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posted by martyb on Saturday April 15 2017, @01:53PM   Printer-friendly
from the nothing-ventured... dept.

As it turns out, failure is an option:

During a panel discussion with other Apollo flight directors in Houston, Kranz was asked how NASA accomplished so much, so quickly, in the 1960s and early 1970s, but hasn't been back to deep space since then. By some accounts, in the decades following the Moon landings, NASA has succumbed to a "mind-numbing" bureaucracy and a "paralyzing" cultural requirement for perfection, especially after two space shuttle accidents. Kranz said NASA benefited from a different culture in the 1960s.

"It was an environment in which we were more capable of accepting risk as a nation," Kranz replied. "Space involves risk, and I think that's the one thing about Elon Musk and all the various space entrepreneurs: they're willing to risk their future in order to accomplish the objective that they have decided on. I think we as a nation have to learn that, as an important part of this, to step forward and accept risk."


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  • (Score: 2) by kaszz on Saturday April 15 2017, @04:29PM (14 children)

    by kaszz (4211) on Saturday April 15 2017, @04:29PM (#494468) Journal

    So it might be unfortunately. Any idea where the best settings for free enterprise exists today?

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 15 2017, @05:33PM (6 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 15 2017, @05:33PM (#494493)

    Probably somewhere with a strong social safety net so that people can choose to be entrepreneurs instead of wage slaves.

    • (Score: 2) by kaszz on Sunday April 16 2017, @05:34AM (5 children)

      by kaszz (4211) on Sunday April 16 2017, @05:34AM (#494690) Journal

      But USA in 1800-1900 when a lot of the industrial powerhouse were built did not include any safety net asfaik?

      • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Sunday April 16 2017, @01:49PM (4 children)

        by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Sunday April 16 2017, @01:49PM (#494799) Journal

        But USA in 1800-1900 when a lot of the industrial powerhouse were built

        Yes, there still was room for expansion and there were new riches to plunder.
        But you've reached the Pacific coast, where else you wanna expand now?

        --
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
        • (Score: 2) by kaszz on Sunday April 16 2017, @09:06PM (3 children)

          by kaszz (4211) on Sunday April 16 2017, @09:06PM (#494945) Journal

          Space is the obvious place to get hold of minerals and energy. Besides the deep bottoms of the seas are still unexplored.

          Another approach is to heat up the budgets for "blue sky" projects and increase the chance for new technologies that gives options for whole new ways to accomplish things.

          • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Monday April 17 2017, @08:42AM (2 children)

            by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Monday April 17 2017, @08:42AM (#495160) Journal

            Space is the obvious place to get hold of minerals and energy. Besides the deep bottoms of the seas are still unexplored.

            The space belong to corporations, mate. Not to waggon colonists with (black)smithing abilities - too deep a gravitation hole.

            But, who knows, maybe somebody actually invents the Shipstone battery and open-sources it?

            --
            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
            • (Score: 2) by kaszz on Monday April 17 2017, @09:36AM (1 child)

              by kaszz (4211) on Monday April 17 2017, @09:36AM (#495187) Journal

              What's a shipstone battery?

              Btw, corporations will likely need someone to run those space machines. Remote control nor AI will cut it for far away operations.

              • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Monday April 17 2017, @10:33AM

                by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Monday April 17 2017, @10:33AM (#495197) Journal

                If it's Shipstone, it's Friday [wikipedia.org]

                For a Google-search, try:

                To call a Shipstone an “improved storage battery” is to call an atom bomb an “improved firecracker”

                --
                https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by c0lo on Sunday April 16 2017, @01:56PM (6 children)

    by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Sunday April 16 2017, @01:56PM (#494801) Journal

    Any idea where the best settings for free enterprise exists today?

    There's plenty of room at the bottom.

    1. buy yourself a piece of land
    2. teach yourself robotics
    3. buy components straight from china and build your agricultural robots and energy bank.
    4. you may not have profit, but surely you may continue to live well enough

    --
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
    • (Score: 2) by kaszz on Sunday April 16 2017, @09:10PM (5 children)

      by kaszz (4211) on Sunday April 16 2017, @09:10PM (#494946) Journal

      Indeed interesting. Changes the dependency scheme completely. Especially the bargaining rules.

      But how do you handle corporations or government that tries a eminent domain on your property? or just put some poison industry next door etc. It may require moving.

      Then there's what do if one gets sick.

      • (Score: 2) by takyon on Monday April 17 2017, @02:51AM (1 child)

        by takyon (881) <takyonNO@SPAMsoylentnews.org> on Monday April 17 2017, @02:51AM (#495073) Journal

        Then there's what do if one gets sick.

        Nanomachines, son!

        --
        [SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
        • (Score: 2) by kaszz on Monday April 17 2017, @04:03AM

          by kaszz (4211) on Monday April 17 2017, @04:03AM (#495094) Journal

          That's a science that is not really ready for that level of usage.

      • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Monday April 17 2017, @08:36AM (2 children)

        by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Monday April 17 2017, @08:36AM (#495156) Journal

        But how do you handle corporations or government that tries a eminent domain on your property?

        "Just compensation" should sweeten the deal; as my advice caters for "robotic subsistence farming" - as opposed to "agribusiness" - you should be able to move them in a different place.
        BTW, the original choice of the spot should minimize the risk of eminent domaining.

        Then there's what do if one gets sick.

        Telecommute in the spare time to build your golden nest. May be a problem, I know.
        I'm currently at point 2, didn't give up my daily job though.

        --
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
        • (Score: 2) by kaszz on Monday April 17 2017, @09:34AM (1 child)

          by kaszz (4211) on Monday April 17 2017, @09:34AM (#495186) Journal

          When you say golden nest. Maybe you are on to something. A private fort knox would be neat, secured income for life provided it's large enough.

          • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Monday April 17 2017, @10:40AM

            by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Monday April 17 2017, @10:40AM (#495198) Journal

            When you say golden nest. Maybe you are on to something.

            Heh... sorta. The variety is called "April Gold" :) The species is Castanea Sativa.
            A good start for a weekend/hobby farm.

            --
            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford