If the article is true, and prime numbers can be gleaned from quantum stuff, and quantum computers are just around the corner... will that obsolete all our public key encryption tools? How does this affect quantum encryption? Will we have to wait for our household Mr. Fusion reactors to power these systems to maintain encryption? Will all this happen within the next 5 years?
In my office I used to keep a large whiteboard and a large corkboard with notes pinned to it. Other people would see this and wonder why the tech guy needed all this. "Can't you just put that stuff on the computer? How about Microsoft Project?" They would ask.
After I stopped laughing, I'd say "Sure, I could, but a computer is not necessarily the best place for it". I would explain that computers and automated systems are excellent for routine, highly predictable things, but after years and years of research and experimentation, the US Marines and the US Navy couldn't get computerized control rooms to work out very well.
Their solution, the one that worked best of all, was colored T-shirts for crew, and a scale model of the aircraft carrier in the control room. The scale model has coins and other tokens on it that represent aircraft, fuel, bombs, people, etc. And people are there moving the tokens around in real time, so at a glance, all the decision makers were on the same page and knew the entire scene. The interface is simple- childishly simple and effective. No training required. Also, the tokens can be shifted to "try out" a scenario too. Sure, a big-ass LCD screen with digital tokens could be used to do the same thing. But would it be cheaper or more effective? Especially in a battle situation?
Was is also a creative excersize as much as anything- perhaps moreso. So far, you can't automate that.
I had a similar problem before I left corporate and started my own company. While I was a mere employee though, this was by far the most successful conversation I had-
CEO: All we're asking for is a picture, some text and a few buttons. It's just HTML right? How hard can it be to put some buttons on a page? Can't you just hire a college kid for a day to do the HTML?
Me: Well, how long does it take to build a house. I mean, it's just a few walls and a roof, right?
CEO: I'm not talking about the whole web site, but a few buttons on the pages we already have.
Me: Ok, so in this house that's already completed. Let's install a toilet. It's simple right? Let's say you want it in the living room. No problem, Just bring in a toilet and bolt it to the floor. There you go. All done.
Except, you want it to actually work. Hmmm. Well, we can bring a waterhose in from the yard and cut a hole in the floor under the toilet. Just do your stuff, then go out and turn on the water hose to flush it under the floor. Don't forget to turn the water off.
CEO: Are you really telling me that adding a few buttons to a web page is like installing a toilet?
Me: I'm saying that you can just bolt a toilet to the floor the same way you can just slap a few buttons on a web page- it will LOOK fine, unless you want them to actually work. In a few weeks, or a few days you'll wish that you'd paid attention to the contractor and spent the time and money to get proper plumbing to that toilet. If you don't, you'll have a stinking mess in no time. Our web pages, databases, application layers, interfaces, etc. can all be thought of like a house, or an office building. Lots of interconnected systems, plumbing, wires... But for a web site we use terms like ports, application layers, back end database, front end interface, sessions, data consistency, load balancing, failover system, etc. Not to mention the dreaded cookies. Remember that fiasco when we had to yank all the cookies off our web site because the VP of marketing read a magazine article, and suddenly nothing worked anymore?
The bottom line is, if you don't do things right, you'll regret it soon enough, and it'll cause lots of headaches and cost a whole lot more to fix later. Imagine a house that wasn't designed first. Everything was just added on as fast and cheaply as possible. Hoses, wires, water and funny smells everywhere. A disaster waiting to happen.
To continue the analogy, you wouldn't hire some kid out of college to do the plumbing in your house. You'd hire a licensed plumber who knows about pressure, drainage, how to keep the shower from scalding you if someone flushes while you're taking a shower, proper venting- do you even know what the vents are for on your roof? Some of them make your toilets work. If you didn't know that when you installed your toilet, you'd be sorry real fast. So, since plumbing is all standardized and has been around since the Romans, what makes you think that the Internet, with very little standardization and very much higher level of complexity than mere plumbing, can be done properly by some college kid?
CEO: Well, get a designer then.
Me: I'm the designer.
CEO: Well, then get to work on it!
