LOL, I work there. Unfortunately. Hopefully I will have another gig "real soon now." RadioShack died and The Shack was born on August 1. Would you be interested in a cell phone now? How do you like your carrier? Would you like to check and see if you're due for an upgrade? A resistor???? Resistor?? Does that work with a cell phone? It's rather pathetic.
The fat is NASA spending 150k to do what a private company did for 60.00. The fat is when the major contractors sub-contract the project out and the sub contractors shoot it out to more sub-contractors. NASA winds up paying four hundred thousand + for an engineer who's being paid 120K by some other contractor. It's in the cost plus contracts that get let to accomplish tasks which could be easily handled in-house. Granted, it's not the prime contractors like Lockheed and Boeing, they are just taking advantage of the existing structure. What I'm saying is change the structure which they operate under. I personally know of one project where Marshall Space Center spent several million and many years of effort for a project which never succeeded, and a private company successfully completed the project in 6 months for 360K. It's called the commercial approach. Nothing is done if it not cost justifiable.
For a long time, there have been too many pigs gorging themselves at the NASA feeding trough. We need to get rid of the Boeings, Lockheed-Martins, and other contractors. A NASA engineer primarily oversees a horde of contractors who oversee sub-contractors who oversee sub-sub-contractors. By the time all of the time/cost billing is added up, NASA is being billed $800,000 for a $120,000 engineer.
NASA does things like award a $175,000 contract to Lockheed with the cutsy sounding name of "determining an alternative zero gravity point device" when the ball in the old mice didn't work. A company which was flying a project on the KC-135 (vomit comet) ran into the same problem of the mouse not working, ran to the computer store, grabbed a $50.00 trackball, and the problem was solved.
Solve these problems with cost-plus contractors, and NASA's budget will practically fix itself.
This act (NAIS) not only includes cattle, but chickens, pigs, goats, sheep, i.e. _any_ and _all_ farm animals. People have been fighting this act, and trying to raise awareness on it for over a year.
On April 24, 1895, at the age of 51, Joshua Slocum departed Boston in his tiny sloop Spray and sailed around the world single-handed, a passage of 46,000 miles, returning to Newport, Rhode Island on June 27, 1898.(1) Along the way, he developed several methods to discourage, yes problems even then, trouble from pirates. Sometimes, he would out run them. Other times he would put on different colored watch caps, sweaters, and pop up from hatches and companionways all over his boat. After it appreared that his boat had a significant crew, the pirates retreated and left him alone.
On a suggestion from another captain, he employed a method where he spread tacks all over the deck of his boat when he went to sleep. Several times, he would be wakened by screams and spashes as pirates jumped off his decks at night. The next morning, he picked up the tacks with a magnet and was on his way.
His story,"Sailing Alone Around the World" by Joshua Slocum, documents his creativity and courage. Look around and you can find it as an e-book.
On November 14th of 1909, at the age of 65, after learning that he had incurable cancer, he set out on another lone voyage to South America leaving from Vineyard Haven on Martha's Vineyard, but was never heard from again.
(1) http://www.joshuaslocumsocietyintl.org/
But... but.... you don't understand! The oceans don't protect us anymore! The terrists could attack again at any time! You must give the govmint all of the power that it needs to fight these "evil doers"! Who knows how many more countries we'll have to invade to insure the safety of the 'Merican people.
After all, GOD has told us to do this. Who are you to question GOD?
Wow, you're just waking up? We've had a government of the People, by the Lawyers, for the Corporations for a long time. It's just been semi-effectively hidden until the last few years.
People have been getting the shaft from the government for a long, long time.
I consider myself very fortunate to have been able to meet him back in the early 70's through my girlfriends father who worked with him at TI.
Even sadder though it how TI laid them both off as they approached retirement. Not sure how Mr Kirby handled it, but it devestated my gf's father. He never recovered from giving most of his professional carreer to TI and getting laid off.
In my way of thinking, you are simply sticking your head in the sand. Bush's handlers are, right now, trembling in anticipation of what they will be able to accomplish once he gets into office again without having to worry about re-election.
I've had people call me paranoid, but who'd have thought we'd see done to the Bill of Rights what's been done so far.
Frankly, it scares me to death, and those people who are not making a positive effort to eliminate the current scourge on this land are simply supporting it.
There is no other candidate who has even a remote chance of defeating the current puppet. If you are sincere in wanting to get the shrub out of office, the only legitimate vote is Kerry.
Paul
Hi Knightfall -
So, a republican eh? Maybe consider jumping over to a candidate who has not trashed the Bill of Rights, who has not turned a surplus into the largest deficit we've ever had, who has not slacked up on clean air and water standards to allow more mercury and arsenic, who doesn't let his vice prez award no bid contracts to the company he still has millions of stock in. I could go on, but..
