Some interesting thoughts from Neil Stephenson. I think he’s a little to sanguine about the prospects for using ETs, though.
16 thoughts on “Innovation Starvation”
Comments are closed.
Some interesting thoughts from Neil Stephenson. I think he’s a little to sanguine about the prospects for using ETs, though.
Comments are closed.
“using ETs” sounded pretty bizarre — I mean, if anything, they might be the ones using us, and I read with interested anticipation until I found out what kind of ET Stephenson was talking about. Oh well. Tank Farm Dynamo is from 1983, and it is now available for free here: http://davidbrin.parasiticmeme.com/tankfarm.htm
Interesting, thanks for the link.
I don’t really understand why so many people who should know better bemoan the loss of a socialistic monopoly that produced expensive and rare space launches. Especially when there’s actually a growing and vibrant private launch industry *finally* growing in this country!
He is just so wrong on so many areas… and it sounds like it is innocent ignorance in many cases. Jim knows him right? Perhaps a chat is in order to set him straight.
so wrong on so many areas
I don’t know a person on this planet that statement doesn’t apply to… perhaps you could pick one item to comment on?
Jim knows him right?
Not that I know of.
“This seems foolish now that we find ourselves saddled with technologies like Japan’s ramshackle 1960’s-vintage reactors at Fukushima when we have the possibility of clean nuclear fusion on the horizon. ”
He sure has not been keeping up on fusion research. It’s been just over the horizon for almost 40 years now.
Ask Bob Zubrin some time about why that is..
I seem to recall “invention” was still a popular word in my early childhood. Shortly before I left college, it’d been all but replaced by “innovation,” which in turn got applied to any incremental application to any aspect of my work or life–regardless of whether or not it conferred any material benefit.
So now I have Cheez Whiz and Facebook. Go me.
Didn’t Stephenson do some consulting for Blue Origin years ago?
Nice to see some attention paid to laser launch and tethers.
It would be wonderful if laser launch worked. Most of the thrust needs to be horizontal rather than vertical which would seem to be a problem.
This whole topic becomes much easier to understand, and much less depressing, with an understanding of the cyclic nature of generational temperaments (Strauss & Howe) and perhaps a dash of system dynamics (Xenakis). It’s exactly what I would expect for this point in the cycle. Do not despair; incrementalism will be replaced by breakthroughs soon enough.
Bah! Another SF writer bemoaning the fact the government didn’t subsidize the making of flying cars (or whatever his hot button invention is). After all, in his stories the technology is so easy — why do pointy haired managers have to make everything so complicated, such as making sure the end result would actually work and be economically viable. As Jason mentions above, the fact this writer misses that we are on the cusp of a vibrant commercial space launch industry speaks volumes about his mindset.
By zeroing in on the Apollo references, you miss his point: we don’t reach for greatness as a nation. We don’t take up grand challenges, we don’t even try.
Ech,
I dare you to say that in front of Elon…
About flying cars – in the 1950’s a Cessna 172 would cost around $8000 (or close to what a car would in todays dollars). The aircraft is the same *mechanically* then as it is now. The only thing that has changed is the voodoo dance that regulators do around it to pronounce it “safe”, and the electronic instruments which have to meet their standards.