Jeff Bezos Space Tourist

[Ayeleeon]

8 hours ago, Chroma Starlight said:

don't know what to add. I've felt it's as if someone decided "let's do all the things that will make life hell and destroy peace, stability, prosperity, and goodwill among peoples. Let's lie about what we're doing, going to great lengths to gain confidence or strongarm or use extralegal tactics. Let's kill the soil, the air, the birds, the bees, the bats, the butterflies, the abzu, the hope for balance with nature. Let's do this really gradually, let's apply behavioral psychology. Let's play a long game and give no ground. Let's basically act like it's a slow-burn civil war and let's shout down anyone who points this out.

Everyone in the world can see this happening, it's as plain as day, and yet they're culpably silent. That's been the way of things. They just can't imagine why any controversy would be worth being socially awkward. Surely pleasant conversations to the exclusion of reality is the only way to live, what could possibly go wrong?

Yes everyone can see it, yet everyone thinks everything will get better if they just vote someone out of office and replace them with the other major party candidate.

[Ayeleeon]

6 hours ago, Finite said:

Which barriers are you referring to?

One example, food labeling regulations, have driven many small producers out of the market and make it difficult for others to  get in. Just because regulations that hinder large corporations have been removed does not mean we are less regulated than ever before. As Chroma Starlight points out. There is a systematic effort to keep common people down and prevent them from becoming financially independent. There are lots of laws on the books that are designed to do just that. When the government tells you it is deregulating. These laws are not being removed.

[Sukubia Scarmon]

20 minutes ago, Ayeleeon said:

One example, food labeling regulations, have driven many small producers out of the market and make it difficult for others to  get in. 

Could you elaborate that for me, please? Google wasn't super helpfull, it just told me that people are required to put in certain information like list of ingredients, date and place of manufactoring, etc. Which in my eyes, would be important for safety reasons.

[Orwar]

14 hours ago, Coffee Pancake said:

Actually .... 

[Chroma Starlight]

5 minutes ago, Orwar said:

Oh come on, apply your mind. It takes surprisingly little to shut down a Nazi's grid once you realize its sole purpose is to extract your value, genocide you, and biocide the only world that you believe in or care about.
 

 

 

Edited July 22, 2021 by Chroma Starlight

[Sid Nagy]

13 hours ago, Rat Luv said:

I suppose if I had a billion I'd go on a space trip too (though would want more than 10 minutes ). I just don't know why we all need to know he went? It's like when you get stories about some hedge fund manager who spends £300,000 on a meal and drinks. Why do we need to know?

The whole space program of these 3 billionaires is only to shoot filthy rich people a few millimeter in to space in the future.
And than quickly back before they get bored or find out the inconveniences that come with being in space.
So basically this space program is to to sell bragging rights in the future.
That works better if it is surrounded by some media attention.

[Orwar]

9 minutes ago, Chroma Starlight said:

It takes surprisingly little to shut down a Nazi's grid once you realize its sole purpose is to extract your value, genocide you, and biocide the only world that you believe in or care about.

   I wasn't aware the power grid was run by national-socialists. 

[Chroma Starlight]

2 minutes ago, Orwar said:

   I wasn't aware the power grid was run by national-socialists. 

[Sukubia Scarmon]

13 minutes ago, Orwar said:

Maybe not fullblown socialism, but aspects of it? Dunno, Germany isn't a full socialism state, but we have aspects of it in place. I think we're doing okay with it for the most part - it's not perfect, far of that, actually, and could be better - but it also could be much, much worse.
I doubt there's a perfect system. Everything has it's flaws. Even if you take the best out of everything, you don't end up with perfection.

[Chroma Starlight]

 

[Chris Corvinus]

@Chroma Starlight what exactly are you suggesting? Please be specific. 

[Chroma Starlight]

side note: I'd like to propose that Linden Lab switch to PhpBB.

9 minutes ago, Chris Nova said:

@Chroma Starlight what exactly are you suggesting? Please be specific 

I don't know. Tax Bezos so hard that he's functionally no more than ten times wealthier than his most impoverished employee or "independent contractor" or whatever. Suddenly, he'll realize that the only way to elevate his boat is to participate in good faith in the civilization that helped elevate him to such good fortune rather than arrr aayyy peeee Eeeeeee it.