Me: I AM working on it, and so are the two guys I hired to do the programming and database work. And so is the nearly worthless Interactive Usability Analyst you made me hire. That's almost three and a half people. It takes more than thirty people in at least nine areas of expertise to build a simple house you know. (for the reader- foundation, framing, roofing, wiring, plumbing, drywall, cabinetry, floors, doors, paint and/or masonry.)
CEO: So, when will it be done?
Me: As soon as we can figure out where the data is going from those last data inputs, I mean "buttons" you had put on the web site by that consultant we can't seem to locate anymore, and clean up that mess. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go to the bathroom.
Have you ever heard the truism "It's easier to be forgiven than to get permission"
I know many people who've started small business, even one who sells software on-line. In every case, they started producing and selling first, then went on to find out what documents and licenses they were supposed to have gotten. I know of one person who went for an entire year before learning that he even needed a business license in Los Angeles.
But guess what- the city, the county, the state, the national government, they all want the same thing, your tax dollars. It's not in their interest to shut you down, instead, they're well aware that by "helping" you become compliant, they'll get more revenues in the long run.
It's not my main business, but I sell software on-line too. Starting a business is trivial. Here's the steps I took:
1. Get a credit card with about $10,000 available. This will be your line of credit.
2. Scrape up about $200 in cash.
3. Open a bank account.
4. Get a PayPal account linked to that bank account.
5. Web site, product, start selling.
6. Establish a (small) market, then look for someone (Lawyer, Accountant) who can help figure out whether to incorporate and how. Use a professional.
7. Ask your bank to help you with your merchant account and taking credit cards on-line. It's easy.
8. Be frugal, but don't be afraid to spend money where it's needed. Henry Ford said "If you need a tool but you don't buy it, you pay for it anyway but don't get to use it."
9. Always be ready to adapt.
10. Customer service really does matter. Remember, your market IS your business.
One thing I learned from all those MBAs is that nothing is permanent. Put a stick in the mud, and you can always move it. Pricing, location, corporate status (Sole Prop, LLC, C-Corp, S-Corp, LLP, etc..) number of employees, bank accounts, payment options... Just details. They can all be adjusted. First you have to build your MARKET. Without a market, you have no business.
Here's the funny part- I've worked for several of those dot-coms who's names you'd recognize but which no longer exist. On average, they were funded with about a hundred million each (yes, dollars). Each one hired as many people as they thought were needed to do all the things- dozens, if not a hundred or more people on payroll... At lunch with a CEO and VP of marketing one day, I confided that I thought the best way to approach business on-line was to start as small as possible and build a niche first, then add to it. Both those MBAs laughed at me! It took about a year, but I finally quit and walked away from all those stock options. They turned out to be worthless of course. And out of all those companies, the one I started with $200 and a credit card is the only one that still exists.
As programmers, you have some incredible advantages over most MBAs. You have LOGIC. You are CREATIVE. You have a propensity for PROBLEM SOLVING. You can think through and visualize a plan of action from beginning to end. You can change course and re-program the system when requirements change. You know that very few, if any, projects are ever really finished. You're a hacker who knows how to shoot from the hip to get a job done on deadline, even if it isn't "elegant". You know that "Done" usually only means "it works at the moment and when it breaks, we'll fix it". Guess what, these qualities plus a willingness to try and fail then try again are what make entrepreneurs successful. Another advantage you have is that you won't have to hire some expensive tech guy to do your programming/sysadmin/DBA stuff for you. I can't count how many people have asked me who does my web sites. It's fun to watch the blank stare on their faces when I tell them "I did".
In the 1990s I was a very highly paid consultant (pure techie) and a VP at one well-funded dot-com, but I've been in business for myself six years now, and it's great to be the one who calls the shots. I'll never go b
You might think that getting a US PO Box would solve the mail theft problem. I have one, and it's pretty secure. Oh, except for the odd mail I get occasionally that was intended for other PO Box customers- and the stuff that I get a few weeks late because it was routed through several PO Boxes other than mine. But other than that, and the fact that I can't get my mail on Sundays, or Holidays, or after 6:00 PM, or before 7:30 AM and that I have to have a key to get my mail... Well, other than that, it's pretty convenient.
