SEBRING NEWS SUN Vol. 11, No. 8 Sunday, July 25, 1993; p. 1, 13A FUTURE NOW: MAN SUGGESTS SCIENTIFIC SOLUTIONS by Jose Bermudez VENUS — The way of the future is not political. The answer is not communism, nor socialism - not even free enterprise. Turning the current trend of wars, and famine, as well as prevention of natural disasters and other types of human suffering, calls for a new enterprise system that should be familiar to most, said self-educated industrial design engineer, inventor and researcher, Jacque Fresco. The answer, he says, is science. "Science has fed us, cured our diseases and put us in touch with the stars," said Fresco, who lives in a futuristic environment at a sprawling 25-acre research facility in Venus, a rural community in the southern part of Highlands County. There, surrounded by farms in the flat lands, are several dome-like buildings that dot the well' manicured lawns of the research center. It is in this environment that Fresco ponders solutions to world problems. However, he is more than a dreamer. He is a doer. Each of the domes was built by hand, with the exclusive use of surplus steel and concrete. There are also strategically-placed bridges and ponds, demonstrating that nature and man-made structures can coexist without disturbing the beauty of the environment. "The environmentalists want to stop cutting the trees, but they all live in wooden houses." Each of the buildings is a research facility. There is the video studio, the machine shop, the electronics lab and others that house miniature models of futuristic cities. It is these models, each built by hand with the help of his assistant Roxanne Meadows, that will illustrate his blueprint for humanity in a planned film called, "Welcome to the Future." The self-sufficient cities have a circular arrangement and are surrounded by gardens. A recreational area is part of the outer perimeter, along with a waterway that surrounds the agricultural belt, which by the way, is free of pesticides. The buildings are practically maintenance-free and made of materials that eliminate the risk of damage due to earthquakes, hurricanes, fire and termites. It is a design that also prevents floods and droughts. Fresco's vision of the future is also free of noise, pollution, crime and poverty. It is also devoid of money. "A pipe dream? Utopia? Pie in the sky?," asks Fresco in an informational brochure he designed called "Project Americana." "No, a scientific possibility." Phase one of his evolving dream is already in place at his design center south of Lake Placid. The buildings he and Meadows have constructed are prototypes of the safe, efficient buildings he foresees . Phase two would involve the erection of a planning center, and the third phase involves construction of an experimental city similar to the ones he has designed in miniature. At the heart of his grand design is the concept of "Sociocyberneering," which is " the application of scientific knowledge for the benefit of humanity." Why is the world going down hill? Money. "This system we have is dying. We have greed as a measure of personal achievement as opposed to the brotherhood of man." Thus, measure of success would be based on quality of life, rather than the acquisition of wealth, property and power. The problems the world faces today, Fresco said, cannot be solved politically, because they are technical in nature and require the application of scientific solutions. He proposes a world order in which there is only one race, the human race, and computers are linked to automated machines. Those computers control tasks such as control of water tables and soil chemistry. There are no people in government. "Because people are incompetent and corrupt." What Fresco has accomplished at the Venus research center is the product of 11 years of work there, but represents a lifetime's pursuit. Fresco, a young 76 years old, moved to Highlands County from Miami. He is no stranger to helping improve current products. He has designed and built automobiles, the air bag, aircraft and medical devices, and alternative energy systems. His most pressing goal is now the production of an introduction to the movie, "Welcome to the Future." He hopes the introductory clip will create enough interest to produce the film and expects to begin production of the introductory piece in the coming months. In the meantime, he continues his work with a full emphasis on the future. "This is an alternative and we af1! running out of time." |