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I'm not sure what paradise is to be drawn at billionaires racing each other to space while the planet we all live on is in shambles on so many levels

wrnr 5y ago
Why put salt on your potatoes while there are still people starving of hunger. Envy the billies all you want it won't make their live any worse or that of the poor any better.
- zpeti 5y ago
  To people like the commenter it's much better if everyone is suffering than if some people aren't and some are.
- 123pie123 5y ago
  I envy the billionaire bank balance, but it's not the money that makes you happy (above a certain level) but the options it allows you to do. obviously people are not keen on the actions /options that JB has choosen to make. Especially when you hear the stories of his employees and how much tax he pays
- 8note 5y ago
  If you're gonna take the salt from the starving person to do it, it's probably a good idea to skip the salt
taway_scott 5y ago
I think you should read this: https://launiusr.wordpress.com/2012/02/08/why-explore-space-a-1970-letter-to-a-nun-in-africa/ https://launiusr.wordpress.com/2012/02/08/why-explore-space-... I had similar views until 5 years ago and questioned almost every new investment/endeavour by people that required significant upfront capital investment but I think this letter has changed a lot of my thinking process.
- input_sh 5y ago
  There's no "space exploration" to be done 50-70 miles above ground. Billionaires charging other billionaires for 10 minutes above the imaginary "space line" has nothing to do with space exploration.
  - taway_scott 5y ago
    Sure if you want to be pedantic. My response to the parent comment was more around trying to provide a possible answer to a natural question of "Why spend so much money on anything new while there are several million problems to be solved on Earth?". And I don't think 50-70 miles is going to be the norm. This is more of a "test" flight, which is pretty normal. Everything has to start somewhere with a baby step.
    - input_sh 5y ago
      > And I don't think 50-70 miles is going to be the norm. It is going to be for the foreseeable future, and I'll tell you two reasons why: 1. FAA and USAF considers everyone that's been above 50 miles (~62 kilometres) as an astronaut. 2. Von Karman line (at 100 kilometres, or 62 miles) is the closest we have to the consensus over what constitutes "space". We could've drawn it pretty much everywhere because Earth's atmosphere disappears gradually, but these are nice round numbers previously agreed upon. Therefore, if you're after commercial space flights (like Bezos and Branson are), that's the minimum you need to do to be able to charge millions for a "space flight". There is no incentive to go above that for commercial purposes.
  - t0mbstone 5y ago
    The future of space is NOT "exploration" for the sake of exploration. The future of space is going to involve a lot of robots, a lot of mining other planets for resources, and a lot of space stations made from those resources. Bezos is planning for a future where all polluting industry is moved to outer space instead of being done here on Earth. He has publicly stated this on multiple occasions recently.
zpeti 5y ago
By basically any metric the world is the best place for humans it's ever been. Absolutely poverty has collapsed over the last few decades and will be non existent in about 15-20 years. Basically every human has gotten access to all the world's information in the last 10-15 years (unless their government has a firewall). The fact that 2 people want to actually do something that is extremely inspriring to most non-envious and resentful people is a result of the fact that humanity has massively improved it's state of living recently. And btw, generally doing inspiring things and failing forwards is much better at improving things. Just have a look at how Tesla has radically changed the car industry and turned it electric. Without Tesla the car industry would be doing fuck all to turn electric.
- bosie 5y ago
  > Absolutely poverty has collapsed over the last few decades and will be non existent in about 15-20 years. care to expand on why it is extinct in 15 years?
  - zpeti 5y ago
    Look at the graph, and project is forwards
- peakaboo 5y ago
  The world's information is heavily censored, mate. People have no freedom to even disagree anymore.
- moogly 5y ago
  > Absolutely poverty has collapsed over the last few decades and will be non existent in about 15-20 years. Did you mean to use some completely different word in place of "poverty" there? Because I'm flabbergasted at this statement.
EvilEy3 5y ago
> while the planet we all live on is in shambles on so many levels Literally on the brink of extinction now.
- IntelMiner 5y ago
  It's a strange, almost comforting feeling? Knowing that even with the wealth to achieve something that once took entire nations to blast off into space for a few minutes, they're still as doomed as the rest of us to perish on this indifferent rock No man is an island, even with all the wealth in the world. All that wealth is meaningless when everyone else is gone anyhow
  - EvilEy3 5y ago
    I'm sorry to disappoint you, but it was a sarcasm. Planet will survive, it is incredibly ignorant to think that it even cares about pest that are humans.
    - IntelMiner 5y ago
      That's why I said "indifferent rock" No matter how much money any of them have, they can't outrun the planet itself moving on without us

wrnr 5y ago

Why put salt on your potatoes while there are still people starving of hunger. Envy the billies all you want it won't make their live any worse or that of the poor any better.