Edited July 22, 2021 by Chroma Starlight

[Paul Hexem]

38 minutes ago, Sukubia Scarmon said:

Maybe not fullblown socialism, but aspects of it? Dunno, Germany isn't a full socialism state, but we have aspects of it in place. I think we're doing okay with it for the most part - it's not perfect, far of that, actually, and could be better - but it also could be much, much worse.
I doubt there's a perfect system. Everything has it's flaws. Even if you take the best out of everything, you don't end up with perfection.

The biggest issue is applying socialist style programs to a system that simply was not designed for it. It's easy to say "such and such a country has it!" when said country has had a system in place to support it for the last 500 or more years. Particularly heavy taxes.

Over here, we went to war with the (at the time) dominant superpower partly because they wanted us to pay said taxes. Right or wrong, the very foundation of the USA is built on a system that cannot support socialist programs as they exist in Europe.

[Drakeo]

I met Jeff  the year he rented the two top levels of the New York city book repository .

He ordered a  48 foot trailer full of  brown paper bags.  Thing was 48 foot trailers 102 inches wide were illegal

at that time in  NYC.  That put's it about 1990 to 1991.  I picked up this load of brown bags in Lisle IL.

Looked at the bill of Lading BOL. And it read Amazon.  I had no clue what  Amazon was.

Well anyways  I was chosen to haul the load because I knew  the Boroughs of NY.

26th street is a one way street.  Called  Amazon up  told them the scenario.

Where was I going to put 70 feet of truck on that corner. 

got there 3 am was able to park across from the building.

Jeff shows up 7 am . I have 40,000 pounds of bags.  no dock to unload them.

Put a pallet jack up in the trailer and then stack the bags down onto another  pallet.

then  take them to the 11th floor and  stretch heat shrink them.

I busted my butt that day Jeff did to and 3 of his men. 

In the mean time  my girl friend Mary  had to find a place to use the bathroom. So it cost me a pizza

at the pizzeria close by.  Then I was questioned by the police  about the length of my truck.

He was local just told him it was a 45 footer road trailer my large truck makes it look longer. 

 Gave him 50 dollars to watch my truck.  Then he left.

All said and done  it got unloaded. Jeff  tipped me 150 before I started 150 after I finished.

He still had hair then.  Then I got stuck at the GW bridge on the way out for 3 hours.

I did ask Jeff wtf is Amazon. he told me his mission was for people on the internet to by a book in NY city have it delivered the same day.  I had know clue what public internet was at the time. this was b4 AOL  people used CompuServe. He explained he wanted to sell books and make  it possible

for people to read books  on the internet. I thought he was nuts. Hard worker.

truth.  In 1978 when I was in computer science flunking out.  had no clue how far cobol or fortran would go.

I do now.

I have more all real NY stories.  Most drivers never want to go there. I got paid good.

Spent many years on the road teaching my self Borland C  then gnu gcc  C the C++  etc etc.

it is a great hobby.

 

Edited July 22, 2021 by Drakeo
more typos

[Chroma Starlight]

16 minutes ago, Paul Hexem said:

The biggest issue is applying socialist style programs to a system that simply was not designed for it. It's easy to say "such and such a country has it!" when said country has had a system in place to support it for the last 500 or more years. Particularly heavy taxes.

Over here, we went to war with the (at the time) dominant superpower partly because they wanted us to pay said taxes. Right or wrong, the very foundation of the USA is built on a system that cannot support socialist programs as they exist in Europe.

That is the exact opposite of true. The Revolution was about overthrowing spiritual and political tyranny. When you look at the fabric of societies -- admittedly isolated -- of that period, you realize it wasn't actually about the economics. It was about the spiritual oppression.  People felt they had a right to self-determination, like, it was a cosmic birthright. They resented outside interference from predators to civilization who were not above using any means to manipulate, terrorize, degrade, and so on to get their way, and they wouldn't stop unless stopped. Apparently it got to the point they were putting invading soldiers into people's private homes.

