Let me guess, your american and have never been anywhere near China.
That is a fair question, and your assumptions are true, but I do not base that comment on my own experiences. Through work, contracting and college, I have met, worked with and am friends with many PRC citizens and/or ex-patriots. I get that tidbit from most of them. Not all of them feel that way, but many of them expressed that sentiment about living in China as compared to the US. I can not claim, and probably will never have the experience to claim anything about living in China. But, people I know who were born and raised there and have visited/moved to the US have mostly expressed sentiments along those lines. I know my personal encounters, measured in dozens of people, will not accurately depict billions of people's sentiments. But, if there are not some sentiments like this in China, why do so many people cross through dangerous illegal crossings to get out. What was Tienamen (sp?) square? Why is there so much of an effort by the government to lie to and subdue its citizens? I know the US is hardly a role-model in this context, but I would see that as simply more proof to what I was inferring. Maybe I am missing something, but typically when I see kool-aid being force fed to the masses, especially when they do not know, I assume there is a reason.
But, then again, it is the little things that you start with when you are going for social change. You only wind up at the big things when the time has come. By letting a case go to court, especially if it wins, they are encouraging all kinds of other citizens to start taking their issues to court as well. Once the people get a taste of self-respect, they will not want to let go.
A question and you are likely to get 10 different answers that may or may not be correct.
How the IRS is allowed to operate the way it does is beyond me. How the tax laws are allowed to remain so confusing and frustrating is beyond me. But, obviously it is not cost effective to those that matter to fix it.
If the tax laws were cleaned up, then maybe IRS employees might be able to handle many more individuals per specialist. If the tax laws were cleaned up, then maybe the IRS would be able to do all of its work at work. Just maybe.
when the artist starts getting big, somebody has to step in and help, and they have to get paid.
How about when the artists start getting big, they have to pay somebody else. Then the money flows from the artist to the support (distribution, marketing, etc) and the artist gets paid if there is any left over from an employer's standpoint. This will actually help keep things much more honest, and force artists to use the system that works (for distribution) instead of the broken ones.
This arrangement would put the artists squarely in control. The only issue, is how many artists could manage doing this themselves. After all, the industry parasiting them is technical the distribution, marketing, etc portion hiring the artists. This ensure the artists are no more than store clerks in the chain.
Whether or not these are *greener* is open to debate. They all have serious consequences as well. Some eat of land, removing it from its natural form and use. Some flood large areas of land, again destroying its natural use, and destroying the original aquatic use. They all modify the area in which they are used. Geothermal is probably the one with the least known consequences of all, but I am not holding my breath once we start dealing with leaks in a geothermal system at its lowest points. There is already some evidence that geothermal systems may be related to seismic issues.
So, nuclear has a radioactivity issue. So does sunlight, microwave ovens, televisions, coal burning, X-Rays, and many more items/activities in daily life. The radioactive portion of the nuclear fuel system is not that scary. Where we put it and what we do with it afterwards is the real issue. Chernobyl and other incidents are all based on very large designs that were not well thought through or not managed correctly. And, for all the damage they have done, they have not done as much damage as a coal fired plant will in its life time.
As it seems to be with almost everything, moderation in use of many different types (used where they are the *best* local solution) seems to be key.
What good programs does CBS provide? I can not think of any anymore. I know I have not heard anyone at work mention any shows they watch on CBS. Most of the stuff I hear about is on Fox, Discovery, NBC or a sports channel.
Ahh, where is Harry when you need him? Did he not promise to come back from the other side and let us know what came after death? Sounds like something he could not escape.
Maybe, but I have helped to change a few people's votes here. The best thing to do is get enough people to call in to let them know this is a decision that would force many people to consider them unelectable. In other words, they go into the anyone but them box. I am not saying it is easy, but is can be done.
Businesses may have the dollars, but the people have the votes, and grass roots can work - albeit with time.
