Flying to outer space

ugo.santalucia
ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,321
in The cake stop
These prototype vehicles seem prone to exploding mid air... should we wish Amazon's boss well or not?
Discuss...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-57386049
left the forum March 2023
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Comments

  • john80
    john80 Posts: 2,965
    Maybe god will have a discussion with him about the tax affairs as to whether he is getting in or going downstairs. If the man dies in his retarded vanity project then so be it.
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,321
    I thought these projects were vanity, but then looking at Cox's program about space, I realised that they basically do the job that Nasa used to do, but now can't do anymore because they're skint.
    A bit like Formula 1, they do develop technology, with a commercial application, but the same technology is then aimed to be used for outer space explorations.
    So, it's not all bad.

    My gripe is more with Amazon itself...
    left the forum March 2023
  • focuszing723
    focuszing723 Posts: 8,154
    edited June 2021
    14 Straight successful launches for New Shepard, pretty good. 122 for SpaceX Falcon 9!

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Shepard

    I guess Bezos wants to up the anti and get some media attention for Blue Origin, given Nasa's Moon landing contract was given to SpaceX.

    I suppose it's good to have the competition if the goal is to encourage exploration in space.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,660
    ugo.santalucia said:

    I thought these projects were vanity, but then looking at Cox's program about space, I realised that they basically do the job that Nasa used to do, but now can't do anymore because they're skint.
    A bit like Formula 1, they do develop technology, with a commercial application, but the same technology is then aimed to be used for outer space explorations.
    So, it's not all bad.

    My gripe is more with Amazon itself...

    You could fund Nasa fairly well with the money Amazon would pay if it straight up paid the US corporate tax rate on business they conduct in the US.
    _
  • focuszing723
    focuszing723 Posts: 8,154
    edited June 2021
    Knowing Amazon's relationship with Tax. Have you all stopped buying from Amazon?
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,321
    focuszing723 said:

    Knowing Amazon relationship with Tax. Have you all stopped buying from Amazon?

    I was never big on it, but yes... haven't bought anything in years... last time was a 5 quid second hand book that I couldn't find anywhere else.
    My motto is: if it's on Amazon, it's probably rubbish.
    left the forum March 2023
  • focuszing723
    focuszing723 Posts: 8,154
    I would question the products from Amazon are rubbish part, but I admire your stance.
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,321
    focuszing723 said:

    I would question the products from Amazon are rubbish part, but I admire your stance.

    Vast majority is Chinese plastic tat and low quality tools... you should be able to get the good stuff from somewhere else. The notable exception are books no longer in print, which only seem to sell second hand on Amazon.
    left the forum March 2023
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,660
    edited June 2021
    focuszing723 said:

    Knowing Amazon's relationship with Tax. Have you all stopped buying from Amazon?

    Where possible but certainly not cut them out entirely. It shouldn't really be incumbent on consumers to have to do their own research from everyone they buy from; it should be up to the regulator/govt etc to do that on their behalf, but anyway.

    Not sure shifting the blame for a firm's practices onto the consumers really achieves much.
    _
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,321
    rick_chasey said:

    focuszing723 said:

    Knowing Amazon's relationship with Tax. Have you all stopped buying from Amazon?

    Where possible but certainly not cut them out entirely. It shouldn't really be incumbent on consumers to have to do their own research from everyone they buy from; it should be up to the regulator/govt etc to do that on their behalf, but anyway.

    Not sure shifting the blame for a firm's practices onto the consumers really achieves much.
    Amazon is a platform for business without a clue... if you don't want to bother with the logistics of growing a business, then sell your stuff on Amazon. It's a model I despise... you think of a product, get it made cheaply in China and let Amazon do the rest. It's lazy and lacks ambition.
    You're unlikely to buy quality stuff on Amazon. If you care about your product, you will probably look at developing your own website to sell it
    left the forum March 2023
  • kingstongraham
    kingstongraham Posts: 28,200
    ugo.santalucia said:

    rick_chasey said:

    focuszing723 said:

    Knowing Amazon's relationship with Tax. Have you all stopped buying from Amazon?

    Where possible but certainly not cut them out entirely. It shouldn't really be incumbent on consumers to have to do their own research from everyone they buy from; it should be up to the regulator/govt etc to do that on their behalf, but anyway.

