Wednesday, October 26, 2005
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SPACE ELEVATORS
NASA appears to be sold on the X-Prize model of funding speculative research. That seems like a good thing - I think. There is a certain psycological panache to the method. And as a motivational tool, it sure seems to draw in the forward thinking engninners (assuming that's not an oxymoron - *I love the irony, an accountant accusing enginneers of being boring*). There is nothing like the mix of cash and glory to incentivize action.
To me, this type of thinking represents what governement should be pursing. Given the well publicized budget crunch, non-military govenment agencies need to find creative ways to achieve goals. There is a tendency to cut budgets for things that do not directly pertain to daily operations. This pressure is why NASA effort to learn from the X-Prize is such a good idea. By leveraging human greed (afterall, what is professional vanity but greed for non-monetary ends?), NASA effectively shifts much of thr R&D risk to the participants chasing the prize. Bravo! I'm all for finding ways to bring more stakeholders into the quest to make humanity a spacefaring race.
Now, if only DARPA wasn't learning such lessons.
NASA appears to be sold on the X-Prize model of funding speculative research. That seems like a good thing - I think. There is a certain psycological panache to the method. And as a motivational tool, it sure seems to draw in the forward thinking engninners (assuming that's not an oxymoron - *I love the irony, an accountant accusing enginneers of being boring*). There is nothing like the mix of cash and glory to incentivize action.
To me, this type of thinking represents what governement should be pursing. Given the well publicized budget crunch, non-military govenment agencies need to find creative ways to achieve goals. There is a tendency to cut budgets for things that do not directly pertain to daily operations. This pressure is why NASA effort to learn from the X-Prize is such a good idea. By leveraging human greed (afterall, what is professional vanity but greed for non-monetary ends?), NASA effectively shifts much of thr R&D risk to the participants chasing the prize. Bravo! I'm all for finding ways to bring more stakeholders into the quest to make humanity a spacefaring race.
Now, if only DARPA wasn't learning such lessons.
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
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DEAR GOD,
Please save me from your followers.
I was contemplating what to read next. I have a back log of books at home and choosing which to read can be a daunting task. Most books are more serious than I am really ready for right now in light of my current burnout from work.
To solve this problem, I thought I’d read user reviews of the candidate books on Amazon. The leading contender was, Killing Hope, by William Blum. Having read Mr. Blum’s earlier book, Rouge State, which was highly critical of the US foreign policy, I expected some polarizing comments on Killing Hope. I was not disappointed, but I was horrified.
Allow me to explain, the reviewer “True Christian American” got my attention. I actually owe him a thanks, he has laid out the logical of conservative, evangelical delusions in a way that clarified things for me. I have reproduced his comments, which can be found under the user comment section for this book at Amazon. Please read his review in it entirety. I will break down its logic, including why I find it so chilling, afterwards.
One disclaimer, this review is so blatant I can’t help wonder if it was written as satire. 20 of 83 people told Amazon they thought this was a good review. It is not unreasonable to think that a conniving liberal would put out an exaggerated review to see how many right wing nuts would agree.
That said, I don’t know if it’s real or not. For the sake of this post I am going to assume this review truly represents True Christian American’s views. Onward and upward you good Christian soldier!
“Many would argue against the validity of Mr. Blum's facts. I do not. If you closely examine his sources, they hold up well under rigorous examination. What I dislike about this book, and the likes of Mr. Blum, is the agenda of anti-Americanism. Mr. Blum is quite correct in implicating the US government and American corporations in a spectrum of mass murders, assassinations, tortures, rapes and terror in general. This is all correct but he fails to acknowledge that this is the manner in which all empires have comported themselves. There is no reason to expect us to behave differently. These are the necessary means of maintaining an empire as well as the costs required to sustain the American lifestyle. Insisting on anything different is not only unrealistic, but asks us to betray of our way of life. George Bush Sr. put it clearly, "the American way of life is not up for negotiation." The price of our cherished lifestyle is high. Whether its 5,000,000 dead Southeast Asians or 500,000 dead Iraqi children, the price is worth it. Even Secretary of State Madeline Albright, a lefty Democrat, said so on CBS' 60 minutes. Blum and his anti-American agenda refuses to accept this fact.
