Well then we'll power our transportation with Nucleic energy!!
Seriously, how much money could someone make with a car that run on a controlled nuclear reaction? (Nuke-you-lur in BushCo Parlence)
Honestly, after reading Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead and then considering the state of American Manufacturing (or lack thereof) I can easily see how a cheaply powered Toyota-Lean style factory could easily compete (perhaps even undersell) a Chinese sweatshop. I know we have to deal with NIMBY, BANANA, etc... but most of those sentiments lie in the coastal areas. How opposed would, say, South Dakota be to creating a small Nuclear Reactor next to a linen factory or steel mill or whatever? In fact oil refining companies are already opening a plant in SD. Imagine if Hyperion moved in and said, "Oh yeah... we're going to use a small nuclear reactor to power the refinery. That way, we can provide even cheaper products."
Maybe not the best example, but seriously, why don't we do this?
Color me stupid, but I seem to recall reading that the OLPC program was going to assist in the uptake of F/OSS in education environs. I would think this would hold true in the US&A.
I can't find the article now; but that would explain why Microsoft tried to get Windoze running on it.
I can access electronic copies of my math book (for example) but I could order the problem sets and answer keys to be published and shipped to me (better yet, printed at the campus Copymat or whatever). I'll always be able to refer to the online source and I'll have something to tuck under my shoulder, that I might express my nerd'ry at a later place/time without a computer.
Seriously, that would be ideal for me. I like being able to grep things out of text but I prefer writing out math problems by hand.
You're idea is actually quite brilliant - ever think of starting a business?
I agree completely. This calls to mind my deepest fear: when I find myself going toe to toe with non-US engineers, it won't be on US soil.
Interesting to consider how far the bastion of scientific progress may have fallen. My own investigations into globalization was that the United States was to become the center of technical progress *and* that the global standard of living would be higher than before. You can spin the numbers anyway you'd like but with failing schools and stagnant wages, I get the feeling we're either victims or suckers for sticking around.
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"Dude, you're getting outsourced!"
Seriously, how much money could someone make with a car that run on a controlled nuclear reaction? (Nuke-you-lur in BushCo Parlence)
Honestly, after reading Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead and then considering the state of American Manufacturing (or lack thereof) I can easily see how a cheaply powered Toyota-Lean style factory could easily compete (perhaps even undersell) a Chinese sweatshop. I know we have to deal with NIMBY, BANANA, etc... but most of those sentiments lie in the coastal areas. How opposed would, say, South Dakota be to creating a small Nuclear Reactor next to a linen factory or steel mill or whatever? In fact oil refining companies are already opening a plant in SD. Imagine if Hyperion moved in and said, "Oh yeah... we're going to use a small nuclear reactor to power the refinery. That way, we can provide even cheaper products."
Maybe not the best example, but seriously, why don't we do this?
Wasn't the OLPC supposed to address this?
Color me stupid, but I seem to recall reading that the OLPC program was going to assist in the uptake of F/OSS in education environs. I would think this would hold true in the US&A.
I can't find the article now; but that would explain why Microsoft tried to get Windoze running on it.
I completely agree - think publishing on demand!
I can access electronic copies of my math book (for example) but I could order the problem sets and answer keys to be published and shipped to me (better yet, printed at the campus Copymat or whatever). I'll always be able to refer to the online source and I'll have something to tuck under my shoulder, that I might express my nerd'ry at a later place/time without a computer.
Seriously, that would be ideal for me. I like being able to grep things out of text but I prefer writing out math problems by hand.
You're idea is actually quite brilliant - ever think of starting a business?
I agree completely. This calls to mind my deepest fear: when I find myself going toe to toe with non-US engineers, it won't be on US soil.
Interesting to consider how far the bastion of scientific progress may have fallen. My own investigations into globalization was that the United States was to become the center of technical progress *and* that the global standard of living would be higher than before. You can spin the numbers anyway you'd like but with failing schools and stagnant wages, I get the feeling we're either victims or suckers for sticking around.