3 ms·

What are the resources missing to build them quickly?

by ianai 4y ago

willis936 4y ago
Existing industries and throughput. We could divert steel production (as an example, but applied to other raw materials) away from unnecessary (defense) applications, but even with monetary incentive you need to scale up the ability of humans to create megaprojects. Minimizing the size of the project not only minimizes the cost, but also maximizes our ability to make them faster. Given a choice between the two: I'd take the latter. We don't really have that choice though because we (humans) have not cracked the code to successful megaprojects on budget and on time every time.
- WillPostForFood 4y ago
  We could divert steel production (as an example, but applied to other raw materials) away from unnecessary (defense) applications Defense uses only 3% of US steel production. That’s not the problem, and arguably, necessary. https://www.commerce.gov/sites/default/files/department_of_defense_memo_response_to_steel_and_aluminum_policy_recommendations.pdf https://www.commerce.gov/sites/default/files/department_of_d...
  - pstuart 4y ago
    Defense is necessary, but I'm guessing the DoD is not a paragon of efficiency.
  - throwaway290 4y ago
    I suppose if we were talking about infinite money and political will we might as well simplify the problem to an ideal spherical world in vacuum where there are no rogue dictators and the whole world cooperates (=> defense is unnecessary). Would we be able to build them then?
roenxi 4y ago
Organisational know-how. If economic entities make a habit of sinking huge amounts of money into ventures with a high risk of failure then they disappear quite quickly (even governments, if the costs are high enough). The economic system is optimised to reward well calculated risk & evidence based decisions. Looking at the graph in the tweet, I'd bet the strategy is patience. It seems clear that current research efforts will eventually produce net-positive-energy fusion, then the capitalists will start to swarm in. No need for anyone to take a big gambit.

What are the resources missing to build them quickly?

by ianai 4y ago

What are the resources missing to build them quickly?

Existing industries and throughput. We could divert steel production (as an example, but applied to other raw materials) away from unnecessary (defense) applications, but even with monetary incentive you need to scale up the ability of humans to create megaprojects. Minimizing the size of the project not only minimizes the cost, but also maximizes our ability to make them faster. Given a choice between the two: I'd take the latter. We don't really have that choice though because we (humans) have not cracked the code to successful megaprojects on budget and on time every time.

WillPostForFood 4y ago
We could divert steel production (as an example, but applied to other raw materials) away from unnecessary (defense) applications Defense uses only 3% of US steel production. That’s not the problem, and arguably, necessary. https://www.commerce.gov/sites/default/files/department_of_defense_memo_response_to_steel_and_aluminum_policy_recommendations.pdf https://www.commerce.gov/sites/default/files/department_of_d...
- pstuart 4y ago
  Defense is necessary, but I'm guessing the DoD is not a paragon of efficiency.
- throwaway290 4y ago
  I suppose if we were talking about infinite money and political will we might as well simplify the problem to an ideal spherical world in vacuum where there are no rogue dictators and the whole world cooperates (=> defense is unnecessary). Would we be able to build them then?

roenxi 4y ago

Organisational know-how. If economic entities make a habit of sinking huge amounts of money into ventures with a high risk of failure then they disappear quite quickly (even governments, if the costs are high enough). The economic system is optimised to reward well calculated risk & evidence based decisions. Looking at the graph in the tweet, I'd bet the strategy is patience. It seems clear that current research efforts will eventually produce net-positive-energy fusion, then the capitalists will start to swarm in. No need for anyone to take a big gambit.