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That is essentially how progress begins in every industry. Wealthy people pay for new tech with their vast fortunes, and many times, their lives. Once they work

That is essentially how progress begins in every industry. Wealthy people pay for new tech with their vast fortunes, and many times, their lives. Once they work out the kinks and economies of scale take over, the less wealthy enjoy the same tech at higher levels of safety and lower prices.

wolverine876 4y ago
I wonder how often that's true, or a myth of uber-capitalism - sort of a trickle-down theory for tech. AFAIK, it's often government that pays for new tech, and then once it has a profitable nitch, corporations.
- ghastmaster 4y ago
  That is true to a large extent today. Sadly, most of the foundations of the tech we have today is based on tech we had developed before governments were involved to level they are today. Cars, trains, engines, CRT, film, computers, telephone, building materials, and much much more, are seemingly only being tweaked. The rapid pace of truly innovative tech has waned. Is this because of government involvement? Is this because our understanding of basic science allowed us to pass some threshold, only to be stymied by the increasing complexity and having to devote more time and material to test the nuances? Blockchain was supposedly created by a single person. The Federal Reserve Bank of the United States has mentioned creating a digital currency. As they pump more money into that idea and develop some neat tweaks or totally control blockchains, will we look back in 50 years and say, "Look at how much the government did for blockchain." forgetting that it exists in the first place to spite them?
donthellbanme 4y ago
Deritio 4y ago
Yes exactly! I'm traveling business all the time because it's so cheap. Ah wait let me rephrase this: while more people can fly now economy got shittier than ever. Also we live in 2022, the narrative that rich risk there life's was probably never true (they have test personal) and we have enough capital in our society to do certain things without the money of the rich.
- ghastmaster 4y ago
  > Also we live in 2022, the narrative that rich risk there life's was probably never true (they have test personal)... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amelia_Earhart#Childhood https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amelia_Earhart#Childhood > Earhart was the daughter of Samuel "Edwin" Stanton Earhart (1867–1930) and Amelia "Amy" (née Otis; 1869–1962).[13] She was born in Atchison, Kansas, in the home of her maternal grandfather, Alfred Gideon Otis (1827–1912), who was a former federal judge, the president of the Atchison Savings Bank and a leading citizen in the town. Amelia was the second child of the marriage after an infant was stillborn in August 1896.[14] She for one, looks to me to have been wealthy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_inventors_killed_by_their_own_invention https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_inventors_killed_by_th... > and we have enough capital in our society to do certain things without the money of the rich. Part of the reward for pioneering tech is the taking of the risk and getting the reward while at the end of the day being able to feel a sense of accomplishment having done it largely of your own initiative and cost. The spirit of exploration that existed in early humans, that led to our expansion to the furthest points of the earth, exists today in the form of innovation and invention. While it is enticing of course to create at the behest of government or corporations like was done in Bell Labs or DARPA, there is a severe risk that liabilities and bureaucracy stifle innovation. I cannot imagine a governmental system of incentives that creates an atmosphere quite like the USA had prior to the 1960s that led to innovation, invention, and implementation that we had never seen before, and may never see again.

wolverine876 4y ago

I wonder how often that's true, or a myth of uber-capitalism - sort of a trickle-down theory for tech. AFAIK, it's often government that pays for new tech, and then once it has a profitable nitch, corporations.

ghastmaster 4y ago
That is true to a large extent today. Sadly, most of the foundations of the tech we have today is based on tech we had developed before governments were involved to level they are today. Cars, trains, engines, CRT, film, computers, telephone, building materials, and much much more, are seemingly only being tweaked. The rapid pace of truly innovative tech has waned. Is this because of government involvement? Is this because our understanding of basic science allowed us to pass some threshold, only to be stymied by the increasing complexity and having to devote more time and material to test the nuances? Blockchain was supposedly created by a single person. The Federal Reserve Bank of the United States has mentioned creating a digital currency. As they pump more money into that idea and develop some neat tweaks or totally control blockchains, will we look back in 50 years and say, "Look at how much the government did for blockchain." forgetting that it exists in the first place to spite them?

donthellbanme 4y ago

Deritio 4y ago

Yes exactly! I'm traveling business all the time because it's so cheap. Ah wait let me rephrase this: while more people can fly now economy got shittier than ever. Also we live in 2022, the narrative that rich risk there life's was probably never true (they have test personal) and we have enough capital in our society to do certain things without the money of the rich.

ghastmaster 4y ago
> Also we live in 2022, the narrative that rich risk there life's was probably never true (they have test personal)... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amelia_Earhart#Childhood https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amelia_Earhart#Childhood > Earhart was the daughter of Samuel "Edwin" Stanton Earhart (1867–1930) and Amelia "Amy" (née Otis; 1869–1962).[13] She was born in Atchison, Kansas, in the home of her maternal grandfather, Alfred Gideon Otis (1827–1912), who was a former federal judge, the president of the Atchison Savings Bank and a leading citizen in the town. Amelia was the second child of the marriage after an infant was stillborn in August 1896.[14] She for one, looks to me to have been wealthy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_inventors_killed_by_their_own_invention https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_inventors_killed_by_th... > and we have enough capital in our society to do certain things without the money of the rich. Part of the reward for pioneering tech is the taking of the risk and getting the reward while at the end of the day being able to feel a sense of accomplishment having done it largely of your own initiative and cost. The spirit of exploration that existed in early humans, that led to our expansion to the furthest points of the earth, exists today in the form of innovation and invention. While it is enticing of course to create at the behest of government or corporations like was done in Bell Labs or DARPA, there is a severe risk that liabilities and bureaucracy stifle innovation. I cannot imagine a governmental system of incentives that creates an atmosphere quite like the USA had prior to the 1960s that led to innovation, invention, and implementation that we had never seen before, and may never see again.