weight high gloss paper, wire-o bound
• January 2008 - December 2008, 2009 preview, US holidays marked

Looks keen.

Cross posted to Space For Commerce.

Joe, thanks for tackling this problem. I appreciate it. I know I have not made anyone’s job all that easy, lately.

Brian, nothing to apologize for. We all realize that the health and well being of your beloved wife take priority over EVERYTHING, including and especially this pesky email problem.

Truth be told, I didn’t miss email one little bit… Maybe with a couple days of bounced messages, my spam load will drop some, right?