TRIBBLE capitalism. Capitalism inevitably ends with the Ferengi Alliance and Liquidator Brunt.
Actually, Brunt is cool, because Jeffery Combs. But the rest? Not so much.
Hey, Quark was quite likeable too. Although I question how Ferengi can be free marketeers when they have a bureaucracy telling them how to run their businesses. Seems rather contradictory to their ethos.
Still, after NASA, I don't think a state run space agency would be good for the world as there's always the problem of public funding. It's too reliant on politicians and their fickle agendas and whims. Sure, NASA got us to the Moon, but then we stopped going, and sort of regressed as we merely continued with simple orbital missions on aging technology. Under a free market method, the various businesses will constantly be trying to innovate new technologies as they attempt to outdo each other.
Hey, Quark was quite likeable too. Although I question how Ferengi can be free marketeers when they have a bureaucracy telling them how to run their businesses. Seems rather contradictory to their ethos.
Free markets inevitably turn into the Ferengi Alliance. It's a bit complicated, but I can explain it at length tomorrow (by PM, of course) if you want me to.
Still, after NASA, I don't think a state run space agency would be good for the world as there's always the problem of public funding. It's too reliant on politicians and their fickle agendas and whims. Sure, NASA got us to the Moon, but then we stopped going, and sort of regressed as we merely continued with simple orbital missions on aging technology. Under a free market method, the various businesses will constantly be trying to innovate new technologies as they attempt to outdo each other.
Meh, just get some politicians who don't suck quite as much as the current bunch.
And seriously, can we focus on keeping this planet in good shape? The Ba'ku got the TRIBBLE kicked out of them pretty good out of being utterly unprepared, but they got one thing completely right, and that's "Where can warp drive take us, except away from here?"
Free markets inevitably turn into the Ferengi Alliance. It's a bit complicated, but I can explain it at length tomorrow (by PM, of course) if you want me to.
Meh, just get some politicians who don't suck quite as much as the current bunch.
And seriously, can we focus on keeping this planet in good shape? The Ba'ku got the TRIBBLE kicked out of them pretty good out of being utterly unprepared, but they got one thing completely right, and that's "Where can warp drive take us, except away from here?"
Free markets inevitably turn into the Ferengi Alliance. It's a bit complicated, but I can explain it at length tomorrow (by PM, of course) if you want me to.
I could also send you a few articles that show where Ferengi were strawmen politicals. Turning into the Ferengi Alliance complete with FCA doesn't seem very likely to me. I'd be more concerned about the companies building AIs so good that they go all HAL 9000 on us.
Meh, just get some politicians who don't suck quite as much as the current bunch.
Oh, how naive. It would be easier to squeeze water from a stone. Let me give you a few words of wisdom: All politicians are idiots. They only think as far as their next election.
And seriously, can we focus on keeping this planet in good shape? The Ba'ku got the TRIBBLE kicked out of them pretty good out of being utterly unprepared, but they got one thing completely right, and that's "Where can warp drive take us, except away from here?"
I could also send you a few articles where Ferengi were strawmen politicals. Turning into the Ferengi Alliance complete with FCA doesn't seem very likely to me. I'd be more concerned about the companies building AIs so good that they go all HAL 9000 on us.
TEHO. I know that the Ferengi were sort of strawmen, but the fact is that those with money and power will inevitably try to keep it for themselves.
All the "free market" needs is one smart, lucky guy, who gets lots of dough, and then uses it, then the whole system goes to the Ferengi.
Oh, how naive. It would be easier to squeeze water from a stone. Let me give you a few words of wisdom: All politicians are idiots. They only think as far as their next election.
Yeah, I was joking. Thought it might lighten the mood.
TEHO. I know that the Ferengi were sort of strawmen, but the fact is that those with money and power will inevitably try to keep it for themselves.
All the "free market" needs is one smart, lucky guy, who gets lots of dough, and then uses it, then the whole system goes to the Ferengi.
I don't think so, because there's nothing stopping someone from building up competition against Mr. Lucky in an actual free market.
The only reason this doesn't work today is because the regulations around starting a new business have become rather prohibitive, no thanks to shortsighted idiot politicians who pander to whatever cause ("Left" or "Right") keeps them in office. So the big businesses stay big and fat as does the government, neither of which are desirable. Bureaus are generally an anathema to free markets and as we're witnessing with corporate giants like Microsoft and Monsanto, more likely to breed monopolies as all attempts to create competition are smothered.
Yeah, I was joking. Thought it might lighten the mood.
Well, I guess you got the desired effect, as I did laugh.
Sure. But I don't really understand the endless focus on more spaceflight stuff. It's just too ridiculously expensive, not enough reward.
It's expensive because its currently a stagnant publicly funded morass. The competition of a free market could actually help lower the costs as new technologies become more common and available.
