3 ms·

I have to say, one of the things that is driving me mad these days is the level of ignorance evidenced by both popular and media conversations about all of this

I have to say, one of the things that is driving me mad these days is the level of ignorance evidenced by both popular and media conversations about all of this stuff. I mean, are we watching too many science fiction movies? Have we lost any connection to what it actually takes to make things? With over thirty years in technology and manufacturing I would not touch the rapid development of a ventilator with a ten foot pole. As you correctly state, designing such devices takes years. And, beyond that, it takes decades of accumulated experience to inform the decisions and choices made during the design of any modern device. And then there's the years of testing, qualification and supply chain engineering. No, the only way to make ventilators is to make more of an already proven design under the supervision of the companies already making them. In other words, expand their production capacity by retooling already capable manufacturing environments. Watching the White House press briefings I can't help but feel that reporters must think Trump is Captain Picard who, armed with advanced replicators, can replicate mass quantities of anything within days. Oh, yes, and he must be Superman too. In real life things take time. And if your industrial base has been almost completely off-shored, it takes even longer. If it's even possible at all.

MikeAmelung 7y ago
I'm right there with you, probably has to do with many of them having never seen a manufacturing facility. But they do know how to write "Those jobs are never coming back!"
- robomartin 7y ago
  I had someone call me to ask if we could use our 3D print farm, industrial (not hobby) CNC equipment and surface mount line to make "a low cost ventilator they designed over the weekend". I pretty much read the guy the riot act and told him to stop fucking around with shit he isn't even remotely equipped to understand and go find some other way to help. Yeah, I've lost a lot of tolerance for this kind of stuff during the last few weeks. We are being treated to an amazing display of the Dunning-Kruger effect on a daily basis. I mean, I just heard the media is on a war path blaming Trump for some guy in Arizona who "died after taking Chloroquine, the drug the President is pushing". Turns out nobody did their research and this guy decided to take a chemical used to clean fish tanks. Never mind that there was no doctor involved at all. Fish tank cleaner...and somehow our President is culpable? We are witnessing ignorance being elevated to a virtue.
  - MikeAmelung 7y ago
    Oh they knew, they just didn't want to mention that he straight up drank the aquarium cleaner and instead said "the chemical he ingested is also used in aquarium cleaners." I usually have little patience for people who have no idea what the hell they're talking about, but I've been trying to give the benefit of the doubt since a lot of these people are probably extremely panicked and genuinely trying to help. Some people though... need an ass-kicking.
    - robomartin 7y ago
      I agree, panic can bring out irrational thinking. Maybe I am over-reacting because there seems to be so much of it going around. I did the math on COVID-19 back in early February and quickly recognized this was not going to be "just the flu". I made it a point to warn lots of people to get ready, buy supplies, etc. The number of people who laughed at me with the now familiar "just the flu" was alarming. A good deal of my family members and friends who understand I am not an alarmist and don't say that kind of stuff lightly took my advice. I can't tell you how many calls I got over the last couple of weeks from them thanking me for the advance notice. None of them had to join the desperation and frenzy at our supermarkets. Everyone got ready for it back in February. In the meantime I am trying to put hardware on the moon. It seems like such a distant idea given what's going on. My guess is Artemis is likely to suffer delays due to this pandemic and the funds we'll need to burn to keep afloat.
  - phonon 7y ago
    https://www.foxnews.com/health/trump-fda-coronavirus-drug-testing-fish-tanks-ebay-price-human-consumption https://www.foxnews.com/health/trump-fda-coronavirus-drug-te...

MikeAmelung 7y ago

I'm right there with you, probably has to do with many of them having never seen a manufacturing facility. But they do know how to write "Those jobs are never coming back!"

robomartin 7y ago
I had someone call me to ask if we could use our 3D print farm, industrial (not hobby) CNC equipment and surface mount line to make "a low cost ventilator they designed over the weekend". I pretty much read the guy the riot act and told him to stop fucking around with shit he isn't even remotely equipped to understand and go find some other way to help. Yeah, I've lost a lot of tolerance for this kind of stuff during the last few weeks. We are being treated to an amazing display of the Dunning-Kruger effect on a daily basis. I mean, I just heard the media is on a war path blaming Trump for some guy in Arizona who "died after taking Chloroquine, the drug the President is pushing". Turns out nobody did their research and this guy decided to take a chemical used to clean fish tanks. Never mind that there was no doctor involved at all. Fish tank cleaner...and somehow our President is culpable? We are witnessing ignorance being elevated to a virtue.
- MikeAmelung 7y ago
  Oh they knew, they just didn't want to mention that he straight up drank the aquarium cleaner and instead said "the chemical he ingested is also used in aquarium cleaners." I usually have little patience for people who have no idea what the hell they're talking about, but I've been trying to give the benefit of the doubt since a lot of these people are probably extremely panicked and genuinely trying to help. Some people though... need an ass-kicking.
  - robomartin 7y ago
    I agree, panic can bring out irrational thinking. Maybe I am over-reacting because there seems to be so much of it going around. I did the math on COVID-19 back in early February and quickly recognized this was not going to be "just the flu". I made it a point to warn lots of people to get ready, buy supplies, etc. The number of people who laughed at me with the now familiar "just the flu" was alarming. A good deal of my family members and friends who understand I am not an alarmist and don't say that kind of stuff lightly took my advice. I can't tell you how many calls I got over the last couple of weeks from them thanking me for the advance notice. None of them had to join the desperation and frenzy at our supermarkets. Everyone got ready for it back in February. In the meantime I am trying to put hardware on the moon. It seems like such a distant idea given what's going on. My guess is Artemis is likely to suffer delays due to this pandemic and the funds we'll need to burn to keep afloat.
- phonon 7y ago
  https://www.foxnews.com/health/trump-fda-coronavirus-drug-testing-fish-tanks-ebay-price-human-consumption https://www.foxnews.com/health/trump-fda-coronavirus-drug-te...