But then, it seems that PO Boxes are not allowed as addresses for certain kinds of accounts. Like Google AdSense for instance, and my Bank Account, and some utilities companies, etc... They seem to insist that I use my "home" address. "But that's not secure" I tell them. "Mail theft is illegal" they tell me. Right. Of course it is. I hadn't realized that just by it being illegal, we're all protected from theft!
So, since theft and tresspassing are illegal, I can leave my doors unlocked now and just leave the keys to my car in the ignition. If someone steals it, I can just tell the cops and my insurance company that "Of course I left it running with the keys in the ignition. Stealing is illegal!" Hey, my mail is considered "safe" in my plastic tupperware mail box out on the curb. Why not everything else?
You know, you have to have proof of an address- either on a state issued ID card, or using a utility bill with a name that matches your ID to get a PO Box. And you have to have a key (or combination) to get that box open, which sits in a lobby of a post office. A physical address? I can use any address in my neighborhood and just wait for the postman to come buy, then see what I got.
Can someone explain to me why a PO Box is not acceptable as an address? Google AdSense, are you listening? Where's my check!??
Read Freakonomics. Swimming pools are FAR more dangerous than loaded handguns (on a per capita basis no less) Your kid is more at risk visiting a friend with a swimming pool than visiting a friend who has loaded guns in a sidetable drawer. Not only that, but riding in a car is far and away the most dangerous thing your kid is likely to ever do (unless he decides to go crab fishing in Alaska, climb Mt. Everest or become a human cannonball, etc., but those are relatively small odds.)
I read a story a while back (can't seem to find it right now) about the residents of Love Canal, New York failing to get government aid to relocate away from the toxic ground they were living on. (the ground was toxic in part due to governemnt tolerance of industrial polluting, so the govt. was on the hook for it) The citizens got action by taking a govt. representative hostage, at gunpoint, and allowing him to drink only the polluted tap water until they got help. They got it, but they probably wouldn't have if not for the housewife who got her gun out and took action.
No shots were fired, and no one was killed, but the right to bear arms was
essential for the public to protect itself from the tyranny of big government.
If someone can find that article, please post a link.
I had a fabulous big-name DVD Player that I loved. Paid over $300 for it, and it was less than two years old when it died. Repair costs would have been $70/hour with a two to three hour estimate. I declined.
Then at Costco, I saw a DVD player for $59. It was even a Sony brand. I bought it and it works just as well as the old one did, but it's about 1/3 the size.
Forget brand. Here's why- I'm in the retail business. I used to market underwear that I got from overruns made for the big brands. It was the same stuff, but I put my label on it instead and sold it at a lower price. Anyone who works in, or is heavily involved in manufacturing knows that everything works that way. It's a matter of economics. The factories don't just sit around waiting for orders to come in, they keep making stuff and sell it to big brands first, and what's left over goes to the smaller brands and niche markets.
Regarding price: I stopped selling underwear and went to a better selling product line- toys. I (used to) sell good quality toys that cost more but will last a lifetime, and I also sell cheapo toys that will probably break in a week but cost less than a hearty meal at McDonalds. The sad fact is, people buy the cheap stuff in droves, and the good stuff gathers dust on the shelves, regardless of the positive reviews. I believe that the Internet drives this by making too easy to get an instant price comparison, and quality is judged by the photo alone.
The same thing is true in brick-and-mortar world too. Why do you think Wal-Mart is so successful?
The bottom line- Marketing textbooks will tell you that there's a market for every price point for an item, even the exact same item. They'll also tell you that you can make a living selling high quality designer shoes for $400 each, but you can get stinking rich selling stamped-plastic shoes for a dollar. Your best bet is to buy middle-of-the-road. You're more likely to be getting the same components as the expensive stuff without paying for the snob appeal marketing.
I've personally been on TV as an "expert" on the shows: Junkyard Wars, Monster Garage, Modern Marvels, Mail Call, Urban Legends Revealed and In The Name of Science. I've also consulted to shows like Nova and others. Why? I'm one of the world's leading authorities on ancient catapult and trebuchet technology. It's a silly thing, but hey, it got me on TV. (and I was suprised that the MythBusters didn't call me when they did their catapulting shows. Wassup wit dat?)
