In this episode of Entropy Rising, Jacob and Lucas ask a simple question: could a galactic empire actually work without faster-than-light travel? The answer isn’t pretty. They break down why distance, communication delays, and logistics make ruling across the stars nearly impossible. From the futility of interstellar trade to the idea of technocratic influence and AI-controlled colonies, they explore how any attempt at a “galactic empire” would crumble under the speed of light itself. They also contrast this with solar empires—where power, control, and trade might still make sense within one star system.

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What happens when a city doesn’t just sprawl across continents but covers an entire planet? In this episode of Entropy Rising, Jacob and Lucas explore the concept of the ecumenopolis—a world completely urbanized from pole to pole. From the classic depictions of Coruscant in Star Wars and Trantor in Foundation, to the grim hive cities of Warhammer 40K, we dig into the science and engineering challenges of building a planet-wide metropolis.

We break down population math, vertical megastructures, the paradox of elevators, and the role of food, energy, and infrastructure in making such a world function. But the real constraint isn’t space or even energy—it’s heat. Could a quadrillion humans cook their own planet just by existing? And what would it take to keep a city-planet from overheating?

If you’ve ever wondered whether Earth could become one massive city—or what life would be like inside a two-mile-tall building where generations never leave—this episode is for you.

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What happens when scarcity disappears? In this episode of Entropy Rising, Jacob and Lucas explore the idea of a post-scarcity civilization — a future where food, energy, and even housing are so abundant they stop being economic factors. But does abundance guarantee happiness, or does it create new problems?

We break down the levels of post-scarcity (from basic survival to simulated utopia), question whether inequality and control still exist in an age of abundance, and debate the biggest paradox of all: if nothing is scarce, what still gives life meaning?

From Star Trek’s replicators to Black Mirror–style dystopias, we’ll dive into the promises and dangers of a world beyond scarcity — and ask whether humanity is ready for it.

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Black holes aren’t just cosmic monsters — they might be the ultimate power plants of the universe. In this episode of Entropy Rising, Jacob and Lucas explore how civilizations could harvest unimaginable amounts of energy from black holes. From accretion disks and the Penrose process to Hawking radiation and even quasar jets, we break down the science, the possibilities, and the dangers.

Could farming a black hole make a civilization Type III on the Kardashev Scale? How would we actually build a Dyson Swarm around one? And what would it mean for the far future, when stars burn out and black holes are the last engines of the cosmos?

We’ll talk about:

• How black holes convert matter to energy with insane efficiency
• Why accretion disks could outshine entire galaxies
• The mind-bending Penrose process and rotational energy
• Hawking radiation as a long-term power source
• The terrifying potential of black holes as weapons

If you’re into space, futurism, and hard science, this episode will take you to the edge of physics and beyond.

Chapters
00:00 Intro
01:00 Why harvest black holes?
04:00 Accretion disks & Dyson swarms
12:00 Hawking radiation explained
20:00 The Penrose process
27:00 Quasars and black hole jets
36:00 Black holes as weapons
41:00 Civilization endgame

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What happens when machines can build more of themselves—and never stop? In this episode of Entropy Rising, Jacob and Lucas unravel the strange, fascinating world of von Neumann probes: self-replicating systems that could mine asteroids, build Dyson swarms, and maybe even terraform entire planets. But the same tech could go off the rails—accidentally wiping out alien life, turning planets into grey goo, or mutating into something far worse. Are these machines the key to a post-scarcity future, or the seeds of cosmic disaster? We explore the science, the speculation, and the existential questions behind one of the most provocative ideas in futurism.

Stick around for a bonus post-show discussion—available free on our Patreon

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In this episode of Entropy Rising, Jacob and Lucas take a hard look at the Kardashev scale – a framework that ranks civilizations by the amount of energy they can harness – and ask whether it still serves as a meaningful tool today. After recapping Nikolai Kardashev’s original three-tier model and its purpose as a search tool for SETI, the hosts explore Carl Sagan’s numerical refinements, where Type I civilizations use ~10¹⁶ W, Type II tap ~10²⁶ W and Type III reach ~10³⁶ W. They question why humanity sits around Type 0.7 and debate whether the capability to modify our planet’s climate and harness agricultural energy counts toward Type I status.

