Does no one care anymore?

reply to post by AussieDingus


You make good points and in a perfect world, sure...all those inventions would have come about at some point without the colossal efforts of war or Space exploration. Let's drop war out of it, as you say, this isn't the place at all.

In a realistic world, I don't think the inventions come at near the rate or quality for their own sake. It requires the enormous efforts so far beyond the level of those 'small' things invented along the way to fill needs, IMO.

If someone had set out solely to invent a product like velcro, I'm sure it would have been different if invented at all. Surely, more commercial somehow. As it was though, they needed a sticky surface that wasn't sticky. Small problem with a huge gap to solve and society is changed forever because of a "little" problem to their thinking.

Again, if NASA was a drain of hundreds of billions for what we get back from it, I'd feel a little burned on the money too. As it is though, 18 Billion is what I believe I saw for 2013. That's nothing in federal terms and while budgets run a few trillion a year. I'd say the 18 billion is just about paid for in JUST the spin off tech that isn't charged at full patent rates and marketed as some miracle invention of a private Corp. All that, AND it keeps workers at the NASA facilities...not to mention, literally, entire sub-industries employed just to support them.

What was the last Government agency you could honestly say (outside of the Pentagon) caused more people to be employed outside the agency than work IN it? Not too bad a deal, since we're spending on a little of everything anyway these days.

The over-hyped skydive would have been more interesting... if he had used a USAF 'Project 1794', rather than lousy balloon. Or... perhaps used a 'Project 2794', instead?

I do care alot it's just that I can't make much of a difference.
Astronomy is one of my hobbies though.

reply to post by DarkKnight21


I think Felix was awesome. Really, I can't believe people don't pay attention when the guy almost killed himself... Jumping and reaching sound speed!

occasionally i share news i come across to a person i know.

- something about the rover on mars
- warplane being shot down on Turkish border
- one of CNN's fake Syrian bluescreen backstage footage.
- news on silver ETF's being faked and oversold
- an unexplained explosion in texas
- the 2013 nickels being made of steel

this is all from speaking to them in person. im not spamnming their emails and facebook walls or anything.
nor am i an annoying person who must always share stupid crap i find on the net, i would try to discuss one if its an appropriate time.

but news outside of the nearest chipotle being closed down, or britney spears dieing, goes on deaf ears.

Originally posted by DarkKnight21
What's with all the apathy towards space exploration now? Does no one care anymore? 60 years ago we were reaching for the stars, setting high standards for ourselves and trying to land (and return safely) a man on the moon. It seems that now we are perfectly content to send robots up in our place while we endlessly worship our sports and celebrities here on Earth.

Let me put it this way.

If we had a society on this planet where governments would admit the UFO coverup to the people, then maybe, I would be interested in what they have to say.

Instead people are lied to, treated like idiots, and we are supposed to be excited when NASA decides to tell us they find some bacteria on Mars?

I dont think so.

If we lived in a Star Trek society, I would absolutely be a space explorer. I love space. But we live in a primitive society where people dont even realize they are being lied to, or dont care.

Originally posted by AussieDingus
When science can get its priorities right and focus on solving the worlds problems, ie poverty, cancer etc, then people will probably care about people jumping from a balloon. But people starving, or people living with cancer don't give a crap about some guy going for a personal record dare devil stunt. And quite frankly, neither do I.

Science already has the solutions. But there is no money in removing poverty or cancer. You have to start looking at the world the way governments do to understand it. Governments are nothing more than the desk clerks for the corporations. They do provide a well dressed puppet to read from the teleprompter every 4 years though. Its important to give the illusion of choice. But guess who takes care of counting the votes?

How much to end poverty in the world: $175 billion / year (source)

How much was spent on defence last year: $1119 billion / year (source)

Id really like to care more but, it just seems pointless. I mean, this is'nt helping anyone. We still have people starving, homeless, etc...

I feel like this could be a military project in the works...the Creation of the ODST from HALO

Would that not be possible?

Originally posted by buster2010

Actually this guy wasn't even close to testing the limits of the human body. No one has pushed the human body more than Dr. John Paul Stapp.

However, Baumgartner is the first person to reach supersonic speed using only the force of gravity.