Anyway, my experience has been that all TV shows- even a "science" show like Nova, are first and foremost a form of entertainment for the masses. It's astonishing how much real science and real (and interesting) educational content is disposed of in favor of dumb comedy or adversarial content in the shows I participated in. Knowing what goes on behind the camera helps one to "see" what's going on behind the camera in other shows too. And I can see it happening in MythBusters- good and interesting informative content that should be there was cast aside in favor of the cheap gag.
TV producers always seem to think that the currency of "good" television is conflict. In other words, people love to watch a good fight, or at least an argument. People also like to think that they are learning something, but hate to really learn. ("If you make people think they're thinking, they'll love you; but, if you really make them think, they'll hate you." -- Harlan Ellison) The TV show MacGyver is an example....
In educational television, fail to entertain, and you lose the student. But it's all too easy to lose the education in favor of the entertainment too.
We live in a time when the US is falling behind, and may even lose its lead in the global science and engineering disciplines. School science programs are suffering, fewer and fewer kids in the US are studying science and engineering in colleges. We need to inspire our kids to study more science and engineering, and develop a stronger interest in these fields. This is not an issue of global competition, I view it as an issue of the US not living up to its responsibility as the wealthiest nation on earth. Shouldn't we also be capable of producing and distributing more and better scientists, engineers and technologies for the benefit of everyone?
"If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am not for others, what am I? And if not now, when?" - Hillel, 1st. century BCE.
So my question is this- Is the show just another stab at entertaining the public and making a few dollars off of advertisers, or are you really interested in helping inspire people (especially kids) to think, and to learn something new, and if so, do you think you could/should be doing a better job, or are the realities of producing a popular TV show just too much of a barrier to that?
By the way, my money is where my mouth is. I gave up a lucrative career as a CIO to design and sell catapults and trebuchets to schools and students. The most common feedback I get from teachers is: "Nothing has inspired an interest in learning math and physics more than building and tuning the trebuchet!" I take credit for sending dozens of kids off to engineering schools who would otherwise not have gone that route. I'd like to reach more kids too. Any pointers on getting my own TV science show?
Slashdot Mirror
--
Keep my family fed. Visit http://www.RLT.com Today!
After I stopped laughing, I'd say "Sure, I could, but a computer is not necessarily the best place for it". I would explain that computers and automated systems are excellent for routine, highly predictable things, but after years and years of research and experimentation, the US Marines and the US Navy couldn't get computerized control rooms to work out very well.
Their solution, the one that worked best of all, was colored T-shirts for crew, and a scale model of the aircraft carrier in the control room. The scale model has coins and other tokens on it that represent aircraft, fuel, bombs, people, etc. And people are there moving the tokens around in real time, so at a glance, all the decision makers were on the same page and knew the entire scene. The interface is simple- childishly simple and effective. No training required. Also, the tokens can be shifted to "try out" a scenario too. Sure, a big-ass LCD screen with digital tokens could be used to do the same thing. But would it be cheaper or more effective? Especially in a battle situation?
Was is also a creative excersize as much as anything- perhaps moreso. So far, you can't automate that.
--
Keep my family fed! Visit RLT.com today!
CEO: All we're asking for is a picture, some text and a few buttons. It's just HTML right? How hard can it be to put some buttons on a page? Can't you just hire a college kid for a day to do the HTML?
Me: Well, how long does it take to build a house. I mean, it's just a few walls and a roof, right?
CEO: I'm not talking about the whole web site, but a few buttons on the pages we already have.
Me: Ok, so in this house that's already completed. Let's install a toilet. It's simple right? Let's say you want it in the living room. No problem, Just bring in a toilet and bolt it to the floor. There you go. All done.
Except, you want it to actually work. Hmmm. Well, we can bring a waterhose in from the yard and cut a hole in the floor under the toilet. Just do your stuff, then go out and turn on the water hose to flush it under the floor. Don't forget to turn the water off.