The discussion then shifts to just how staggering the jump from Type I to Type II really is: a ten‑billion‑fold increase that would give each person on Earth the energy budget of an entire modern civilization. This segues into a critique of pop‑culture portrayals—why even Star Wars’ galactic empire doesn’t qualify as Type II—and an examination of how Kardashev’s framework overlooks differences between star types and the feasibility of empire‑scale coordination. The hosts introduce the Barrow scale and other proposals that categorize civilizations by their ability to manipulate matter (from genetic engineering to subatomic control), arguing that energy alone cannot describe technological sophistication. They also consider metrics based on computational capacity or semiconductor size, suggesting that once contact with extraterrestrial societies is possible, energy use may become less relevant.

This candid exploration interrogates assumptions, challenges popular misconceptions and highlights the need for multiple scales to capture the complexity of advanced civilizations.

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What if we could mine the Sun? What if we didn’t just build around stars, but engineered them? In this episode of Entropy Rising, we explore two of the most mind-bending concepts in astrophysics: star lifting and stellar engines, technologies a Kardashev Type II civilization might use to reshape entire solar systems.

We break down how star lifting works, from using magnetic fields to extract solar plasma, to sorting elements like iron and carbon for megastructure construction. You’ll learn why advanced civilizations might want to do this. not just to build Dyson swarms or fusion reactors, but to extend a star’s life or reclassify it altogether. We also explore how this process might be used to terraform planets,or even refuel stars.

Then, we take it one step further. What if you could move a star? We discuss the science behind stellar engines, including the Shkadov thruster, the Caplan engine, and the far more efficient Star Tug. These are not sci-fi magic—they’re grounded in real physics. By redirecting radiation or harvesting and ejecting stellar mass, these hypothetical devices could shift entire stars across the galaxy… slowly, but surely.

And yes, we talk about the crazy implications. Turning the entire solar system into a generation ship. Moving stars to avoid supernovae. Using lasers and plasma jets to reshape the cosmos.

Whether you're here for the theoretical physics, the sci-fi applications, or just to melt your brain a little, this episode delivers. It’s the kind of future tech that’s so extreme, it sounds like fantasy... but might actually be inevitable.

If you’ve ever wondered what a truly advanced civilization does with its power, this is the episode you’ve been waiting for.

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When we talk about interstellar travel, most stories end with arrival—ships decelerating into orbit, crews waking from stasis, boots hitting alien soil. But the reality is, that’s where things get messy.

In this episode of Entropy Rising, we explore the overlooked phase of interstellar colonization: what actually happens when a generation ship finally reaches its destination. From drones arriving centuries ahead to prepare the system, to colony fleets launching at relativistic speeds with no option to turn back, arrival isn’t a peaceful touchdown—it’s a high-stakes maneuver where politics, engineering, and survival collide.

Jacob and Lucas dig into the infrastructure that would need to be in place long before colonists arrive, the ethical minefield of encountering alien biospheres, and why space habitats might remain preferable to planetary living—even after we find an Earth-like world. They debate whether colony ships would act alone or arrive in waves, how competing factions might stake claims on the same planet, and what kind of government could hold together over centuries of deep space travel.

The episode also unpacks how advanced civilizations might manipulate entire solar systems to slow down incoming ships, including the use of orbital lasers, fusion braking, and Dyson swarm engineering. With so much at stake—limited fuel, the risk of cultural fragmentation, and potential biothreats—arrival might be less of a new beginning and more of a final test.

And if multiple ships arrive at once, the question becomes not just how to survive—but who gets to stay.

If you’re fascinated by space colonization, generation ships, and what it truly means to build a society light-years from home, this episode goes far beyond the clichés. We’re not talking about sci-fi fantasies. We’re asking what it would really take.

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