I realize what you said was a joke. What I said was meant to be humor as well. Maybe I was a bit too dry. I really thought the flux capacitor in a Matrix would give it away.
I remember some cheesy scifi flick that had a robotic *wife* called the Cherry 2000. I remember thinking how sad to be a person that had so little human interaction. Now, I read and post on slashdot, and they are talking about Avatars that pretty much do the same things. I'm nor really sure how to take this. It almost sounds like 2 steps forward and three steps back.
Being unable to go out on a Friday night for fun would imply one of three things to me. My Friday nights ended with marriage. I was married before slashdot was born. But, the repetition of activities led me to slashdot. Being married to a beautiful woman might seem like something nice to so many without a relationship, but a mind is the most beautiful of things. And she rarely wants to study, discuss or have anything to do with anything beyond cosmetics, jewelry and clothes. She is great at all three. She can sell them, and she can help people clear up their skin even when their docs can not. But, that just does not hold the same thrill to me as a flux capacitor in my new Matrix (I said I was married).
ARTHUR: The swallow may fly south with the sun or the house
martin or the plumber may seek warmer climes in winter yet these
are not strangers to our land.
GUARD #1: Are you suggesting coconuts migrate?
ARTHUR: Not at all, they could be carried.
The really scary part is I can imagine conversations pretty similar to this happening in the Bush/neo-con war room all the time. Though I would expect that their conversations would at least be a semi-plausible attempt to remain realistic.
This is the kind of stuff that you need to figure out who did it. Then, you need to find out why. Most likely, the reason will be somewhat insane, but at least you know what you are dealing with. Then, after you know who and why, you work to make sure that it does not happen again. Ignorance is a powerful disadvantage.
From the reference, it seems that this is an attempt to keep NASA form being administratively destroyed by a Bushism. Remember the guy Bush put in place that started slashing everything else to make one thing happen. The NASA budget is so tiny compared to so many other budgets, the solution to achieve things is not to slash and burn, but to fund it. OMG! Look at everything we have gotten out of the space race so far. Microwaves (communications and ovens), new materials, better computing, better aircraft, and more!
So, the who is not so important, but the why is very important. To prevent another slash and burn like the last Bush appointee.
Maybe this language is needed. Remember how many things this administration has made happen for short sighted goals that have disastrous mid to long term impacts (yeah, nothing new, but they are very good at it). Would it actually be good to go for Mars at the expense of so many other things?
As the post above you, thank you for pointing out the overlooked/ignored obvious realities of capitalism.
I am an American (USA variety), and I get sick and tired of the ignorance espoused by people who think the system will just work. It is so much like listening to some gibbering idiot go on about their perpetual motion device, or unlimited free energy device (or to date, flying cars). People seem to want to totally gloss over the greed, corruption, collusion, laziness, theft, graft, bribery and other broken aspects for the system we currently live in. It is as if they believe that their own faults do not exist (let alone the faults of others). All of us are fallible, greedy, etc to some extent. Unbridled free market is just an excuse to be allowed to do anything you want without repercussions, or at least an answer that can never be dealt with directly, as society would break down long before you achieved the model they offer up.
For instance, I would throw out all business licenses and the associated regulation, such as health inspections for restaurants;
I work in the food industry, as a manager (one of two lines of work I do). I do not want an unregulated food industry. Do you have any idea how many people would get sick and/or die form bad food products or unsafe environments? Do you have any idea how many have in the past? I also have worked closely with the health care side in many projects involving pathogens. Do you remember the issue with China sending us poisonous toothpaste? Do you remember the problems with tainted beef, or vegetables just this year? Do you know how fast bacteria grow in food? Have you ever inspected a small upstart's kitchen who does not understand food safety - a vast majority of people do not!
Do you know why it is not safe to drink the water in many countries? Or eat the food? Do you know why so many countries without regulations have so many health issues relating to flu-like symptoms, diarrhea, and other issues relating to food born illness?
