So I was pondering this idea a while ago, and I assume that at some point, much of the labor of building and maintaining such a structure as this would be automated with robotics and A.I, so could become larger and more elaborate over time, when the labor of doing things wouldn’t be an issue)
http://assets.inhabitat.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2010/10/eden-project-13.jpg
So what if we built a large biosphere with a solid base, and nothing in it to start with. Then as people pass away, they’d be taken to a facility withn the dome and be processed into soil, to be used in the dome. A person could have a seamless plot that you could find with an app, or a whole family plot, etc… Or just get added to a general area as an anon, just wishing to contribute remains. People could add their pets, or ashes from cremations, etc… And any abandoned cemeteries that get uprooted, those remains would get moved here as well. And if popularity grew, and transportation got faster and more efficient, it could be built larger and more elaborate, encompassing the old dome area. Jogging or bicycle paths could be routed through them. They’d be warm and climate controlled to be pleasant year round.
To make things more interesting for people, you could have designated areas for people who were scientists, musicians, athletes of all sorts, artists, etc… Or allow an area for a group like SAG, or the NFL, or WWE, even tight knit message board patrons , various religions, or Trekkies… (Wherever they felt the most kinship. Maybe several different places) Then let those groups vote and determine the landscape and layout of everything; the flowers, trees, grass, shrubs, etc… You might have a breed of flowers developed by an occupant, or a prized bonsai tree of another, etc… There’d be butterflies fluttering about, humming birds, chipmunks, etc… Over time you might build park benches and picnic tables from in-house trees. Or build an elaborate stage area for concerts, symphonies and other live events. Perhaps make instruments from in-house trees.
People can donate memorabilia that gets rotated in and out or an area depending on the occasion. So a signed guitar, sculptures, television show uniform or prop, football jerseys, etc… Then you have digital billboards that might display artwork, or quotes, or sports clips, and music from various occupants might play on occasion. In a basement facility, there’d be a computer system with storage. People could upload anything they wanted… Short stories, novels, poetry, blogs, journals, diaries, vlogs, family photos and videos, etc… Even seemingly trivial stuff, like message board archives, email, chat histories, texting, twitter history, Warcraft Avatars, etc… Full dna sequences, family trees, family history, etc.
Then, an ever improving and evolving A.I /robotic Librarian would compile and sift through all of this data, learn it, and be able to recite it on the spot, like a historian or biographer. And he’d be programmed to be enthusiastic about it, as these occupants are his people. You could upload a journal that’s kept private from anyone but close family, or to everyone but the Librarian. He’d consider it an addition to the person’s character, but never share the contents. Maybe he could have different avatars for different occasions. So he’d be a Classical Librarian some of the time, or a simulation of Data from Star Trek on a Trek anniversary, or an ancient philosopher type on others, etc…
Anyone would be welcomed, as he’d see humanity as a spectrum of a flawed but hopefully ever improving species. He’d understand and learn all there is to know about genetics, biology, culture, history, etc… as it becomes available. At some point, it might be possible to emulate a person, the way they do on Star Trek TNG, using information from dna, personality profiles, etc… The building itself might become more and more like a lifeform in itself, with memories, an ecosystem, a mind, etc… At some point in the future, the Librarian might create humans from scratch using nanobots, built from the raw material from within the dome, and gift them with the various good memories and composite identities from the information in his database.
I can see how this might seem pointless, but I like the idea of the matter that people were when they passed, going to a confined area to visit, but still contributing to life in some way… I’m surprised small confined countries like Iceland, or places like Norway with limited cemetery space don’t do something similar. People might repsect the eco system more then as well. It’d be an easy lesson in the circle of life and whatnot.
Maybe people frozen in cryo could be stored in the basement as well, and if they’re ever revived successfully they’d be rebuilt using the same material, and if not, they might be created anew by our Librarian overlord…