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'Space Vikings' Spark (Unfounded) NASA Waste Inquiry
sciencehabit writes "For Ved Chirayath, a graduate student and amateur fashion photographer, a photo project that involved NASA researchers dressed as Vikings was just a creative way to promote space science. 'I started this project hoping maybe one day some kid will look at it and say, 'I want to work for NASA,' ' says Chirayath, a student at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, who also works nearby at NASA's Ames Research Center. He never suspected that his fanciful image would put him in the crosshairs of a government waste investigation triggered by a senior U.S. senator."
The project was funded by an outside art grant. The best part: the investigation into the non-existent waste probably cost more than the "waste" would have were it funded by NASA in the first place.
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This money could be better used for banker bonuses like our bailout money was.
No problems parsing the headline. However, my twisted mental faculties imagined things much more entertaining than what eventually played out.....
Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
The best part: the investigation into the non-existent waste probably cost more than the "waste" would have were it funded by NASA in the first place.
What kind of logic is that? Does the OP have knowledge of the future?
Doesn't have to, you can look at previous investigations and extrapolate. You'd be suprised how much 'simple' paperwork cost the government where investigations are involved. I used to be a Government contractor, seeing my taxes wasted first hand made each paycheck withholding sting a little more.
An I.T. motto in the hands of an idiot is a dangerous thing...
"This year [2008], the government-watchdog group Citizens Against Government Waste named Grassley the fourth biggest GOP earmarker. The senator has proven himself a champion spender of other people’s money." http://spectator.org/archives/2008/06/10/chuck-grassley-king-of-pork
A little fun can boost moral and increase efficiency far more than the loss of time. You will notice that most companies with knowledge workers take time for parties, outings etc.
The real waste in large organizations isn't from spending on photos, silly movies, or conferences in nice locations. The big waste is from spending on unneeded projects, or in starting large projects that are then canceled.
Claiming that the waste investigation costs more than the loss from the waste is meaningless. In order to see if the cost is worth it, you can't compare the waste that was caught to the cost of the investigation. You have to compare the waste that there would be without any investigation, to the cost of the investigation. As investigation discourages waste, the latter number is larger than the former number.
In light of the IRS making Star Trek training videos I really don't see any problem with digging into all Government entities searching for waste. Glad they didn't find it here, but I'm also glad the checked.
Do not meddle in the affairs of sysadmins, for they are subtle, and quick to anger.
I think they are just checking that NASA isn't wasnting money like the IRS did. The IRS used govemerment funds to create Star Trek videos with upper managment in them.
*sigh*
'Space Vikings' Spark (Unfounded) NASA Waste Inquiry
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I can tell the US education system has gone to shit when I'm reduced to defending Slashdot editors' word choices by diagramming sentences for dunderheads who were allowed to sleep all the way through 8th grade.
Il n'y a pas de Planet B.
Grassley has a history of sending drooling stupid letters full of dipshit questions to NASA administrators. Here he's character-assinating the director of the Ames Research Center. Here he's making shit up about NASA and Google doing something nefarious. Here is an account of him badgering them about procurement practices.
Note that all of them contain demands for detailed histories, rationales and future plans, all to be delivered with two weeks.
Maybe this grandstanding fucktard should start writing similar letters to the Secretary of Defense. I hear they get a slightly larger portion of the budget pie than NASA does.
Funny thing, I didn't even have to read TFA to know it was a Republican congresscritter.
Correct response to Grassley: (in baby talk) "who's a braying ass? YOU're a braying ass, yes you are!
It is not just NASA, but extends to other science work under federal grants. When I was an undergraduate and working for free for a project to get some experience, I spent some downtime creating a much nicer website and some literature for non-science types to understand the project. The head of the project was scared to put any of it up, as the grant didn't allow for outreach and he thought it looked like it was too well done or too much time was spent on it. So they stuck with a minimalistic website that didn't have much more than a publication list and staff listing. I've also since then see others warned of what they do on their free time if too associated with a project (not warned as in reprimanded and/or having their job threatened, but warned as in "You don't want to get into the drama that can produce.") Not all projects are like that, as some have outreach efforts, with slight funding or just completely based on volunteer work.
I know what you mean, I guessed it was a Republican who was complaining about waste. The only time Republicans complain about waste is when a Democrat has the Office of President, otherwise they are the largest wasters if money around.
It is like a general from the pentagon making a special flight to Okinawa to see if PFC Perkins pilfered a stapler.
The inquiry will easily cost more than the photos would have if NASA had paid for them.
Of course the senator has been called the king of pork on more than one occasion. He probably would have been fione with it as long as they had the photos developed in Iowa.
This reminds me of the CDC's Zombie preparedness memo.
Some people bitched about the 'waste of funds' and such. The CDC pointed out that from their metrics it was viewed OVER 100X as much as their normal releases, for approximately equal preparation cost. Plus, well, if you're prepared for zombies, you're prepared about as well as you can be for many natural and unnatural disasters. The advice in the release was still standard disease/disaster prep stuff.
I don't read AC A human right
Clearly they have violated Standard NASA Ames Procedures for dealing with this sort of thing.
They failed to fill out a both the DARC-820AD -- 'Identifying a Barbarian Attack' and FF-1066AD -- 'Report of Viking Raid' forms.