Do you realize how little the average person knows about food safety, and communicable disease? Read this link to learn more different potential diseases, pathogens and toxins in food.
Even if disease were not a problem, the nature of people to do things (like toxic toothpaste because it is cheaper) still should be a gigantic red flag. Maybe the inspectors are a little overzealous at times (I have dealt with those), but I would prefer an overzealous inspector to a lax one anytime. BTW, I have never had a red and only a couple of yellows on an inspection - both yellows were quickly corrected and never repeated. Almost nothing but greens, even from the most picky of inspectors I have had to deal with. The people who work for me may think I am demanding, but we are not just talking about food quality, we are talking about food safety and the health and lives of people who probably do not want to run a risk of kidney failure, liver damage or worse because some uncaring twit decided their laziness or comfort was more important than the safety and quality of the food and environment we serve it in. I have often read about how doctors are the first line of exposure in an epidemic. I disagree, restaurants and food providers. Why? because we are exposed to the public and all it has to offer every day many hundreds of times to thousands of times more than a doctor is. A doctor only sees a patient when they are aware of the symptoms they will have. We see them in our restaurants and stores first. We touch the surfaces they have touched, the money they have handled, and get sneezed at, coughed on and believe it or not sprayed with their saliva (ever taken an order form a sprayer?) If we do not practice the best of health care and food care, we become the carriers and the source of diseases. We (food industry) have to know what is out their and what to look for. We have to be aware of our hand washing, surface cleaning (de-contaminating) and food safety. If we let a situation develop, then you wind up with an outbreak. It has happened many times. It might be flu, or a new Legionnaires Disease. It might be indigestion or a trip to the emergency room. So few people I have met in the food industry are actually aware of the realities that they do things that are unsafe and spread disease. Lets face it, the average person in the food industry is not a doctor. Most barely have a high school education and many are more worried about their next house payment than washing their hands. Some out and out just do not care. I have caught people in restaurants picking their nose, using the restroom, coughing and sneezing into their hands and then not washing their hands. I have caught people leaving meat out on the counter to thaw (very dangerous), trying to serve unwashed vegetables, not keeping counter food up to temperature - sometimes as low as 110 degrees - perfect
pfft. face it, while you may invent the toys, it's the chinese that make them affordable.you NEED them to steal your idea's so that your own populace can actually afford them.
Last time I checked the production of the military and technology I was referring to was here in the US or in specially designated countries, not China! That is one of the reasons that certain technologies are not allowed to be exported to certain countries, if they are allowed to be exported at all. I would have much more sympathy for China (PRC) if it actually contributed something back to the world in kind, but to my knowledge, they do not.
Right, and Toyota needs the US to steal their technologies so they can build cheaper vehicles in the US. Get real. Theft is theft, outsourcing is something quite different. China (PRC) has a history of human rights violations and abuse of their and other peoples. And that is why Mexico is stealing everything as well.. Oh wait, they are not.
I think this is not pork. In the long term, manpower is very expensive, and paying people to put their lives in danger is much more expensive than having tech-jocks sitting at consoles controlling remote vehicles.
Also, the cost of future tanks would be relatively less for similar performance if the tank did not have to safely carry a crew. They would weigh less, carry more armor, and be smaller. Smaller means easier to move around, and faster to deploy. Remote controlled means if a tank is killed, you do not loose the experience of the crew. All of these things represent costs. Lighter tanks would require less fuel (which is very expensive) and potentially open up a whole new class of miniature tank that could rely on its size for more stealthy operation (even electric motors for quiet operation until something goes boom). Remote controlled bombs, remote controlled spies, remote controlled crowd control. There are many applications for this type of technology that reduce overall cost and risk. That is definitely not pork from the military's point of view (or from mine).
At some point in the future, this will lead to a driverless car, which will lead to more cost savings from the reduction and almost total elimination of human error accidents. So, just like the research that seemed so pointless to so many that became Darpanet and eventually the Internet, this is the first steps to a whole new realm of technological expertise that in the future will have incredible life changing/enhancing benefits for most of humanity, and possibly nature as well.