    Not sure shifting the blame for a firm's practices onto the consumers really achieves much.
    Amazon is a platform for business without a clue... if you don't want to bother with the logistics of growing a business, then sell your stuff on Amazon. It's a model I despise... you think of a product, get it made cheaply in China and let Amazon do the rest. It's lazy and lacks ambition.
    You're unlikely to buy quality stuff on Amazon. If you care about your product, you will probably look at developing your own website to sell it
    This sounds like you have never actually looked at Amazon.co.uk and seen what they sell, outside of the things that are sold via the marketplace.
  • focuszing723
    focuszing723 Posts: 8,154
    https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=laptop&ref=nb_sb_noss

    https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=mobile+phones&ref=nb_sb_noss

    Yep, some major Billion pound brands there.
  • elbowloh
    elbowloh Posts: 7,078
    Now that Amazon fresh is on there, you could probably live your whole life only buying stuff from Amazon.

    Food,
    Cleaning products
    Furniture
    Electrical goods
    Tools
    DIY materials
    Gardening products including sheds
    Toys
    Clothes and shoes etc

    All big brands

    You might find cheaper elsewhere or newer models in some cases, but it's all there.
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    Tall....
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  • shirley_basso
    shirley_basso Posts: 6,195
    I try to avoid amazon but we have prime so my wife buys crap from there all the time.

    I also agree with ugo that it's mainly full of crap Chinese tat but once in a while it does have really nice things at a worthwhile discount to regular shops. If it's a few quid I'll spend elsewhere.
  • john80
    john80 Posts: 2,965
    I don't really buy the furthering NASAs work argument with what are mainly short duration trips into low orbits that frankly we likely know all there is to know about. Even the Mars stuff is a load of tosh. Maybe the argument is we will need Mars after we turn Earth into a similarly inhospitable place through our current actions. There are literally a hundred other problems more worthwhile on Earth.
  • ballysmate
    ballysmate Posts: 15,996
    john80 said:

    I don't really buy the furthering NASAs work argument with what are mainly short duration trips into low orbits that frankly we likely know all there is to know about. Even the Mars stuff is a load of tosh. Maybe the argument is we will need Mars after we turn Earth into a similarly inhospitable place through our current actions. There are literally a hundred other problems more worthwhile on Earth.

    Yep, I'm after a 50T 105 chainring. Rocking horse shi!t. That's a real world problem right there.
  • surrey_commuter
    surrey_commuter Posts: 18,867
    Is it my imagination or does outer space no longer exist? Did it not use to refer to being outside the Earth’s orbit. All the talk is of Bezos going into space whereas I am sure that used to be inner space.
  • kingstongraham
    kingstongraham Posts: 28,200
    john80 said:

    I don't really buy the furthering NASAs work argument with what are mainly short duration trips into low orbits that frankly we likely know all there is to know about. Even the Mars stuff is a load of tosh. Maybe the argument is we will need Mars after we turn Earth into a similarly inhospitable place through our current actions. There are literally a hundred other problems more worthwhile on Earth.

    Bezos' talk is about using other planets for heavy industry, and keeping Earth for living on. He's said that we've sent craft to all the other planets, and this is the best one for living on (obviously). It's a long term view. I prefer it to the even more crazy talk of other billionaires who think we're going to live on other planets because of reasons I don't fully understand. Maybe tax.

    I assume that he was joking when he said he wanted to go to space because he couldn't think of anything else to spend that much money on.
  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 27,415
    kingstongraham said:


    Bezos' talk is about using other planets for heavy industry, and keeping Earth for living on.

    That is probably the best long term plan that I have read.
    An outer space China? 😉

    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
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  • pangolin
    pangolin Posts: 6,656
    ugo.santalucia said:

    rick_chasey said:

    focuszing723 said:

    Knowing Amazon's relationship with Tax. Have you all stopped buying from Amazon?

    Where possible but certainly not cut them out entirely. It shouldn't really be incumbent on consumers to have to do their own research from everyone they buy from; it should be up to the regulator/govt etc to do that on their behalf, but anyway.

