Exactly right. This is why all the innovation is in the virtual world rather than the physical world. Engine explosions [1], airplane crashes [2], and radiation

Exactly right. This is why all the innovation is in the virtual world rather than the physical world. Engine explosions [1], airplane crashes [2], and radiation poisoning [3] were the price of progress in the early 20th century, but we've become too fat and happy to take those kinds of risks today. The only crash we'll tolerate is the Fail Whale, and we'll complain bitterly about that too. China has no such hangups [4]. Even Europe has less onerous regulations than the US in key areas like medical devices [5]. We are soon going to see what the relative innovation rates are in a society that accepts a few deaths of brave pioneers as the nonnegotiable price of progress, versus one that has forgotten how many people died perfecting the technologies that got us to the present day. [1] http://www.historicpelham.com/blogarchive/Blog20090720.htm http://www.historicpelham.com/blogarchive/Blog20090720.htm [2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_307#Operational_history http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_307#Operational_history [3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Slotin http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Slotin [4] http://boingboing.net/2011/09/21/china-gentleman-builds-homemade-flying-contraption-powered-by-eight-motorcycle-engines.html http://boingboing.net/2011/09/21/china-gentleman-builds-home... [5] http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/medical-devices-and-prescription-drug-policy-/162891-medical-device-makers-turn-to-europe-over-concerns-with-fda-process http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/medical-devices-and-pre...