I don't worry about my taxes, if the taxes I pay are screwing up my personal finances then I've taken some wrong turns in life, y'know? That's not interesting, the "crisis" over taxes is a McGuffin. It was never about taxes, it was always about supporting progressive government, and everyone always knew that. It was such a disingenuous debate, it made me want to start to scream aloud because everyone knew the moment we started talking about that, we weren't talking about anything real any more and definitely nothing useful could result.

Edited July 22, 2021 by Chroma Starlight

[Lyssa Greymoon]

1 hour ago, Orwar said:

Well, one advantage the United States has here is we won't get hurt the way most countries do. By getting curb stomped by the United States.

[Orwar]

20 minutes ago, Sukubia Scarmon said:

Maybe not fullblown socialism, but aspects of it? Dunno, Germany isn't a full socialism state, but we have aspects of it in place. I think we're doing okay with it for the most part - it's not perfect, far of that, actually, and could be better - but it also could be much, much worse.

   Aspects of it, sure - I believe in society collaborating to create safety and opportunity; healthcare, infrastructure, police and a judicial system, having an armed force in proportion to perceived threats (even better if several nations can cooperate and thus save on military expenditure for all participants), education, care for the elderly, etc - but I dislike the amount of bureaucracy currently present here; Sweden once was the 4th wealthiest nation per capita, but our growth from ca. 1850-1950 as we industrialised and profiteered off of the wars was almost squandered by socialism. At our wealthiest, the tax rates were at around 9% of GDP, by the 60's-80's Sweden quickly fell down the ladder as the taxes were pushed up towards 60%, and even outspoken supporters of the socialist ideology spoke out (the most prolific one being Astrid Lindgren, who due to the wealth through her authorship was pushed up in tax rates until the taxation of one of her books' sales reached 102%, which even to the least astute layman obviously doesn't work; it prompted her to write the book "Pomperipossa in Monismania" in 1976, which is often said to be what brought the decisive defeat of the socialist party in the following election, for the first time in four decades). 

   But we still need to retain individual freedom as well as individual responsibility. Any notion of stripping the wealthy of their assets in order to briefly fund some socialist utopia wherein everyone gets paid just for being a citizen is bollocks. What will run the economy once we're out of wealthy people to strip of their personal property? Having a safety network for intermittent periods of unemployment, or if you have a disability (whether physical or psychological) which makes it impossible for you to work - fine, those people should receive pecuniary benefits as to not have to go homeless and starving - but if you don't want to work because you'd rather sit at home spewing bile about the evils of wealthy people online, or produce 'art' that no one wants to pay for, then absolutely no.

   "Sweden hasn't prospered because of socialism. Sweden has prospered in spite of socialism."
   - H. Jönsson

1 hour ago, Sukubia Scarmon said:

I doubt there's a perfect system. Everything has it's flaws. Even if you take the best out of everything, you don't end up with perfection.

   We will only want for nothing, once we've achieved our complete self-annihilation. 

[Chroma Starlight]

46 minutes ago, Lyssa Greymoon said:

Well, one advantage the United States has here is we won't get hurt the way most countries do. By getting curb stomped by the United States.

That stopped being true a long time ago, maybe in the 1930s. It's been internal colonialism ever since. Or maybe that's "Cannibalistic Neo-Colonialism." Just ask any sizable foreign-language speaking immigrant population from 100 years ago. Each of them, all but the strongest and most cogent and wealthy, have been torn asunder; drawn and quartered, decapitated, parts sent to the Dow Jones Indexed butchery factory. Systemically. Like there was a political serial killer wandering through this plurality, quietly genociding with a death of 1000 cuts they didn't even know were directed against them. It's more intensely obvious if you are "something"-American, that is you track your identity to a point prior to moving here. So African-Americans, Asian-Americans, German-Americans, Middle Eastern-Americans, Latino Americanos, and even Eastern and Southern European-Americans can tell you. This country would be wonderful if only someone would stop a few bad-acting usual suspects applying the old crap as ever, and everyone can see it, everyone knows what it is, it's blatently against the United Nations declaration of Universal Human Rights. It's like. What are you waiting for? Me to show up and electric cattle prod you in the tail? Okay, here you go. BBZZZT. Wake up, sleepyhead. BZZZZZT. This is your wake-up call. BZZZZT. Your house is on fire. BZZZZZT. You gotta act like you wanna live. BZZZZZT. You've gotta treat this as real. BZZZZZT. Or we're all gonna die ignoble sticky deaths. BZZZZZT. Because. You. Could. Not. Be. Bothered. BZZZT BZZZT BzZT BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.ssss s s s  ffffffpppppp... (cattle prod battery drained)

Edited July 22, 2021 by Chroma Starlight

[Sid Nagy]

....