    Not sure shifting the blame for a firm's practices onto the consumers really achieves much.
    Amazon is a platform for business without a clue... if you don't want to bother with the logistics of growing a business, then sell your stuff on Amazon. It's a model I despise... you think of a product, get it made cheaply in China and let Amazon do the rest. It's lazy and lacks ambition.
    You're unlikely to buy quality stuff on Amazon. If you care about your product, you will probably look at developing your own website to sell it
    Ugo not sure what you're on about here. Amazon sells lots of perfectly good brands / products. It also sells a lot of cr@p sure but that doesn't mean the other stuff isn't there.
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  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,538
    kingstongraham said:

    john80 said:

    I don't really buy the furthering NASAs work argument with what are mainly short duration trips into low orbits that frankly we likely know all there is to know about. Even the Mars stuff is a load of tosh. Maybe the argument is we will need Mars after we turn Earth into a similarly inhospitable place through our current actions. There are literally a hundred other problems more worthwhile on Earth.

    Bezos' talk is about using other planets for heavy industry, and keeping Earth for living on. He's said that we've sent craft to all the other planets, and this is the best one for living on (obviously). It's a long term view. I prefer it to the even more crazy talk of other billionaires who think we're going to live on other planets because of reasons I don't fully understand. Maybe tax.

    I assume that he was joking when he said he wanted to go to space because he couldn't think of anything else to spend that much money on.
    Some sort of logic in there but shipping fees and times might be an issue. Maybe companies can set up tax havens based in Mars but I'm sure we'll get lumbered with import duties. We seem to have enough of a problem managing ships from China into Felixstowe so god knows how we'd cope with loads of incoming space freight. We'd also have to learn to manufacture things from alien materials. Not sure how, for example, importing Martian oil and coal, would help solve the global warming crisis though.
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,321
    I think the plan is to have a permanent basis on the moon, possibly manned by AI. If you can send stuff to the moon and build some there, then from there it is relatively easy to start expeditions to other planets, as you don't need to overcome massive gravity and pass through the atmosphere. so you need a lot less fuel and you might not even need a rocket as such. There is a lot less engineering involved.

    If you don't look at outer space, if we have lost that drive, then we can even end up civilisation now... what's the point of self perpetrating sicker and sicker humans who refuse to evolve?
    left the forum March 2023
  • N0bodyOfTheGoat
    N0bodyOfTheGoat Posts: 6,063
    Bezos hunting for another race in another dimension, looking very carefully? ;)
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  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,660


    It looks like a massive bell end.
    _
  • kingstongraham
    kingstongraham Posts: 28,200
    rick_chasey said:



    It looks like a massive bell end.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ju1UwmgkKgI
  • DeVlaeminck
    DeVlaeminck Posts: 9,107
    focuszing723 said:

    Knowing Amazon's relationship with Tax. Have you all stopped buying from Amazon?

    Yes pretty much though others in my family still buy from it. I try and buy stuff from shops now unless the cost is significantly higher - support the local high street and all that - even if it's click and collect.

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  • focuszing723
    focuszing723 Posts: 8,154
    edited June 2021
    DeVlaeminck said:

    focuszing723 said:

    Knowing Amazon's relationship with Tax. Have you all stopped buying from Amazon?

    Yes pretty much though others in my family still buy from it. I try and buy stuff from shops now unless the cost is significantly higher - support the local high street and all that - even if it's click and collect.

    That's good going. It's tricky especially for people during lockdown.

  • orraloon
    orraloon Posts: 13,255
    N0bodyOfTheGoat said:

    Bezos hunting for another race in another dimension, looking very carefully? ;)

    I'm gon' send him to outer space
    To find another race...
    I'll take your brains to another dimension
    Pay close attention
  • focuszing723
    focuszing723 Posts: 8,154
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6Cspcb6hCQ

    It's a bit of a quick experience for around two to three hundred grand. Good to see they are confident enough for Branson to take a trip on it though.
  • thistle_
    thistle_ Posts: 7,218
    focuszing723 said:

    It's a bit of a quick experience for around two to three hundred grand. Good to see they are confident enough for Branson to take a trip on it though.

    it's like a new space race. I think they'll be working on getting the £200-300k price down in the coming years as well as trying to go higher and for longer.
    SpaceX seem to have managed it to some extent.

    The shameless product placement and sponsorship during the full broadcast was quite amusing but I guess we're not used to that here in the UK.

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