At one point (before sputnik), most people in the US thought the space program was a nonsensical waste of money. From it came tennis shoes, microwave ovens, advanced rubber and materials (think car tires), vastly improved power systems, vastly improved computing systems, satellite systems, vastly improved flight, vastly improved sensors technology and many more technologies that most people would not want to ever live without today.
One of the problems we have technologically in the US (though not the only one), is the relative lack of technological investment that we have been making since the moon launch years. After early 1970s, we slowed down quickly in our push to expand into the surrounding solar system, and thereby slowed down on our rate of technological development (I do not mean new toys you can play with, but whole new fields or understanding and whole new technologies that can be used to eventually builds that new gadget you can play with). If we started investing in our future as ambitiously as we used to, we would have a chance to wind up back in the lead again (of course, we have to do something about the theft of that technology by countries like China). Being in the lead in technology is what made us a *powerful* country. As we loose that lead, the significance of any other aspect of our lead becomes rather meaningless. But, you have to understand, leading by developing is a leadership role. Leading by guns and butter is a bully role. People follow a leader, they fear a bully, and will eliminate the bully at the first chance.
Robotic warriors don't bother me. Its those cloners that bother me. Robots are not able to respond and be creative in the way cloners can. Thats why the cloner army destroyed the CIS so fast.
Slashdot Mirror
Let me guess, your american and have never been anywhere near China.
That is a fair question, and your assumptions are true, but I do not base that comment on my own experiences. Through work, contracting and college, I have met, worked with and am friends with many PRC citizens and/or ex-patriots. I get that tidbit from most of them. Not all of them feel that way, but many of them expressed that sentiment about living in China as compared to the US. I can not claim, and probably will never have the experience to claim anything about living in China. But, people I know who were born and raised there and have visited/moved to the US have mostly expressed sentiments along those lines. I know my personal encounters, measured in dozens of people, will not accurately depict billions of people's sentiments. But, if there are not some sentiments like this in China, why do so many people cross through dangerous illegal crossings to get out. What was Tienamen (sp?) square? Why is there so much of an effort by the government to lie to and subdue its citizens? I know the US is hardly a role-model in this context, but I would see that as simply more proof to what I was inferring. Maybe I am missing something, but typically when I see kool-aid being force fed to the masses, especially when they do not know, I assume there is a reason.
InnerWeb
But, then again, it is the little things that you start with when you are going for social change. You only wind up at the big things when the time has come. By letting a case go to court, especially if it wins, they are encouraging all kinds of other citizens to start taking their issues to court as well. Once the people get a taste of self-respect, they will not want to let go.
InnerWeb
A question and you are likely to get 10 different answers that may or may not be correct.
How the IRS is allowed to operate the way it does is beyond me. How the tax laws are allowed to remain so confusing and frustrating is beyond me. But, obviously it is not cost effective to those that matter to fix it.
If the tax laws were cleaned up, then maybe IRS employees might be able to handle many more individuals per specialist. If the tax laws were cleaned up, then maybe the IRS would be able to do all of its work at work. Just maybe.
InnerWeb
The two parties in the two party system are just tools. If you really want their masters, you must talk to corporate and syndicate entities.
InnerWeb
Thats not a ... Oh wait, it really is a moon.
InnerWeb
when the artist starts getting big, somebody has to step in and help, and they have to get paid.
How about when the artists start getting big, they have to pay somebody else. Then the money flows from the artist to the support (distribution, marketing, etc) and the artist gets paid if there is any left over from an employer's standpoint. This will actually help keep things much more honest, and force artists to use the system that works (for distribution) instead of the broken ones.
This arrangement would put the artists squarely in control. The only issue, is how many artists could manage doing this themselves. After all, the industry parasiting them is technical the distribution, marketing, etc portion hiring the artists. This ensure the artists are no more than store clerks in the chain.
