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I agree with you in one sense, however the huge military expenditure allowed Silicon Valley to emerge. http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=secret+history+of

I agree with you in one sense, however the huge military expenditure allowed Silicon Valley to emerge. http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=secret+history+of+silicon+valley&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CBsQtwIwAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DZTC_RxWN_xo&ei=zcjHTpe7O4XMhAe03cznDw&usg=AFQjCNGV-HSl51JTkvxDURHSuux7JFeMWQ http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=secret+histor... You could drive yourself mad playing a game of "what if we did things this way instead?"

kiba 15y ago
Arguably, silicon valley could have arise in another place or we could have continued on a different technological path.
gwern 15y ago
This seems like a classic broken window fallacy. I don't think you really appreciate how huge the huge is: > The cost of the Cold War was staggering; for the US the bill was $19.65 trillion (1948-1991) in 2010 dollars, of which $8,731.5 billion (also in 2010 dollars) was expended directly for nuclear arms.[34], [35] Precise data for the dollar cost of the Cold War to the USSR are not available, however it is generally believed that the Soviet Union spent 12-13% of its GDP on military programs in direct support of the Cold War...If Soviet expenditures for the Cold War were indeed on a par with those of the US, then the approximate dollar value for whole endeavor by both sides would be in the range of $40 trillion 2010 US dollars. To put that into perspective, that is also, give or take, the approximate net worth of the United States of America, at current market value, e.g., $50-60 trillion US! http://chronopause.com/index.php/2011/06/21/the-armories-of-the-latter-day-laputas-part-3/ http://chronopause.com/index.php/2011/06/21/the-armories-of-... So, to justify spending the entire net worth of the present-day US - with the emergence of Silicon Valley already priced in - you point to Silicon Valley? This is a broken window to end all broken windows.
- eps 15y ago
  I think he meant that the emergence of SV was one of fortunate outcomes of the Cold War, not that it justifies Cold War expedentures.
aw3c2 15y ago
You posted some weird redirection link, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTC_RxWN_xo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTC_RxWN_xo is the actual target

kiba 15y ago

Arguably, silicon valley could have arise in another place or we could have continued on a different technological path.

gwern 15y ago

This seems like a classic broken window fallacy. I don't think you really appreciate how huge the huge is: > The cost of the Cold War was staggering; for the US the bill was $19.65 trillion (1948-1991) in 2010 dollars, of which $8,731.5 billion (also in 2010 dollars) was expended directly for nuclear arms.[34], [35] Precise data for the dollar cost of the Cold War to the USSR are not available, however it is generally believed that the Soviet Union spent 12-13% of its GDP on military programs in direct support of the Cold War...If Soviet expenditures for the Cold War were indeed on a par with those of the US, then the approximate dollar value for whole endeavor by both sides would be in the range of $40 trillion 2010 US dollars. To put that into perspective, that is also, give or take, the approximate net worth of the United States of America, at current market value, e.g., $50-60 trillion US! http://chronopause.com/index.php/2011/06/21/the-armories-of-the-latter-day-laputas-part-3/ http://chronopause.com/index.php/2011/06/21/the-armories-of-... So, to justify spending the entire net worth of the present-day US - with the emergence of Silicon Valley already priced in - you point to Silicon Valley? This is a broken window to end all broken windows.

eps 15y ago
I think he meant that the emergence of SV was one of fortunate outcomes of the Cold War, not that it justifies Cold War expedentures.

aw3c2 15y ago

You posted some weird redirection link, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTC_RxWN_xo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTC_RxWN_xo is the actual target