CEO: Are you really telling me that adding a few buttons to a web page is like installing a toilet?
Me: I'm saying that you can just bolt a toilet to the floor the same way you can just slap a few buttons on a web page- it will LOOK fine, unless you want them to actually work. In a few weeks, or a few days you'll wish that you'd paid attention to the contractor and spent the time and money to get proper plumbing to that toilet. If you don't, you'll have a stinking mess in no time. Our web pages, databases, application layers, interfaces, etc. can all be thought of like a house, or an office building. Lots of interconnected systems, plumbing, wires... But for a web site we use terms like ports, application layers, back end database, front end interface, sessions, data consistency, load balancing, failover system, etc. Not to mention the dreaded cookies. Remember that fiasco when we had to yank all the cookies off our web site because the VP of marketing read a magazine article, and suddenly nothing worked anymore?
The bottom line is, if you don't do things right, you'll regret it soon enough, and it'll cause lots of headaches and cost a whole lot more to fix later. Imagine a house that wasn't designed first. Everything was just added on as fast and cheaply as possible. Hoses, wires, water and funny smells everywhere. A disaster waiting to happen.
To continue the analogy, you wouldn't hire some kid out of college to do the plumbing in your house. You'd hire a licensed plumber who knows about pressure, drainage, how to keep the shower from scalding you if someone flushes while you're taking a shower, proper venting- do you even know what the vents are for on your roof? Some of them make your toilets work. If you didn't know that when you installed your toilet, you'd be sorry real fast. So, since plumbing is all standardized and has been around since the Romans, what makes you think that the Internet, with very little standardization and very much higher level of complexity than mere plumbing, can be done properly by some college kid?
CEO: Well, get a designer then.
Me: I'm the designer.
CEO: Well, then get to work on it!
Me: I AM working on it, and so are the two guys I hired to do the programming and database work. And so is the nearly worthless Interactive Usability Analyst you made me hire. That's almost three and a half people. It takes more than thirty people in at least nine areas of expertise to build a simple house you know. (for the reader- foundation, framing, roofing, wiring, plumbing, drywall, cabinetry, floors, doors, paint and/or masonry.)
CEO: So, when will it be done?
Me: As soon as we can figure out where the data is going from those last data inputs, I mean "buttons" you had put on the web site by that consultant we can't seem to locate anymore, and clean up that mess. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go to the bathroom.
Oh, one more thing, please stop writing
www.RLT.com (My own)
As long as we're advertising web sites like Amazon, Ebay and Fishes inc., I might as well get a plug too.
"He who lives without folly isn't so wise as he thinks." -- Francois de La Rochefoucauld
I know many people who've started small business, even one who sells software on-line. In every case, they started producing and selling first, then went on to find out what documents and licenses they were supposed to have gotten. I know of one person who went for an entire year before learning that he even needed a business license in Los Angeles.
But guess what- the city, the county, the state, the national government, they all want the same thing, your tax dollars. It's not in their interest to shut you down, instead, they're well aware that by "helping" you become compliant, they'll get more revenues in the long run.
It's not my main business, but I sell software on-line too. Starting a business is trivial. Here's the steps I took:
1. Get a credit card with about $10,000 available. This will be your line of credit.
2. Scrape up about $200 in cash.
3. Open a bank account.
4. Get a PayPal account linked to that bank account.
5. Web site, product, start selling.
6. Establish a (small) market, then look for someone (Lawyer, Accountant) who can help figure out whether to incorporate and how. Use a professional.
7. Ask your bank to help you with your merchant account and taking credit cards on-line. It's easy.
8. Be frugal, but don't be afraid to spend money where it's needed. Henry Ford said "If you need a tool but you don't buy it, you pay for it anyway but don't get to use it."
9. Always be ready to adapt.
10. Customer service really does matter. Remember, your market IS your business.
One thing I learned from all those MBAs is that nothing is permanent. Put a stick in the mud, and you can always move it. Pricing, location, corporate status (Sole Prop, LLC, C-Corp, S-Corp, LLP, etc..) number of employees, bank accounts, payment options... Just details. They can all be adjusted. First you have to build your MARKET. Without a market, you have no business.