It's also expensive because, like with defense spending, the people who decide what to buy are not always the same ones who decide what they need, so a lot of the same cash furnace contractors get used. The whole Constellation mess is a good example - it burned through its development, testing, and into its operations budget before it even left the drawing board, and NASA had tried several times to back out of it or take it to a new contractor. And it all should be the exact opposite of a surprise, since the biggest contractor involved with it was simultaneously running horrendously over budget developing two military aircraft, one of which also never came into existence (and while the F-35 exists in the literal sense, there are people would still argue otherwise despite having flown it).
Honestly, the bigger worry with private spaceflight is that with competition will likely come corner cutting of the sort we see in the air industry right now. The Dragon already has a record that most public organizations would consider unacceptable (100% success, but with significant anomalies in 50% of launches and partial payload loss in 25%), and some of the upcoming competitors are promising faster and cheaper deliveries and have not made the same promises SpaceX has that they won't risk human lives until they can be sure those anomalies are resolved.
It's also expensive because, like with defense spending, the people who decide what to buy are not always the same ones who decide what they need, so a lot of the same cash furnace contractors get used. The whole Constellation mess is a good example - it burned through its development, testing, and into its operations budget before it even left the drawing board, and NASA had tried several times to back out of it or take it to a new contractor. And it all should be the exact opposite of a surprise, since the biggest contractor involved with it was simultaneously running horrendously over budget developing two military aircraft, one of which also never came into existence (and while the F-35 exists in the literal sense, there are people would still argue otherwise despite having flown it).
Honestly, the bigger worry with private spaceflight is that with competition will likely come corner cutting of the sort we see in the air industry right now. The Dragon already has a record that most public organizations would consider unacceptable (100% success, but with significant anomalies in 50% of launches and partial payload loss in 25%), and some of the upcoming competitors are promising faster and cheaper deliveries and have not made the same promises SpaceX has that they won't risk human lives until they can be sure those anomalies are resolved.
I think SpaceX should get into the Space Tourism business.
Sir Richard Branson has his WhiteKnight 2.
He is charging $250,000 per seat.
Leonardo De Caprio has already agreed to go on a ride!
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC] We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where
we started and know the place for the first time. T.S. Eliot
Comments
Hey, Quark was quite likeable too. Although I question how Ferengi can be free marketeers when they have a bureaucracy telling them how to run their businesses. Seems rather contradictory to their ethos.
Still, after NASA, I don't think a state run space agency would be good for the world as there's always the problem of public funding. It's too reliant on politicians and their fickle agendas and whims. Sure, NASA got us to the Moon, but then we stopped going, and sort of regressed as we merely continued with simple orbital missions on aging technology. Under a free market method, the various businesses will constantly be trying to innovate new technologies as they attempt to outdo each other.
And seriously, can we focus on keeping this planet in good shape? The Ba'ku got the TRIBBLE kicked out of them pretty good out of being utterly unprepared, but they got one thing completely right, and that's "Where can warp drive take us, except away from here?"
I don't think that's even possible. :P
Trials of Blood and Fire
Moving On Parts 1-3 - Part 4
In Cold Blood
I could also send you a few articles that show where Ferengi were strawmen politicals. Turning into the Ferengi Alliance complete with FCA doesn't seem very likely to me. I'd be more concerned about the companies building AIs so good that they go all HAL 9000 on us.
Oh, how naive. It would be easier to squeeze water from a stone. Let me give you a few words of wisdom: All politicians are idiots. They only think as far as their next election.
This is rather tangential, don't you think?
TEHO. I know that the Ferengi were sort of strawmen, but the fact is that those with money and power will inevitably try to keep it for themselves.
All the "free market" needs is one smart, lucky guy, who gets lots of dough, and then uses it, then the whole system goes to the Ferengi.
Yeah, I was joking. Thought it might lighten the mood.
Sure. But I don't really understand the endless focus on more spaceflight stuff. It's just too ridiculously expensive, not enough reward.
I don't think so, because there's nothing stopping someone from building up competition against Mr. Lucky in an actual free market.
The only reason this doesn't work today is because the regulations around starting a new business have become rather prohibitive, no thanks to shortsighted idiot politicians who pander to whatever cause ("Left" or "Right") keeps them in office. So the big businesses stay big and fat as does the government, neither of which are desirable. Bureaus are generally an anathema to free markets and as we're witnessing with corporate giants like Microsoft and Monsanto, more likely to breed monopolies as all attempts to create competition are smothered.
Well, I guess you got the desired effect, as I did laugh.
It's expensive because its currently a stagnant publicly funded morass. The competition of a free market could actually help lower the costs as new technologies become more common and available.
Honestly, the bigger worry with private spaceflight is that with competition will likely come corner cutting of the sort we see in the air industry right now. The Dragon already has a record that most public organizations would consider unacceptable (100% success, but with significant anomalies in 50% of launches and partial payload loss in 25%), and some of the upcoming competitors are promising faster and cheaper deliveries and have not made the same promises SpaceX has that they won't risk human lives until they can be sure those anomalies are resolved.
I think SpaceX should get into the Space Tourism business.
Sir Richard Branson has his WhiteKnight 2.
He is charging $250,000 per seat.
Leonardo De Caprio has already agreed to go on a ride!
We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where
we started and know the place for the first time. T.S. Eliot