Felix Baumgartner hit Mach 1.24, or 833.9 mph, according to preliminary data, and became the first person to reach supersonic speed without traveling in a jet or a spacecraft after hopping out of a capsule that had reached an altitude of 128,100 feet above the Earth.

Landing on his feet in the desert, the man known as "Fearless Felix" lifted his arms in victory to the cheers of jubilant friends and spectators who closely followed his descent in a live television feed at the command center

"When I was standing there on top of the world, you become so humble, you do not think about breaking records anymore, you do not think about gaining scientific data," he said after the jump. "The only thing you want is to come back alive."

Felix Baumgartner Completes Record-setting Jump

Originally posted by badgerprints

The OP question was "Does no one care any more? " The answer is not about publicity stunts and advertising.
If it mattered at all beyond a high tech, high priced version of Evel Knievel them more people might care.

To me it's just another example of how people waste vast sums of money on self aggrandizing crap that accomplishes nothing more than adding to someone's bank account.

When I asked if no one cares anymore, I was referring to space exploration, not advertising. You pointed out that this stunt was done in 1960. Isn't it odd that the only thing "someone's bank account" can afford in these times is a rehash (albeit improved) version of the same science experiment? One that reaches for the stars no less, but doesn't quite get there.

No doubt our technology cannot keep up with our ambition. But - back to the original question - why should we limit our ambition? It is not a question of publicity or fearlessness but of desire. If we had kept pushing the limits of the astronauts and rocket science like we did in the 60s, we would have been on Mars by now.

sadly i believe it's what we've been programmed over the years to become.. complete drones on autopilot, just mucking through our meager existence so that "they" can pretty much do and get away with anything they want.. just look around at all the atrocities all over the world and what do we do about them? we post on the internet about'em. all we need is one person to take action in some way and i imagine we'd wake up in a sec and follow suit and help but right now we're to scared to do anything to rock the boat in our little niche we've managed to carve out and who among us want to willingly put our family through any more struggle than we already live through and that's exactly what "they're" counting on. i'm so ready for that hero though.

No one cares. ive even had several people tell me we shouldnt explore space due to money. Wtf?

Originally posted by AussieDingus
Personally, I agree that the war machine shouldn't have any money spent on it either, but this thread was about the science side, not the miliatry, but I do agree with you on that.

And if all those great things that space exploration brought us, then the question is, could we still of come up with those advancements WITHOUT going into space ? And why can't we have space exploration that involves equal input from ALL corners instead of what we have today which is nothing more than an egotistical pissing contest about who can be the first or fastest. Yep, thats tax money well spent !

The cure for poverty can easily be solved by proper management and distrabution of funds, but those funds seem to go to the war machine and space exploration. No trip or exploration to space is going to come up with a cure to the real problems on this planet. And the cure for cancer is more than likely [if it hasn't already and been suppressed] to be found either on this planet or under a microscope in a Lab then it is in space. So ALL funds should go towards these problems before we even think about invading another country or going into space. All that stuff can wait until we have the real issues addressed.

Isn't is strange to you that we have seen a complete shutdown of NASA's shuttle program only a couple decades after the militarization of space? Reagan talked about the Star Wars project and then POOF - "what space weapons?!?" I reckon there is more funding and technology being put into orbit than we are led to believe, but it for war purposes rather than science. Just look at the outrageous defense budget.

I agree that we have a lot of problems to solve here at home before we can begin serious investigation of the universe around us, but there is much more to gain out of space exploration than daredevil stunts, war and weapons. Plus, it's just a matter of time before pollution, natural disasters and overpopulation become serious problems and space advancements will be essential to survival. Might as well get started on real solutions now.

reply to post by n3mesis


I see what your saying, But us as humans, the way we all are, we would rather have someone else do it, although we all want to help. We think that "someone else will take care of it", so it seems to be sidelined.

Originally posted by Bodhi911

Originally posted by DarkKnight21
What's with all the apathy towards space exploration now? Does no one care anymore? 60 years ago we were reaching for the stars, setting high standards for ourselves and trying to land (and return safely) a man on the moon. It seems that now we are perfectly content to send robots up in our place while we endlessly worship our sports and celebrities here on Earth.

Let me put it this way.

