It's amusing that most of the comments in this thread have little to do with Bitcoin, but I guess Blueseed is a sufficiently complex venture to warrant a number of clarifications.
What would be the source of energy to keep the ship moving? Diesel transported to the ship by ferry? Solar or other electric motors?
Initially, fuel (transported by platform supply vessels or the ferries on their return trip) whose emissions satisfy California Air Resources Board (
CARB) and Bay Area Air Quality Management District (
BAAQMD) standards.
The description makes it sound as if this will mostly be computer labs for software development and engineering with computer simulations. Will you have science research labs that would allow researchers to build and develop technology onboard? Two things instantly came to mind: sea-based energy generation, such as through waves or wind, and sewage and waste water recycling for farming. It would be much more ecologically sound to have a large barge somewhere near by where food can be grown experimentally, and fertilized by the people eating that food.
Precisely - we actually intend to favor startups that include a hardware element, and cleantech businesses are especially welcome. Algal biofuel production in tethered floating greenhouses would be good example of technology that takes advantage of the location.
Would you consider adding research or other modular barges to the area? It would be nice to have a floating runway.
As long as the attachments can safely handle the sea conditions, yes. Since mooring is rather expensive, it will probably make sense for small floating modules to be dynamically positions with the help of
Liquid Robotics drones. Those things can generate impressive amounts of torque for their size.
Helicopters are nice, but they're ridiculously expensive and complicated compared to a prop plane, and as mention in last paragraph, extra space to work and research on would be nice.
Helicopters are actually surprisingly cheap, if you have enough of them. According to
this calculator, it appears that with a fleet of 6 helicopters, the cost per person per trip (Blueseed - Half Moon Bay) can get as low as $50. We need to double-check what types of helicopters are allowed to fly over open ocean, and the noise issue needs to be carefully considered.
I know the boat will be privately owned, but will you allow businesses to set up and sell their own services, such as aformentioned energy and food, or internet access, or other things that may not be considered savory in some countries? Or will all business have to go through your approval and require to pay you a cut?
For Blueseed to succeed, we need to create an environment on the ship that's conducive to startups scaling their ventures. That includes friendly relationships with the authorities; there's no realistic way around that, as much as some would want Blueseed to be some independent territory. We're right near the US, and will be good neighbors. This means that businesses considered seriously unsavory in the U.S. (e.g. drugs that the Coast Guard would come after) won't be welcome. We'll have to exercise discretion when it comes to approving tenants on board.
Will you follow any regulations such as FCC radio band reservations, or will it basically be a free-for-all with conflicts resolved privately?
Most likely we'll follow FCC regulations since we're close enough to the mainland that radio interference could be an issue; also, we'll be near shipping lanes.
Will you be capable of providing a safe haven in case of a zombie outbreak on the mainland, including a well trained medical team to inspect arriving refugees for signs of infection, and a well armed security force to suppress any issues should an infection threat come on board?
Our maritime security partner,
Meridian Global Consulting, are quite a badass bunch. Plus, we'll have the famous
retired military dolphins.