InnerWeb
Whether or not these are *greener* is open to debate. They all have serious consequences as well. Some eat of land, removing it from its natural form and use. Some flood large areas of land, again destroying its natural use, and destroying the original aquatic use. They all modify the area in which they are used. Geothermal is probably the one with the least known consequences of all, but I am not holding my breath once we start dealing with leaks in a geothermal system at its lowest points. There is already some evidence that geothermal systems may be related to seismic issues.
So, nuclear has a radioactivity issue. So does sunlight, microwave ovens, televisions, coal burning, X-Rays, and many more items/activities in daily life. The radioactive portion of the nuclear fuel system is not that scary. Where we put it and what we do with it afterwards is the real issue. Chernobyl and other incidents are all based on very large designs that were not well thought through or not managed correctly. And, for all the damage they have done, they have not done as much damage as a coal fired plant will in its life time.
As it seems to be with almost everything, moderation in use of many different types (used where they are the *best* local solution) seems to be key.
InnerWeb
Now, that is funny! Thanks for the morning laugh, it is the best way to start off the day.
Next thing, maybe they will create a device to store some of the *mechanical work* to be used later to convert into electrical energy.
InnerWeb
What good programs does CBS provide? I can not think of any anymore. I know I have not heard anyone at work mention any shows they watch on CBS. Most of the stuff I hear about is on Fox, Discovery, NBC or a sports channel.
InnerWeb
It isn't?
Ahh, where is Harry when you need him? Did he not promise to come back from the other side and let us know what came after death? Sounds like something he could not escape.
InnerWeb
Maybe, but I have helped to change a few people's votes here. The best thing to do is get enough people to call in to let them know this is a decision that would force many people to consider them unelectable. In other words, they go into the anyone but them box. I am not saying it is easy, but is can be done.
Businesses may have the dollars, but the people have the votes, and grass roots can work - albeit with time.
InnerWeb
I realize what you said was a joke. What I said was meant to be humor as well. Maybe I was a bit too dry. I really thought the flux capacitor in a Matrix would give it away.
InnerWeb
It is just a regular silver/gray matrix. Nothing special.
InnerWeb
I remember some cheesy scifi flick that had a robotic *wife* called the Cherry 2000. I remember thinking how sad to be a person that had so little human interaction. Now, I read and post on slashdot, and they are talking about Avatars that pretty much do the same things. I'm nor really sure how to take this. It almost sounds like 2 steps forward and three steps back.
InnerWeb
Being unable to go out on a Friday night for fun would imply one of three things to me. My Friday nights ended with marriage. I was married before slashdot was born. But, the repetition of activities led me to slashdot. Being married to a beautiful woman might seem like something nice to so many without a relationship, but a mind is the most beautiful of things. And she rarely wants to study, discuss or have anything to do with anything beyond cosmetics, jewelry and clothes. She is great at all three. She can sell them, and she can help people clear up their skin even when their docs can not. But, that just does not hold the same thrill to me as a flux capacitor in my new Matrix (I said I was married).
InnerWeb
ARTHUR: The swallow may fly south with the sun or the house
martin or the plumber may seek warmer climes in winter yet these
are not strangers to our land.
GUARD #1: Are you suggesting coconuts migrate?
ARTHUR: Not at all, they could be carried.
The really scary part is I can imagine conversations pretty similar to this happening in the Bush/neo-con war room all the time. Though I would expect that their conversations would at least be a semi-plausible attempt to remain realistic.
This is the kind of stuff that you need to figure out who did it. Then, you need to find out why. Most likely, the reason will be somewhat insane, but at least you know what you are dealing with. Then, after you know who and why, you work to make sure that it does not happen again. Ignorance is a powerful disadvantage.