If we had a society on this planet where governments would admit the UFO coverup to the people, then maybe, I would be interested in what they have to say.

Instead people are lied to, treated like idiots, and we are supposed to be excited when NASA decides to tell us they find some bacteria on Mars?

I dont think so.

If we lived in a Star Trek society, I would absolutely be a space explorer. I love space. But we live in a primitive society where people dont even realize they are being lied to, or dont care.

Thanks for your input to the thread and I agree with you to a certain extent. There's tons of phenomena out there in the cosmos we know nothing about, and unfortunately it seems the ambition has been killed by filing such discoveries under "impossible". My guess is that's because all the money is going to TPTB's magic tricks like Project Blue Beam and the eye in the sky. Essentially its about using technology to play god not humbling yourself to the rest of the mysteries of the universe.

I watched the Lego version
Didn't really know about it until I saw the Lego one today on TV.

reply to post by Lonewulph

Behaviorism and consumerism, two ideologies that achieved tremendous power in the 20th century, are cut from the same cloth. The shopper, the student, the worker, and the voter are all seen by consumerism and behaviorism the same way: passive, conditionable objects.

Alfie Kohn, in Punished by Rewards (1993), documents with copious research how behavior modification works best on dependent, powerless, infantilized, bored, and institutionalized people. And so for authorities who get a buzz from controlling others, this creates a terrifying incentive to construct a society that creates dependent, powerless, infantilized, bored, and institutionalized people.

From Why Are Americans So Easy To Manipulate? by Tyler Durden on 10/14/2012

Originally posted by DarkKnight21


What saddened me is that virtually no one in my social circle cared. They would rather sit in front of the TV and watch football. (Maybe I am picking the wrong friends

).

Sounds like we have the same friends Everyone I know cared more about the girl that committed suicide, watching TV, or just playing games. Its disappointing and incredibly annoying. I would say something amazing that happened in science, and they will just give me a look and start talking about some other crappy main stream show/person/game. I could care less about their favorite celebrities or Jersey Shore. None of that will benefit to my life, or anyone's life at all. (What it will do is kill brain cells though ) hopefully times will change soon.

reply to post by TeslaandLyne


Of course he had a pressure suit, he was diving from the stratosphere!

Originally posted by Bodhi911

Originally posted by AussieDingus
When science can get its priorities right and focus on solving the worlds problems, ie poverty, cancer etc, then people will probably care about people jumping from a balloon. But people starving, or people living with cancer don't give a crap about some guy going for a personal record dare devil stunt. And quite frankly, neither do I.

Science already has the solutions. But there is no money in removing poverty or cancer. You have to start looking at the world the way governments do to understand it. Governments are nothing more than the desk clerks for the corporations. They do provide a well dressed puppet to read from the teleprompter every 4 years though. Its important to give the illusion of choice. But guess who takes care of counting the votes?

How much to end poverty in the world: $175 billion / year (source)

How much was spent on defence last year: $1119 billion / year (source)

edit on 15-10-2012 by Bodhi911 because: (no reason given)

Then perhaps the science world should be doing more to speak out against the suppression of their solutions, instead of giving an almost silent response. And why doesn't the science world speak out more about the suppression from government, and one of the governemnts owners...........the big Pharma companies, and how they are standing in the way of cures because there's more money in miracle drugs, then their is in the cure ?

And if it cost $175 billion to end poverty, then how much tax payer money is going to programs like NASA, and how much is going to the war machine. I bet its annualy a lot more than the $175 billion required to end poverty. So a simple solution would be.........don't do the next NASA mission, and don't illegally invade the next conutry, and re-direct those funds and presto, there's your $175 billion in one clean sweep. Not hard at all really !

The problem here is, PRIORITIES, and peoples mis-understanding of what the priorities are. I'm NOT saying don't go into space, i'm saying stop going into space for now, fix our problems through prioritizing, stay on top of those problems so they are no longer a problem, and then we can all explore space TOGETHER. And if the money spent on space exploration could end poverty, then that is what HAS to happen, whether it upsets people or not.

I like to have a punt on the weekend, but if i have other priorities with my money before having a punt [bills, loan repayments etc], then i don't punt and address those priorities. Why should it be any different on a bigger scale ?