Edited July 22, 2021 by Sid Nagy
I Self censored an anyway pointless political discussion

[Aiyumei]

I like how some billionaire's self funded 10 minute trip to the edge of space spurred so much debate for completely unrelated topics.

At least we finally have people pushing towards scientific development, even if it's who has the bigger dick shaped rocket 

[Drakeo]

2 minutes ago, Chroma Starlight said:

The Revolution was about overthrowing spiritual

Love your neighbor.  Separation of church and government. Keep it simple you will never take your money to the grave.

Worked for my Self most of my life. First thing you learn. Is lover your neighbor. All the money in the world will never stop you from being worm food.

Space Ship earth is a social cruise. May as well love your  neighbor. 

We are a Republic in the USA we hire people to run our country.

Nothing more social than that.

[Ayeleeon]

1 hour ago, Sukubia Scarmon said:

Could you elaborate that for me, please? Google wasn't super helpfull, it just told me that people are required to put in certain information like list of ingredients, date and place of manufactoring, etc. Which in my eyes, would be important for safety reasons.

Most of my original sources are from books not the internet, and due to personal situations most of my library is currently in storage, but I will see what I can get for you.

[Drakeo]

2 hours ago, Ayeleeon said:

When the government tells you it is deregulating

I lived through Regans  deregulation . Seen my  IBM and Sears  and Xerox accounts demand a 53 percent cut on tariffs.

So  my little company stop hauling  IBM Sears  Xerox Little brown shoe factory .

You get what you pay for.  They called me up when they needed  something they paid full rate.

The big company sales people booked hundreds of moves.  And struggles to get them covered.

Deregulation was for the sales people not the worker.

[Innula Zenovka]

20 hours ago, Coffee Pancake said:

We don't turn a blind eye as opposed to simply not having a choice.

Want any modern electronic device, guess those children better go dig up some cobalt.

Recycle anything, like ever? .. guess the third world better be ready for container loads of "recyclable" goods.

Food , plastics, electronics, movies, video games, stationary, toiletries, furniture, bicycles, clothing, shoes, cutlery, practically everything in your house that's been made in the last 20 years and the entire supply chains that have supported their manufacture.

Shopping at Amazon or Wallyworld is the least egregious part of the whole mess.

 

Exactly so, and our choices are, in practice, limited by the social and economic circumstances in which we find ourselves, which would no less true for Jeff Bezos than it is for anyone else.

Would Amazon be the success it is today, I'm wondering, if Bezos ran it any differently, particularly if there was nothing in US employment law to stop would-be competitors  from opening rival stores (Nile and Yangtse, maybe) with lower labour costs if they could?    I don't know, which is why I ask, but I think probably not, and I'm in no position to argue with Mr Bezos about it if I did.

As far as I'm concerned, the problem isn't that billionaires are greedy people, necessarily, but that capitalism sometimes needs regulating, and that's the job of government.

I don't blame Jeff Bezos for the working conditions of his British drivers and warehouse staff.    I blame my government for the laws (or lack of them) that permit those conditions.     

Similarly, I think it's unreasonable to blame  him for being unwilling to pay more in taxes that his advisors tell him is strictly necessary since, if he did, his government would probably simply thank him for his generosity and promptly pass the money on to other very rich people in the form of tax cuts.     What, in his situation, would you do?

 

Edited July 22, 2021 by Innula Zenovka

[Lyssa Greymoon]

32 minutes ago, Aiyumei said:

At least we finally have people pushing towards scientific development, even if it's who has the bigger dick shaped rocket 

We already have an aerospace industry decades more advanced than these idiotic vanity projects.