[extropy-chat] MARS: Because it is hard

[Dan Clemmensen]

Robert J. Bradbury wrote:

>Begs a very good question as to when they start yanking projects because
>it looks like nanotech is really going to be feasible and the lifetime
>of the project using standard tech is past the transition point so it
>will just make no sense to try and do it before when it will be so
>much easier after.
>  
>
If you really believe that nanotech will be available at time X, then 
you should
not start a project that has a payoff time later than X.

Note that many people seem to think that X is 2020 or before. Most research
has a longer payoff time than 15.5 years.

The problem with this is that you immediately get accused of abandoning
progress when you apply this line of reasoning.

Logically, we should redirect all R&D into nanotech and computing. One of
these two will get to the SI, and the SI will achieve any other research 
goal
sooner than we can achieve it without the SI. We do need to define nanotech
and computing fairly broadly. On the other hand, we cannot really use 
all that money
effectively, so it may be just as well to let most of society pretend 
that other
research is relevant :-)