From the reference, it seems that this is an attempt to keep NASA form being administratively destroyed by a Bushism. Remember the guy Bush put in place that started slashing everything else to make one thing happen. The NASA budget is so tiny compared to so many other budgets, the solution to achieve things is not to slash and burn, but to fund it. OMG! Look at everything we have gotten out of the space race so far. Microwaves (communications and ovens), new materials, better computing, better aircraft, and more!
So, the who is not so important, but the why is very important. To prevent another slash and burn like the last Bush appointee.
Maybe this language is needed. Remember how many things this administration has made happen for short sighted goals that have disastrous mid to long term impacts (yeah, nothing new, but they are very good at it). Would it actually be good to go for Mars at the expense of so many other things?
InnerWeb
As the post above you, thank you for pointing out the overlooked/ignored obvious realities of capitalism.
I am an American (USA variety), and I get sick and tired of the ignorance espoused by people who think the system will just work. It is so much like listening to some gibbering idiot go on about their perpetual motion device, or unlimited free energy device (or to date, flying cars). People seem to want to totally gloss over the greed, corruption, collusion, laziness, theft, graft, bribery and other broken aspects for the system we currently live in. It is as if they believe that their own faults do not exist (let alone the faults of others). All of us are fallible, greedy, etc to some extent. Unbridled free market is just an excuse to be allowed to do anything you want without repercussions, or at least an answer that can never be dealt with directly, as society would break down long before you achieved the model they offer up.
InnerWeb
Absolutely correct.
Thank you for pointing out the often overlooked/ignored fundamental reality of capitalism and any form of government regulation.
InnerWeb
For instance, I would throw out all business licenses and the associated regulation, such as health inspections for restaurants;
I work in the food industry, as a manager (one of two lines of work I do). I do not want an unregulated food industry. Do you have any idea how many people would get sick and/or die form bad food products or unsafe environments? Do you have any idea how many have in the past? I also have worked closely with the health care side in many projects involving pathogens. Do you remember the issue with China sending us poisonous toothpaste? Do you remember the problems with tainted beef, or vegetables just this year? Do you know how fast bacteria grow in food? Have you ever inspected a small upstart's kitchen who does not understand food safety - a vast majority of people do not!
Do you know why it is not safe to drink the water in many countries? Or eat the food? Do you know why so many countries without regulations have so many health issues relating to flu-like symptoms, diarrhea, and other issues relating to food born illness?
Do you realize how little the average person knows about food safety, and communicable disease? Read this link to learn more different potential diseases, pathogens and toxins in food.
Even if disease were not a problem, the nature of people to do things (like toxic toothpaste because it is cheaper) still should be a gigantic red flag. Maybe the inspectors are a little overzealous at times (I have dealt with those), but I would prefer an overzealous inspector to a lax one anytime. BTW, I have never had a red and only a couple of yellows on an inspection - both yellows were quickly corrected and never repeated. Almost nothing but greens, even from the most picky of inspectors I have had to deal with. The people who work for me may think I am demanding, but we are not just talking about food quality, we are talking about food safety and the health and lives of people who probably do not want to run a risk of kidney failure, liver damage or worse because some uncaring twit decided their laziness or comfort was more important than the safety and quality of the food and environment we serve it in. I have often read about how doctors are the first line of exposure in an epidemic. I disagree, restaurants and food providers. Why? because we are exposed to the public and all it has to offer every day many hundreds of times to thousands of times more than a doctor is. A doctor only sees a patient when they are aware of the symptoms they will have. We see them in our restaurants and stores first. We touch the surfaces they have touched, the money they have handled, and get sneezed at, coughed on and believe it or not sprayed with their saliva (ever taken an order form a sprayer?) If we do not practice the best of health care and food care, we become the carriers and the source of diseases. We (food industry) have to know what is out their and what to look for. We have to be aware of our hand washing, surface cleaning (de-contaminating) and food safety. If we let a situation develop, then you wind up with an outbreak. It has happened many times. It might be flu, or a new Legionnaires Disease. It might be indigestion or a trip to the emergency room. So few people I have met in the food industry are actually aware of the realities that they do things that are unsafe and spread disease. Lets face it, the average person in the food industry is not a doctor. Most barely have a high school education and many are more worried about their next house payment than washing their hands. Some out and out just do not care. I have caught people in restaurants picking their nose, using the restroom, coughing and sneezing into their hands and then not washing their hands. I have caught people leaving meat out on the counter to thaw (very dangerous), trying to serve unwashed vegetables, not keeping counter food up to temperature - sometimes as low as 110 degrees - perfect
pfft. face it, while you may invent the toys, it's the chinese that make them affordable.you NEED them to steal your idea's so that your own populace can actually afford them.
