90s-socal-kid

I wonder how quickly / ably they could scale that. What if every US-based HN reader filed a suit?

Even better, what if every US HN user filed a small claims court case? I believe companies cannot hire lawyers to represent them there, they would need to send employees.

Any agency primarily funded by government that survives past 10-15 years will have that as their primary competency.

It's more fair to judge NASA's space capabilities against all the other groups that take gov't money. They are much better at space than, say, the Department of Labor.

Just because there are recent, private entrants, who built much of their technology on the foundation work done by NASA, does not mean NASA should be mocked in this manner.

Too bad Kim Dotocm isn't wealthy enough (anymore?) to do this. I'm picturing him as the supervillain who builds out an encrypted data storage facility, like out of Cryptonomicon.

Societal resilience doesn't protect much against the massive widespread death and suffering that can happen. Preventing a Yellowstone eruption does.

It's just a different objective, although they overlap.

A slight correction -- in the book, he says explicitly that we think it would come with elevated signs of activity. But 1/ we have no idea, since we have very little knowledge of the last eruption; and 2/ there are large variations in activity currently -- we have no idea if we would be able to differentiate the current "everything seems okay" increased activity from "SHTF" activity.

In many countries you don't need a scrip to buy low grade opioids like codeine. That will inflate somewhat the US number.

Some people make decent money on IG, doing things they enjoy (their kids, exercise, etc.)

Isn't the potential impact from selling access to the data versus selling the data different?

If there were a $17 billion judgement against a $17 billion company, it would not sell for $17 billion.

It is also unlikely a $17 billion market cap = $17 billion in assets during an emergency sale. Especially with the shadow of a $17 billion judgement that could encumber the acquired assets.

It's bad business to acquire assets from someone with a judgement against them, unless you're getting a great deal.

This assumes the highest good is to maintain the previously defined delineation of governmental branches.

Some of the legislative branch dysfunction is due to interference from the same corporate interests they should govern.

Corporations are able to DoS their oversight.

You are correct there will be unexpected messiness. The question becomes whether our current trend is sustainable over the long term; many believe the second order effects cannot be worse than the path we are currently on.

Only if you accept that college value == first few years comp, and that second order effects wouldn't outweigh this economic coercion.

I appreciate your comment. I've a few questions to help me understand your perspective.

Is the crux of the issue the fact that lower socioeconomic groups are less able to rebound from a financial impact? Or something more specific about targeting lower s.e. groups?

> Time and time again we are reminded why corporations will evolve to become as greedy and as protective of their turf expansive of their power and monopolistic as they can get, even if good people are running them.

Because if they didn't, they would be replaced by organizations (or people within the organization) who will. (I want to say that's Stanslaw Lem's law of bureaucracy?)

A moment for us to all reflect. He defended someone judged harshly by history, to the limits of his abilities.

Then again, the recent multi-part documentary on the trial (I watched on apple's music service) didn't reflect kindly on the defense. They were presented as willing to do nearly anything to get their client off.

On the gripping hand, is this kind of behavior the extremum moment of the adversarial judicial system? Even if we disagree, should we respect F Lee and Johnny because they are the primary exemplars of this adversarial system?

That moment captured in the photo is one of the best captures of that trial I've ever seen.