What Mr. Blum refers to our "killing hope" in the world is nothing less than what pumps money and oil into our economy. It is the tribute due to the nation that dominates the world. Mr. Blum fails to mention a single word about our civilizing effect on what he calls the "victims" of our actions. It is as absurd as claiming that the "victims" of slavery gained nothing from their association with the civilizing force of a morally advanced Christian society. (I'm sure Chris Matthews of MSNBC and his comments on Muhammad Ali would back me on this point.) Mr. Blum's unwillingness to refer to these trickle-down benefits exposes his bias. Likewise, Blum lacks a balanced perspective. He could learn a lot about fair and balanced reporting by simply watching some television. He ignores the positive effects of our interventions while monotonously pleading a case for either the millions of dead that the process of keeping the world in line requires, or anyone that might foolishly resist our efforts in incorporating their natural resources into our corporate and national interests. One thing doesn't do is spend time on the obstinance of these people. How dare they resist our advances? What right do they think they have to their labor or natural resources?
What Mr. Blum says is true only to a degree. His greatest inaccuracy is that he has divorced his account of American foreign policy from the context of our unique virtue and God-given mandate. At times I felt myself trembling with rage at how he freely soils our good name, (another reason the 1st amendment needs to be restricted). His ignorance of our purity is enraging. America is almost a second Israel. How could anyone argue with that? Books like this threaten our national security by exposing dangerous facts that might sway public opinion against our behavior abroad. For such reasons it might be a good idea to ban or censor this book.”
AHHHHHARG!!!!!! Ok, now that I’ve got that out of my system, on with the analysis.
First, damn the facts, Mr. Blum’s politics are all wrong ergo he’s wrong. This is a favorite mode of thinking in the current Whitehouse. It blows me away that sober adults can, with a straight face, ignore uncontroversial facts when the facts contradict their beliefs. And such people call themselves “fair”?
Second, all is fair in love and war – or some such nonsense. True Christian American is quite willing to accept that our way of life is built on “mass murders, assassinations, torture, rape, and terror in general”. He has no qualms if 500,000 Iraqi children must be killed to maintain the American way of life. Such murder is justifiable because all empires do it. I wonder if he has ever scolded his children for following the crowd by asking if the child would jump off a bridge if their friends were doing it? Is it any wonder many people in the world think Americans are immoral?
Third, what is this “God given mandate”? Yikes-eroni! America as a second Israel, what?!? I can only assume that the True Christian American is comfortable allowing our faceless soldiers pillage and plunder as the ends justify the means. After all, he seems to believe we are God’s 2nd most anointed people.
My fourth and final comment gets at why I suspect this might be a farce. For instance, the reviewer’s blatant call for curtailing traditional freedoms seems rather suspicious. However, I have no doubt that there are people who would agree. That is very sad.
Actually, this whole post makes me very sad.
Please save me from your followers.
I was contemplating what to read next. I have a back log of books at home and choosing which to read can be a daunting task. Most books are more serious than I am really ready for right now in light of my current burnout from work.
To solve this problem, I thought I’d read user reviews of the candidate books on Amazon. The leading contender was, Killing Hope, by William Blum. Having read Mr. Blum’s earlier book, Rouge State, which was highly critical of the US foreign policy, I expected some polarizing comments on Killing Hope. I was not disappointed, but I was horrified.
Allow me to explain, the reviewer “True Christian American” got my attention. I actually owe him a thanks, he has laid out the logical of conservative, evangelical delusions in a way that clarified things for me. I have reproduced his comments, which can be found under the user comment section for this book at Amazon. Please read his review in it entirety. I will break down its logic, including why I find it so chilling, afterwards.
One disclaimer, this review is so blatant I can’t help wonder if it was written as satire. 20 of 83 people told Amazon they thought this was a good review. It is not unreasonable to think that a conniving liberal would put out an exaggerated review to see how many right wing nuts would agree.
That said, I don’t know if it’s real or not. For the sake of this post I am going to assume this review truly represents True Christian American’s views. Onward and upward you good Christian soldier!
“Many would argue against the validity of Mr. Blum's facts. I do not. If you closely examine his sources, they hold up well under rigorous examination. What I dislike about this book, and the likes of Mr. Blum, is the agenda of anti-Americanism. Mr. Blum is quite correct in implicating the US government and American corporations in a spectrum of mass murders, assassinations, tortures, rapes and terror in general. This is all correct but he fails to acknowledge that this is the manner in which all empires have comported themselves. There is no reason to expect us to behave differently. These are the necessary means of maintaining an empire as well as the costs required to sustain the American lifestyle. Insisting on anything different is not only unrealistic, but asks us to betray of our way of life. George Bush Sr. put it clearly, "the American way of life is not up for negotiation." The price of our cherished lifestyle is high. Whether its 5,000,000 dead Southeast Asians or 500,000 dead Iraqi children, the price is worth it. Even Secretary of State Madeline Albright, a lefty Democrat, said so on CBS' 60 minutes. Blum and his anti-American agenda refuses to accept this fact.