Here's the funny part- I've worked for several of those dot-coms who's names you'd recognize but which no longer exist. On average, they were funded with about a hundred million each (yes, dollars). Each one hired as many people as they thought were needed to do all the things- dozens, if not a hundred or more people on payroll... At lunch with a CEO and VP of marketing one day, I confided that I thought the best way to approach business on-line was to start as small as possible and build a niche first, then add to it. Both those MBAs laughed at me! It took about a year, but I finally quit and walked away from all those stock options. They turned out to be worthless of course. And out of all those companies, the one I started with $200 and a credit card is the only one that still exists.
As programmers, you have some incredible advantages over most MBAs. You have LOGIC. You are CREATIVE. You have a propensity for PROBLEM SOLVING. You can think through and visualize a plan of action from beginning to end. You can change course and re-program the system when requirements change. You know that very few, if any, projects are ever really finished. You're a hacker who knows how to shoot from the hip to get a job done on deadline, even if it isn't "elegant". You know that "Done" usually only means "it works at the moment and when it breaks, we'll fix it". Guess what, these qualities plus a willingness to try and fail then try again are what make entrepreneurs successful. Another advantage you have is that you won't have to hire some expensive tech guy to do your programming/sysadmin/DBA stuff for you. I can't count how many people have asked me who does my web sites. It's fun to watch the blank stare on their faces when I tell them "I did".
In the 1990s I was a very highly paid consultant (pure techie) and a VP at one well-funded dot-com, but I've been in business for myself six years now, and it's great to be the one who calls the shots. I'll never go b
But then, it seems that PO Boxes are not allowed as addresses for certain kinds of accounts. Like Google AdSense for instance, and my Bank Account, and some utilities companies, etc... They seem to insist that I use my "home" address. "But that's not secure" I tell them. "Mail theft is illegal" they tell me. Right. Of course it is. I hadn't realized that just by it being illegal, we're all protected from theft!
So, since theft and tresspassing are illegal, I can leave my doors unlocked now and just leave the keys to my car in the ignition. If someone steals it, I can just tell the cops and my insurance company that "Of course I left it running with the keys in the ignition. Stealing is illegal!" Hey, my mail is considered "safe" in my plastic tupperware mail box out on the curb. Why not everything else?
You know, you have to have proof of an address- either on a state issued ID card, or using a utility bill with a name that matches your ID to get a PO Box. And you have to have a key (or combination) to get that box open, which sits in a lobby of a post office. A physical address? I can use any address in my neighborhood and just wait for the postman to come buy, then see what I got.
Can someone explain to me why a PO Box is not acceptable as an address? Google AdSense, are you listening? Where's my check!??
--
Have you hurled today? CatapultKits.com
Read Freakonomics. Swimming pools are FAR more dangerous than loaded handguns (on a per capita basis no less) Your kid is more at risk visiting a friend with a swimming pool than visiting a friend who has loaded guns in a sidetable drawer. Not only that, but riding in a car is far and away the most dangerous thing your kid is likely to ever do (unless he decides to go crab fishing in Alaska, climb Mt. Everest or become a human cannonball, etc., but those are relatively small odds.)
I read a story a while back (can't seem to find it right now) about the residents of Love Canal, New York failing to get government aid to relocate away from the toxic ground they were living on. (the ground was toxic in part due to governemnt tolerance of industrial polluting, so the govt. was on the hook for it) The citizens got action by taking a govt. representative hostage, at gunpoint, and allowing him to drink only the polluted tap water until they got help. They got it, but they probably wouldn't have if not for the housewife who got her gun out and took action.
No shots were fired, and no one was killed, but the right to bear arms was essential for the public to protect itself from the tyranny of big government.
If someone can find that article, please post a link.
--
What's in your backyard? BackyardArtillery.com
Then at Costco, I saw a DVD player for $59. It was even a Sony brand. I bought it and it works just as well as the old one did, but it's about 1/3 the size.
