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> we can't seem to do anything any more? I disagree. We do some amazing shit. Elon Musk runs circles around ULA. My own research, as a far smaller example, has

> we can't seem to do anything any more? I disagree. We do some amazing shit. Elon Musk runs circles around ULA. My own research, as a far smaller example, has scaled up nicely despite the fact that in the old model it should be virtually impossible to do any research in the career track I'm in. Tech doesn't help people who are bored (boring?). But it is like hydrazine for people who need to get serious shit done on the fringes of society.

amiga_500 7y ago
But the core functions of society are no longer working. Universities provided education that pushed society forward for centuries. In just 30 years of applying growth obsessed capitalism, that has stopped working. Tech isn't my complaint. Tech helps, yet despite this huge boost, we are going backwards.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
mschuster91 7y ago
> Elon Musk runs circles around ULA. That is because there has been a severe lack of competition until SpaceX arrived. Let's be honest there is no real alternative to Airbus and Boeing for airplanes, and it has been the same situation for space before SpaceX. Or, to express it better: Why should ULA have tried to divert to agile processes or try out new ways of doing things when the status quo reliably keeps jobs in congressional districts and money in supplier companies? The goal of these semi-governmental mega companies is not to efficiently produce goods/services, the goal is to ensure distribution of public taxpayer money to jobs, no matter how wasteful they are, in order to essentially bribe voters. Airbus, for example, could drastically cut costs and time in airplane production if they would not have to send airframes and parts sometimes three times across Europe, but that would not fly well with politicians as voters would ask "we pay r&d money to Airbus but why aren't we getting anything back?"...
- JoeAltmaier 7y ago
  Sounds cynical. But I assure everyone its not. Government contracts are a gravy train. I mentioned to my high school friend that my contracting overhead in the Midwest was about 25%. He said "In Washington contractor overhead is 200%" Why? To make the owners of the contracting companies rich, of course.

amiga_500 7y ago

But the core functions of society are no longer working. Universities provided education that pushed society forward for centuries. In just 30 years of applying growth obsessed capitalism, that has stopped working. Tech isn't my complaint. Tech helps, yet despite this huge boost, we are going backwards.

deleted 7y ago
[deleted]

mschuster91 7y ago

> Elon Musk runs circles around ULA. That is because there has been a severe lack of competition until SpaceX arrived. Let's be honest there is no real alternative to Airbus and Boeing for airplanes, and it has been the same situation for space before SpaceX. Or, to express it better: Why should ULA have tried to divert to agile processes or try out new ways of doing things when the status quo reliably keeps jobs in congressional districts and money in supplier companies? The goal of these semi-governmental mega companies is not to efficiently produce goods/services, the goal is to ensure distribution of public taxpayer money to jobs, no matter how wasteful they are, in order to essentially bribe voters. Airbus, for example, could drastically cut costs and time in airplane production if they would not have to send airframes and parts sometimes three times across Europe, but that would not fly well with politicians as voters would ask "we pay r&d money to Airbus but why aren't we getting anything back?"...

JoeAltmaier 7y ago
Sounds cynical. But I assure everyone its not. Government contracts are a gravy train. I mentioned to my high school friend that my contracting overhead in the Midwest was about 25%. He said "In Washington contractor overhead is 200%" Why? To make the owners of the contracting companies rich, of course.