First the world is about to change, including the people in it. Please take a look at Fig. 4 in my post, The Economics of Ebullience. In the next few years we’ll experience something similar to the transition between 1898 and 1902 when the Peary/Panama Maslow Window took off.

Second, if you want to see how the politics of this could work, check out, How President Obama is Creating the New Space Age.

Can you be more specific about what SxSW Conference activities concerned you? Please email me directly.

You’re right. The U.S. didn’t become the world’s dominant economic power until after 1880. That’s one reason the mid-19th century Great Exploration was led by the still-famous Dr. David Livingstone, from Scotland, in central Africa. However, the U.S. was profoundly influenced by the “ebullience” of this Maslow WIndow as evidenced by its “Manifest Destiny” under President Polk.

You have an interesting way of thinking of it: one Maslow Window to set up (e.g. Panama Canal) and the next to go to the Moon! That may be true but I don’t know of any fundamental reason that rhythmic, twice-per-century Maslow Windows should limit any great global power to only two “at bats.”

For example, Stratfor’s George Friedman believes that the U.S. will continue to be the overwhelming global superpower throughout the 21st century, while China will experience a Japan-like economic collapse — by 2015! How’s that for intriguing, contrarian thinking?!

I haven’t had the pleasure yet of reading your book but I’m looking forward to it.