zpeti 5y ago
To people like the commenter it's much better if everyone is suffering than if some people aren't and some are.
123pie123 5y ago
I envy the billionaire bank balance, but it's not the money that makes you happy (above a certain level) but the options it allows you to do. obviously people are not keen on the actions /options that JB has choosen to make. Especially when you hear the stories of his employees and how much tax he pays
8note 5y ago
If you're gonna take the salt from the starving person to do it, it's probably a good idea to skip the salt

taway_scott 5y ago

I think you should read this: https://launiusr.wordpress.com/2012/02/08/why-explore-space-a-1970-letter-to-a-nun-in-africa/ https://launiusr.wordpress.com/2012/02/08/why-explore-space-... I had similar views until 5 years ago and questioned almost every new investment/endeavour by people that required significant upfront capital investment but I think this letter has changed a lot of my thinking process.

input_sh 5y ago
There's no "space exploration" to be done 50-70 miles above ground. Billionaires charging other billionaires for 10 minutes above the imaginary "space line" has nothing to do with space exploration.
- taway_scott 5y ago
  Sure if you want to be pedantic. My response to the parent comment was more around trying to provide a possible answer to a natural question of "Why spend so much money on anything new while there are several million problems to be solved on Earth?". And I don't think 50-70 miles is going to be the norm. This is more of a "test" flight, which is pretty normal. Everything has to start somewhere with a baby step.
  - input_sh 5y ago
    > And I don't think 50-70 miles is going to be the norm. It is going to be for the foreseeable future, and I'll tell you two reasons why: 1. FAA and USAF considers everyone that's been above 50 miles (~62 kilometres) as an astronaut. 2. Von Karman line (at 100 kilometres, or 62 miles) is the closest we have to the consensus over what constitutes "space". We could've drawn it pretty much everywhere because Earth's atmosphere disappears gradually, but these are nice round numbers previously agreed upon. Therefore, if you're after commercial space flights (like Bezos and Branson are), that's the minimum you need to do to be able to charge millions for a "space flight". There is no incentive to go above that for commercial purposes.
- t0mbstone 5y ago
  The future of space is NOT "exploration" for the sake of exploration. The future of space is going to involve a lot of robots, a lot of mining other planets for resources, and a lot of space stations made from those resources. Bezos is planning for a future where all polluting industry is moved to outer space instead of being done here on Earth. He has publicly stated this on multiple occasions recently.

zpeti 5y ago

By basically any metric the world is the best place for humans it's ever been. Absolutely poverty has collapsed over the last few decades and will be non existent in about 15-20 years. Basically every human has gotten access to all the world's information in the last 10-15 years (unless their government has a firewall). The fact that 2 people want to actually do something that is extremely inspriring to most non-envious and resentful people is a result of the fact that humanity has massively improved it's state of living recently. And btw, generally doing inspiring things and failing forwards is much better at improving things. Just have a look at how Tesla has radically changed the car industry and turned it electric. Without Tesla the car industry would be doing fuck all to turn electric.

bosie 5y ago
> Absolutely poverty has collapsed over the last few decades and will be non existent in about 15-20 years. care to expand on why it is extinct in 15 years?
- zpeti 5y ago
  Look at the graph, and project is forwards
peakaboo 5y ago
The world's information is heavily censored, mate. People have no freedom to even disagree anymore.
moogly 5y ago
> Absolutely poverty has collapsed over the last few decades and will be non existent in about 15-20 years. Did you mean to use some completely different word in place of "poverty" there? Because I'm flabbergasted at this statement.

EvilEy3 5y ago

> while the planet we all live on is in shambles on so many levels Literally on the brink of extinction now.

IntelMiner 5y ago
It's a strange, almost comforting feeling? Knowing that even with the wealth to achieve something that once took entire nations to blast off into space for a few minutes, they're still as doomed as the rest of us to perish on this indifferent rock No man is an island, even with all the wealth in the world. All that wealth is meaningless when everyone else is gone anyhow
- EvilEy3 5y ago
  I'm sorry to disappoint you, but it was a sarcasm. Planet will survive, it is incredibly ignorant to think that it even cares about pest that are humans.
  - IntelMiner 5y ago
    That's why I said "indifferent rock" No matter how much money any of them have, they can't outrun the planet itself moving on without us