Forget brand. Here's why- I'm in the retail business. I used to market underwear that I got from overruns made for the big brands. It was the same stuff, but I put my label on it instead and sold it at a lower price. Anyone who works in, or is heavily involved in manufacturing knows that everything works that way. It's a matter of economics. The factories don't just sit around waiting for orders to come in, they keep making stuff and sell it to big brands first, and what's left over goes to the smaller brands and niche markets.
Regarding price: I stopped selling underwear and went to a better selling product line- toys. I (used to) sell good quality toys that cost more but will last a lifetime, and I also sell cheapo toys that will probably break in a week but cost less than a hearty meal at McDonalds. The sad fact is, people buy the cheap stuff in droves, and the good stuff gathers dust on the shelves, regardless of the positive reviews. I believe that the Internet drives this by making too easy to get an instant price comparison, and quality is judged by the photo alone.
The same thing is true in brick-and-mortar world too. Why do you think Wal-Mart is so successful?
The bottom line- Marketing textbooks will tell you that there's a market for every price point for an item, even the exact same item. They'll also tell you that you can make a living selling high quality designer shoes for $400 each, but you can get stinking rich selling stamped-plastic shoes for a dollar. Your best bet is to buy middle-of-the-road. You're more likely to be getting the same components as the expensive stuff without paying for the snob appeal marketing.
As Thomas Jefferson pointed out: "A people get the government they deserve."
I've personally been on TV as an "expert" on the shows: Junkyard Wars, Monster Garage, Modern Marvels, Mail Call, Urban Legends Revealed and In The Name of Science. I've also consulted to shows like Nova and others. Why? I'm one of the world's leading authorities on ancient catapult and trebuchet technology. It's a silly thing, but hey, it got me on TV. (and I was suprised that the MythBusters didn't call me when they did their catapulting shows. Wassup wit dat?)
Anyway, my experience has been that all TV shows- even a "science" show like Nova, are first and foremost a form of entertainment for the masses. It's astonishing how much real science and real (and interesting) educational content is disposed of in favor of dumb comedy or adversarial content in the shows I participated in. Knowing what goes on behind the camera helps one to "see" what's going on behind the camera in other shows too. And I can see it happening in MythBusters- good and interesting informative content that should be there was cast aside in favor of the cheap gag.
TV producers always seem to think that the currency of "good" television is conflict. In other words, people love to watch a good fight, or at least an argument. People also like to think that they are learning something, but hate to really learn. ("If you make people think they're thinking, they'll love you; but, if you really make them think, they'll hate you." -- Harlan Ellison) The TV show MacGyver is an example....
In educational television, fail to entertain, and you lose the student. But it's all too easy to lose the education in favor of the entertainment too.
We live in a time when the US is falling behind, and may even lose its lead in the global science and engineering disciplines. School science programs are suffering, fewer and fewer kids in the US are studying science and engineering in colleges. We need to inspire our kids to study more science and engineering, and develop a stronger interest in these fields. This is not an issue of global competition, I view it as an issue of the US not living up to its responsibility as the wealthiest nation on earth. Shouldn't we also be capable of producing and distributing more and better scientists, engineers and technologies for the benefit of everyone?
"If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am not for others, what am I? And if not now, when?" - Hillel, 1st. century BCE.
So my question is this- Is the show just another stab at entertaining the public and making a few dollars off of advertisers, or are you really interested in helping inspire people (especially kids) to think, and to learn something new, and if so, do you think you could/should be doing a better job, or are the realities of producing a popular TV show just too much of a barrier to that?
By the way, my money is where my mouth is. I gave up a lucrative career as a CIO to design and sell catapults and trebuchets to schools and students. The most common feedback I get from teachers is: "Nothing has inspired an interest in learning math and physics more than building and tuning the trebuchet!" I take credit for sending dozens of kids off to engineering schools who would otherwise not have gone that route. I'd like to reach more kids too. Any pointers on getting my own TV science show?
Oh, and get your own catapult today!
http://www.catapultkits.com/
http://www.trebuchet.com/
http://www.mangonel.com/
http://www.trebuchetplans.com/
http://www.thehurl.org/