--
On 29 Jan 2003 at 21:08, Tyler Durden wrote:
> That's not to say it can't happen in other environments, but
> it seems to unfold very differently in, say, China or the
> USSR (which actually has contributed lots of technological
> and scientific ideas to the world).
What little they have contributed has been entirely weapons
related.
>But none of them have benefited $$$-wise (nor has the pace
> been nearly as fast) as in the US.
>
> Meanwhile, regulations and governments can give some
> industries a head start, particularly if a "jungle" already
> holds a nice warm niche for the output of those industries.
> Thus Sematec helped US semiconductors to roar back from the
> brink of extinction,
Sematec was a boondoggle and complete failure
and the buying up (and
> subsequent dismantling) of lite rail systems in the LA basin
> in the 30s and 40s apparently had a major impact on the
> rollout of vehicles Might we have seen much better public
> transportation in that area if this capitalist coup-d'etat
> hadn't occurred?
Public transport received, and continues to receive enormous
subsidies.
> The moon shots did apparently accelerate the development of
> semiconductors.
No they did not.
>
> (A side note should be made here about the fact that some
> technologies have a very high activation energy
> barrier...without a very intensive amount of capital, they
> can't happen. Indeed, aren't we nearly at that point with
> sub-0.13um technology? It is possible that further advances
> just won't be possible without direct or indirect government
> funding.)
We are switching to direct contact methods, which will be
cheaper. Gutenburg instead of photocopying.
--digsig
James A. Donald
6YeGpsZR+nOTh/cGwvITnSR3TdzclVpR0+pr3YYQdkG
VKCnpakdLzFyrcBpgv0iSDG+sVotQDZ4KYseulLm
4ONCsZY4ADmP8p1dtPtY0srxJ4ZtKXxsplnujQ1HU