Last time I checked the production of the military and technology I was referring to was here in the US or in specially designated countries, not China! That is one of the reasons that certain technologies are not allowed to be exported to certain countries, if they are allowed to be exported at all. I would have much more sympathy for China (PRC) if it actually contributed something back to the world in kind, but to my knowledge, they do not.
Right, and Toyota needs the US to steal their technologies so they can build cheaper vehicles in the US. Get real. Theft is theft, outsourcing is something quite different. China (PRC) has a history of human rights violations and abuse of their and other peoples. And that is why Mexico is stealing everything as well.. Oh wait, they are not.
InnerWeb
I think this is not pork. In the long term, manpower is very expensive, and paying people to put their lives in danger is much more expensive than having tech-jocks sitting at consoles controlling remote vehicles.
Also, the cost of future tanks would be relatively less for similar performance if the tank did not have to safely carry a crew. They would weigh less, carry more armor, and be smaller. Smaller means easier to move around, and faster to deploy. Remote controlled means if a tank is killed, you do not loose the experience of the crew. All of these things represent costs. Lighter tanks would require less fuel (which is very expensive) and potentially open up a whole new class of miniature tank that could rely on its size for more stealthy operation (even electric motors for quiet operation until something goes boom). Remote controlled bombs, remote controlled spies, remote controlled crowd control. There are many applications for this type of technology that reduce overall cost and risk. That is definitely not pork from the military's point of view (or from mine).
At some point in the future, this will lead to a driverless car, which will lead to more cost savings from the reduction and almost total elimination of human error accidents. So, just like the research that seemed so pointless to so many that became Darpanet and eventually the Internet, this is the first steps to a whole new realm of technological expertise that in the future will have incredible life changing/enhancing benefits for most of humanity, and possibly nature as well.
At one point (before sputnik), most people in the US thought the space program was a nonsensical waste of money. From it came tennis shoes, microwave ovens, advanced rubber and materials (think car tires), vastly improved power systems, vastly improved computing systems, satellite systems, vastly improved flight, vastly improved sensors technology and many more technologies that most people would not want to ever live without today.
One of the problems we have technologically in the US (though not the only one), is the relative lack of technological investment that we have been making since the moon launch years. After early 1970s, we slowed down quickly in our push to expand into the surrounding solar system, and thereby slowed down on our rate of technological development (I do not mean new toys you can play with, but whole new fields or understanding and whole new technologies that can be used to eventually builds that new gadget you can play with). If we started investing in our future as ambitiously as we used to, we would have a chance to wind up back in the lead again (of course, we have to do something about the theft of that technology by countries like China). Being in the lead in technology is what made us a *powerful* country. As we loose that lead, the significance of any other aspect of our lead becomes rather meaningless. But, you have to understand, leading by developing is a leadership role. Leading by guns and butter is a bully role. People follow a leader, they fear a bully, and will eliminate the bully at the first chance.
InnerWeb
Robotic warriors don't bother me. Its those cloners that bother me. Robots are not able to respond and be creative in the way cloners can. Thats why the cloner army destroyed the CIS so fast.
[/humor]
InnerWeb
And your problem is? If it's more expensive and inferior then it'll be unsuccessful.
Right, cause corporate politics and ass covering always leads to buying the best value.
InnerWeb