[QuantumDelta]

Although some TED talks can be boring, most are fairly interesting.

Some, however, just HAVE to be shared.

http://www.ted.com/talks/brian_cox_why_we_need_the_explorers.html

Putting a little faith back in science <3 (no that wasn't meant to be ironic :<)

[The E]

Brian Cox is always awesome.

[Thaeris]

That made my day.

I throw this at every fool who dismisses the space program, and every politician who hampers our futures by squandering our resources on fruitless things.

[Goober5000]

TLDW, but I agree with the thread sentiment.  NASA, for example, is the only government program that empirically delivers more to the economy than is put into it.  Something like $7 on the dollar, IIRC.  We need moar robotic exporation and moar human exploration.

[watsisname]

Beautiful presentation.  Makes me remember why I chose to be an astronomer.
I like that he throws in that it should never be said that science has reached it's peak.  People have made that claim so many times in history, and every time they were proven horribly wrong in the end.

[Thaeris]

Beautiful presentation.  Makes me remember why I chose to be an astronomer.
I like that he throws in that it should never be said that science has reached it's peak.  People have made that claim so many times in history, and every time they were proven horribly wrong in the end.

The people who said such things usually seemed to have cushy government jobs as well...

[Flipside]

Loved the Sagan quote, he always had an incredibly poetic way with words

And yes, cutting the funding to science means ignoring our best road out of the problem, in times like this, we need innovation more, not less.

[General Battuta]

Beautiful presentation.  Makes me remember why I chose to be an astronomer.
I like that he throws in that it should never be said that science has reached it's peak.  People have made that claim so many times in history, and every time they were proven horribly wrong in the end.

The people who said such things usually seemed to have cushy government jobs as well...

wat

unrelated comment is...causally unrelated?

NASA is a government job just fyi.

[The E]

Yes, but the people at NASA are only rarely in favour of cutting NASA budgets. Other congresscritters who are not as closely tied to science (or reality) may hold different opinions.

[Thaeris]

Battman, I believe you've been pwned...

 

[General Battuta]

Battman, I believe you've been pwned...

 

No, I believe you're being a moron. The_E's remark was not a rebuttal to mine.

Give me data proving that more than half of people who made claims that science had reached its peak worked for a federal government. You'll need to assemble this data across all of human history.

I'll be right over here.

[General Battuta]

And if you're trying to be topical explain this to me?

[Thaeris]

No, I believe you're being a ****ing moron. The_E's remark was not a rebuttal to mine.

Snide, inappropriate comments are snide (and inappropriate). Please understand that was a joke, and don't take that so personally/seriously.

Give me data proving that more than half of people who made claims that science had reached its peak worked for a federal government. You'll need to assemble this data across all of human history.

Congratulations. You've caught me making generalities which might not be completely reasonable or accurate. However, one should note that in recent years, any variety of conditions seem to be causes for nixing government run scientific endeavors - and then education. Please ask the recent administration where Ares/Orion went.

Lastly, thanks for potentially starting a flamewar - those are such fun. And please refrain from calling me a ****ing moron without due reason.

[Snail]

Are we going to Mars?

[The E]

Thaeris, Battuta, I would appreciate it if you would work this out privately. There is no need for this topic to devolve into a flamewar.

[General Battuta]

Congratulations. You've caught me making generalities which might not be completely reasonable or accurate. However, one should note that in recent years, any variety of conditions seem to be causes for nixing government run scientific endeavors - and then education. Please ask the recent administration where Ares/Orion went.

Lastly, thanks for potentially starting a flamewar - those are such fun. And please refrain from calling me a ****ing moron without due reason.

You did a good job of patching up the problems with your statement. Now reply to my last post, and your journey to the more rational side will be complete.

I am not responsible for keeping you comfortable on the Internet. You should always be prepared for

FULL LIFE CONSEQUENCES

[Snail]

JOHN FREEMAN OVER HERE


(i remain neutral)

[Thaeris]

I'll concede to cynicism here, but why this after having NASA so stripped down in its budget to begin with? Certainly there are a wide slew of issues on the table that the government is trying to deal with, but again, the space program is usually the first to go.

Next, has that bill actually passed, or is it still a proposal? And if it has passed, what do you think the odds of it actually staying like that are? Six billion is a lot, but not in comparison to military spending, etc... NASA still gets screwed, and it's unfortunately likely to stay that way.

...You should also note that prior post was begun before your last.

[General Battuta]

The skeletonization of NASA began during the Apollo era, for reasons that are a lot more complicated than 'politicians think science is dumb.'

If you want to figure out why NASA keeps getting shafted, you have to move beyond that kind of superficial explanation. You also have to look at the real numbers before you make claims that NASA is 'always getting hit first.' NASA's budget hit its lowest point in the mid '70s to mid '80s. Ever since then it's gradually been trending back uphill, and yes, even adjusted for inflation.

What has decreased is NASA's budget as a percentage of the total Federal budget.

I don't know the current status of that funding proposal, but if it does go though, NASA will have its largest budget since 1969 (adjusted for inflation.) Hopefully they can get some business done.

You're preaching to the choir here anyway. I'd very much like to see the defense and NASA budgets completely reversed.

...You should also note that prior post was begun before your last.

The forum software will provide you with automatic notification if any new posts have been made since you started composing yours. Just don't click right through it.

[iamzack]

His face looks funny.