What Mr. Blum refers to our "killing hope" in the world is nothing less than what pumps money and oil into our economy. It is the tribute due to the nation that dominates the world. Mr. Blum fails to mention a single word about our civilizing effect on what he calls the "victims" of our actions. It is as absurd as claiming that the "victims" of slavery gained nothing from their association with the civilizing force of a morally advanced Christian society. (I'm sure Chris Matthews of MSNBC and his comments on Muhammad Ali would back me on this point.) Mr. Blum's unwillingness to refer to these trickle-down benefits exposes his bias. Likewise, Blum lacks a balanced perspective. He could learn a lot about fair and balanced reporting by simply watching some television. He ignores the positive effects of our interventions while monotonously pleading a case for either the millions of dead that the process of keeping the world in line requires, or anyone that might foolishly resist our efforts in incorporating their natural resources into our corporate and national interests. One thing doesn't do is spend time on the obstinance of these people. How dare they resist our advances? What right do they think they have to their labor or natural resources?
What Mr. Blum says is true only to a degree. His greatest inaccuracy is that he has divorced his account of American foreign policy from the context of our unique virtue and God-given mandate. At times I felt myself trembling with rage at how he freely soils our good name, (another reason the 1st amendment needs to be restricted). His ignorance of our purity is enraging. America is almost a second Israel. How could anyone argue with that? Books like this threaten our national security by exposing dangerous facts that might sway public opinion against our behavior abroad. For such reasons it might be a good idea to ban or censor this book.”
AHHHHHARG!!!!!! Ok, now that I’ve got that out of my system, on with the analysis.
First, damn the facts, Mr. Blum’s politics are all wrong ergo he’s wrong. This is a favorite mode of thinking in the current Whitehouse. It blows me away that sober adults can, with a straight face, ignore uncontroversial facts when the facts contradict their beliefs. And such people call themselves “fair”?
Second, all is fair in love and war – or some such nonsense. True Christian American is quite willing to accept that our way of life is built on “mass murders, assassinations, torture, rape, and terror in general”. He has no qualms if 500,000 Iraqi children must be killed to maintain the American way of life. Such murder is justifiable because all empires do it. I wonder if he has ever scolded his children for following the crowd by asking if the child would jump off a bridge if their friends were doing it? Is it any wonder many people in the world think Americans are immoral?
Third, what is this “God given mandate”? Yikes-eroni! America as a second Israel, what?!? I can only assume that the True Christian American is comfortable allowing our faceless soldiers pillage and plunder as the ends justify the means. After all, he seems to believe we are God’s 2nd most anointed people.
My fourth and final comment gets at why I suspect this might be a farce. For instance, the reviewer’s blatant call for curtailing traditional freedoms seems rather suspicious. However, I have no doubt that there are people who would agree. That is very sad.
Actually, this whole post makes me very sad.
Friday, October 07, 2005
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ROUSED FROM MY SLUMBER
I have been profoundly apathetic about politics of late. I have no rage left. I have resigned myself to the corrupt and incompetent nature of our world  and the US federal government in particular.
With that said, let me point out one more example:
Harriet Miers Donated $5,000 to Bush Election Recount
I am quite sure that the President would not base such an important decision as a nomination to the Supreme Court on a mere $5k donation. He is not that craven. Instead he values things like:
"I've known Harriet for more than a decade. I know her heart. I know her character"
I am quite sure he knows every eminent legal mind in this country - he is the President with access to super secret intelligent about Iraq,after alll. And since he knows them all, hisjudgmentt about what's in their "heart" is clearly the most important criteria - as opposed to their legal accumen.
Wait!?! That can't be right! How could any one honestly say that moral character is more important than legal prowess when it comes to the high court? Sure character is important, but it is clearly not the most important thing. Sadly, to our President it may be.
I have been profoundly apathetic about politics of late. I have no rage left. I have resigned myself to the corrupt and incompetent nature of our world  and the US federal government in particular.
With that said, let me point out one more example:
Harriet Miers Donated $5,000 to Bush Election Recount
I am quite sure that the President would not base such an important decision as a nomination to the Supreme Court on a mere $5k donation. He is not that craven. Instead he values things like:
"I've known Harriet for more than a decade. I know her heart. I know her character"
I am quite sure he knows every eminent legal mind in this country - he is the President with access to super secret intelligent about Iraq,after alll. And since he knows them all, hisjudgmentt about what's in their "heart" is clearly the most important criteria - as opposed to their legal accumen.
Wait!?! That can't be right! How could any one honestly say that moral character is more important than legal prowess when it comes to the high court? Sure character is important, but it is clearly not the most important thing. Sadly, to our President it may be.