I'd just like a regeim change 'cause it would be a lot easier fot the Bush camp to do far more damage in the next 4 years.
Paul
I have not missed voting in any and every election that I have ever been eligible to vote for. In fact, I am really active in this campaign seeing that the current pResident is kicked out of the office that was stolen for him.
During the Reagan administration, this idea was floated. Getting private industry involved with NASA, that is.
After a few years, and several millions of $$ in development, the big contracting hogs managed to get it all snuffed. Cost a lot of people their jobs, and led to a nearly useless space station at several factors the cost of the Industrial Space Facility.
Seems to me that companies would be very hesitant to get into this type of realtionship with NASA again.
During the Reagan administration, this idea was floated. Getting private industry involved with NASA, that is.
After a few years, and several millions of $$ in development, the big contracting hogs managed to get it all snuffed. Cost a lot of people their jobs, and led to a nearly useless space station at several factors the cost of the Industrial Space Facility.
Seems to me that companies would be very hesitant to get into this type of realtionship with NASA again.
In a recent interview, Richard Clark (formerly Anti-Terrorist czar, now computer security czar for U.S.) pointed at Microsoft saying that they were the biggest threat to the internet and computer security.
Of course, Microsoft had their guy in charge of security saying how secure their OS is. After all, they do come out with patches when they find a problem
PB
The ARRL (Amateur Radio Relay League) is very concerned about the disruption of various portions of the RF spectrum, particularly HF that police, er, fema, etc. use.
There once was a company named Space Industries, Inc. They came into being as a private commercial space initiative to build a research base to be launched prior to the Space Station. The Industrial Space Facility (ISF) was to be an unmanned, shirt sleve environment, that would be serviced by the shuttle.
Several studies supported the ISF, and some even pointed out that a manned presence (even a heart beating) in a microgravity environment would contaminate the microgravity environment.
It turned out that the desigh was so sensible, that many of the big aerospace contractors percieved it as a threat. An ISF could be placed into orbit for a cost of about $700 million (vs the billions for the station) and would be an inexpensive (compared to the ISS) paltform to screen processes for space manufacturing. If and when an application was found, the operation would become self financing.
To make a long story short, there are dangers when trying to find a place among the hogs feeding at the federal money trough. The new company was stomped to the ground and eventually went away.
There is now talk about abandoning the ISS to redirect big $$$ for the mood and Mars exploration. A permanent manned predence in space is too dangerous and expensive to maintain.
Slashdot Mirror
Respect each other and you'll do fine! Have a grand time!
LOL, I work there. Unfortunately. Hopefully I will have another gig "real soon now." RadioShack died and The Shack was born on August 1. Would you be interested in a cell phone now? How do you like your carrier? Would you like to check and see if you're due for an upgrade? A resistor???? Resistor?? Does that work with a cell phone? It's rather pathetic.
The fat is NASA spending 150k to do what a private company did for 60.00. The fat is when the major contractors sub-contract the project out and the sub contractors shoot it out to more sub-contractors. NASA winds up paying four hundred thousand + for an engineer who's being paid 120K by some other contractor. It's in the cost plus contracts that get let to accomplish tasks which could be easily handled in-house. Granted, it's not the prime contractors like Lockheed and Boeing, they are just taking advantage of the existing structure. What I'm saying is change the structure which they operate under. I personally know of one project where Marshall Space Center spent several million and many years of effort for a project which never succeeded, and a private company successfully completed the project in 6 months for 360K. It's called the commercial approach. Nothing is done if it not cost justifiable.
For a long time, there have been too many pigs gorging themselves at the NASA feeding trough. We need to get rid of the Boeings, Lockheed-Martins, and other contractors. A NASA engineer primarily oversees a horde of contractors who oversee sub-contractors who oversee sub-sub-contractors. By the time all of the time/cost billing is added up, NASA is being billed $800,000 for a $120,000 engineer. NASA does things like award a $175,000 contract to Lockheed with the cutsy sounding name of "determining an alternative zero gravity point device" when the ball in the old mice didn't work. A company which was flying a project on the KC-135 (vomit comet) ran into the same problem of the mouse not working, ran to the computer store, grabbed a $50.00 trackball, and the problem was solved. Solve these problems with cost-plus contractors, and NASA's budget will practically fix itself.
This act (NAIS) not only includes cattle, but chickens, pigs, goats, sheep, i.e. _any_ and _all_ farm animals. People have been fighting this act, and trying to raise awareness on it for over a year.
On April 24, 1895, at the age of 51, Joshua Slocum departed Boston in his tiny sloop Spray and sailed around the world single-handed, a passage of 46,000 miles, returning to Newport, Rhode Island on June 27, 1898.(1) Along the way, he developed several methods to discourage, yes problems even then, trouble from pirates. Sometimes, he would out run them. Other times he would put on different colored watch caps, sweaters, and pop up from hatches and companionways all over his boat. After it appreared that his boat had a significant crew, the pirates retreated and left him alone. On a suggestion from another captain, he employed a method where he spread tacks all over the deck of his boat when he went to sleep. Several times, he would be wakened by screams and spashes as pirates jumped off his decks at night. The next morning, he picked up the tacks with a magnet and was on his way. His story,"Sailing Alone Around the World" by Joshua Slocum, documents his creativity and courage. Look around and you can find it as an e-book. On November 14th of 1909, at the age of 65, after learning that he had incurable cancer, he set out on another lone voyage to South America leaving from Vineyard Haven on Martha's Vineyard, but was never heard from again. (1) http://www.joshuaslocumsocietyintl.org/
Fox..conservative???? LOL, here have some more koolaide
But wait!! She was great 'cause she winked at meeee!
Encrypt your data and go to Gitmo!
Anyone remember the "autodialing" acoustic coupler in war games?
And, I'm a devout member of the Church of the Subgenius and follow J.R. "Bob" Dobbs.
After all, GOD has told us to do this. Who are you to question GOD?
People have been getting the shaft from the government for a long, long time.
I consider myself very fortunate to have been able to meet him back in the early 70's through my girlfriends father who worked with him at TI. Even sadder though it how TI laid them both off as they approached retirement. Not sure how Mr Kirby handled it, but it devestated my gf's father. He never recovered from giving most of his professional carreer to TI and getting laid off.
In my way of thinking, you are simply sticking your head in the sand. Bush's handlers are, right now, trembling in anticipation of what they will be able to accomplish once he gets into office again without having to worry about re-election. I've had people call me paranoid, but who'd have thought we'd see done to the Bill of Rights what's been done so far. Frankly, it scares me to death, and those people who are not making a positive effort to eliminate the current scourge on this land are simply supporting it. There is no other candidate who has even a remote chance of defeating the current puppet. If you are sincere in wanting to get the shrub out of office, the only legitimate vote is Kerry. Paul
Hi Knightfall - So, a republican eh? Maybe consider jumping over to a candidate who has not trashed the Bill of Rights, who has not turned a surplus into the largest deficit we've ever had, who has not slacked up on clean air and water standards to allow more mercury and arsenic, who doesn't let his vice prez award no bid contracts to the company he still has millions of stock in. I could go on, but.. I'd just like a regeim change 'cause it would be a lot easier fot the Bush camp to do far more damage in the next 4 years. Paul
I have not missed voting in any and every election that I have ever been eligible to vote for. In fact, I am really active in this campaign seeing that the current pResident is kicked out of the office that was stolen for him.
Paul
Oh, I wish that there was a way to get a third party involved in a legitimate run for the president.
All we have been able to do for years is to select the lesser of two evils.
We have become the government of the people, by the lawyers, and for the corporations.
The "powers in charge" will never to do anything to jepoardize their power in this country and the world.
It's also interesting that our choice this time is between two members of skull and bones.
Paul
After a few years, and several millions of $$ in development, the big contracting hogs managed to get it all snuffed. Cost a lot of people their jobs, and led to a nearly useless space station at several factors the cost of the Industrial Space Facility.
Seems to me that companies would be very hesitant to get into this type of realtionship with NASA again.
Syntroxis
After a few years, and several millions of $$ in development, the big contracting hogs managed to get it all snuffed. Cost a lot of people their jobs, and led to a nearly useless space station at several factors the cost of the Industrial Space Facility.
Seems to me that companies would be very hesitant to get into this type of realtionship with NASA again.
Syntroxis
In a recent interview, Richard Clark (formerly Anti-Terrorist czar, now computer security czar for U.S.) pointed at Microsoft saying that they were the biggest threat to the internet and computer security. Of course, Microsoft had their guy in charge of security saying how secure their OS is. After all, they do come out with patches when they find a problem PB
An article regarding their concern is here.
Umm Go back and read your own post I distinctly see the words "Microsoft Certified Sysstems Administrator" in your post. Go squeeze a pimple.
Several studies supported the ISF, and some even pointed out that a manned presence (even a heart beating) in a microgravity environment would contaminate the microgravity environment.
It turned out that the desigh was so sensible, that many of the big aerospace contractors percieved it as a threat. An ISF could be placed into orbit for a cost of about $700 million (vs the billions for the station) and would be an inexpensive (compared to the ISS) paltform to screen processes for space manufacturing. If and when an application was found, the operation would become self financing.
To make a long story short, there are dangers when trying to find a place among the hogs feeding at the federal money trough. The new company was stomped to the ground and eventually went away.
There is now talk about abandoning the ISS to redirect big $$$ for the mood and Mars exploration. A permanent manned predence in space is too dangerous and expensive to maintain.
Ha! Can't get my money - don't have any.
Paul