On Mon, 9 Dec 2002 12:32:26 -0800 (PST), Michael Wallis <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>Slashdot (http://slashdot.org), the news site for Geeks, is running a >"What do you want to be when you grow up?" poll as their regular poll >question. With over 30,000 votes cast, becoming an astronaut is >getting 25% of the vote. Unforuntately, becoming a potato is getting >31% and everything else has been CowboyNeil'ed (ie - scoring lower >that the obligatory silly CowboyNeil answer). > >While unscientific to say the least, it does show there is a sizable >population of people who are interested in going into space. We just >need to develop the technology so they can afford to do it. Slashdotters are a non-market - they are interested in space, but not interested *enough* to do anything about it that is more difficult than watching the Discovery Channel. I had a long conversation with one such at Loscon. Twenty-something, average potential intelligence, compulsive gamer. His compulsive gaming had prevented him from getting even what public education is available in California, and his effective IQ was around 80. We've all heard that a mind is a terrible thing to waste, but I'd never seen one such before last weekend. It was appalling. If anyone wants to sell to the slashdot crowd, I recommend they gauge the seriousness of their market by getting a 1% deposit up front. In the case of a Space Adventures ride to space, this would be $980. Of the millions of /. that *claim* to be interested in space, maybe a dozen will fork over the cash to really do something about it. I generally avoid marketing, promotion, and advertising, preferring an "if you build it, they will come" approach. But that crowd? If we build it, they will scorn. -R -- "Is this a bagel?" "It's the Guardian of Forever!" "Well yes. But is it a bagel?" --Overheard at Loscon 29 _______________________________________________ ERPS-list mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://lists.erps.org/mailman/listinfo/erps-list
