Modern Day Living

An exploration of the common conveniences of modern life.

As humanity has grown and changed, so the many ways in which we experience life has also changed. Two hundred years ago the population density of rotating habitats would have made them unlivable for most humans. The old cities of Earth were perfect examples of how not to structure a compact society, with their congested roads and unstable highrise buildings built to keep the people in and the elements out. But on modern rotating habitats, the environment around buildings is defined by the people in  them, creating a dynamic and unique ecosystem in every location. Modern day buildings are much more spacious, they have much less clutter and are significantly simpler, without the need for air filtration or temperature conditioning. Most buildings in modern day use screens or curtains as barriers between the interiors and exteriors, where earthbound architects would have used glass. Modern habitats are also required to take much more aggressive approaches to food preparation, cleanliness, and waste disposal. Bathrooms are a rare luxury to the common family, and private kitchens are all but unheard of. Both of these things were considered household necessities barely 100 years ago. But the most drastic change in household living has come in a wild shift in the importance of cleanliness, and since the early space age both the ISS disaster in 112 and the Antibiotic-crisis of the 22nd century have drastically intensified the attention most humans pay to their cleanliness. Most modern citizens would find it impossible to live in one of the cities of Earth, where garbage is stored on the street overnight and the roads are covered with leaves or fallen fruit.

On a more fundamental level, the human species itself has changed with time and space travel. The three greatest questions of the 23rd century were "Where do we come from?", "Where are we going?", and "What are we becoming?". The only one of those yet to be answered is the third, as humans grow and change with the generations. Clearest of these progressions is the SSG, or Standard Safe Gravity, as set by the Interplanetary Governance Council, has moved steadily downwards since its creation in 231. The SSG legislates the minimum amount of gravity a residential habitat must provide for adults between the ages of 24 and 64, when humans are least vulnerable to the affects of lowered gravity. Originally set at .9 Gs, matching Venus' gravity, the number has changed by nearly 1% with every new ICG election, as many Prolucutor's use living standards for their campaign platforms. With increased effectiveness of bone reconstruction and myostatin inhibitors, the current SSG is set at .6 Earth Gravities, or 5.886 Meters per second squared. The average human is 20 centimeters shorter than during the 22 century, with males generally around 1.55 meters, and females roughly 1.45 meters. This is a result of bone density treatments, which very effectively compact the larger bones of adults, greatly decreasing the size of one's spinal cord, femurs, and humerus whilst increasing their density and strength.

History

The 2020s were considered to be the last decade before space economics influenced the GDP of Earth. The average human in 2020 made 13,000 US dollars, or roughly 1500 Labores in a year. Compared to the modern standard wage of 175,000 Labore per year, the average human is immensely richer than ever before. However, almost 99% of this massive wealth must be invested in the enourmous infrastructure necessary to keep one alive in space. Where Humans in Earth's cities need only pay for takeout pizza and trash removal, the vast majority of people must today consider expenses such as oxygen replacement, biorecycling, habitat maintenance, and cooling costs. Everywhere in space, humans generate hundreds of watts per hour in heating their surroundings, and everywhere in space, a cool home means a rich home.

Participants

The Interplanetary Governance Council is absolutely necessary to the long-term survival of humans in space, as they must regulate the size of docking ports, the requirements for residential habitats, and the standardization of life support regulations. Without an extremely powerful governing authority, the majority of conveniences of space-borne life would be almost impossible. In counterbalance with this almost supreme authority, the average citizen also has more power then they perhaps should have, as the slightest malfunction or irregularity in habitat systems can trigger evacuations or explosions. The mutual trust created by the ICG's necessary control, and the citizen's necessary self-control, have created a society like never before. It had to, else everyone would be dead.

Primary Related Location

The Citadel Initiative

Related Ethnicities

• Spacers