To quote from the article: "[Planetary Resources] want to make sure there are available resources in place to ensure a permanent future in space." Our future, eventually, is in space. Whether from global warming, resource exhaustion, or nuclear war, Earth will eventually not be enough. When that day comes, we will be glad some billionaires chose to spend their money on space expansion, instead of building/buying shiny new toys, or hookers and blow.

If we eff up this world we don't deserve to get off. At some point we have to to take a hard look in the mirror and fix ourselves rather than just spreading our misery across the galaxy.

Their web property is just the worst, mail riddled with spam, the whole thing riddled with adds, a hairball of a UI that can't manage to prioritise the three things I did there over the 90 things they are are trying to rape my eye-sockets with.

just a friggin mess...

"But if as it is, I agree the decision was stupid, but non-obviously so."

Man, step back a minute and think about that.

Strip searching a 13 year old is "non-obviously" stupid. How did we get here? How has it come to this?

This is dangerously stupid, obviously dangerously stupid.

The decision making flow chart should have gone something like this...

---

Are we seeking...
A) a weapon (with or without a dead body in study hall)
or
B) a *dangerous* & *illegal* substance

If yes...
a) call Parents
and
b) call police

Are we seeking...
A) anything else

If yes...
a) call Parents

---

Strip searching does not *belong* in this flow chart. Ever. Full stop.

Anything other than a normal day at school should involve the parents, always. If necessary the police, but never the school stripping a child.

I left my IT job of running a small non-profit doing video production, creating web apps , pretty much whatever we could come up with to assist small manufacturers compete in the govt. procurement supply chains.

It was a *great* IT job, but I chose to leave it to rehab/restore/remodel older homes and pursue carpentry.

Honestly, it gives me a satisfaction I just wasn't getting in IT. My families reaction was, are you fsking daft??

I redid a first floor full bath for some friends and since then, every morning when they wake up they step out of their second story bedroom, pass by the master bath right across the hall and go downstairs to the bathroom I made to do their morning routine and get ready for their day.

*Nothing* I have done in IT *ever*, has given anyone that much enjoyment.

You could check this out...
http://linuxlock.blogspot.com/2008/09/minds-meet-to-mull-linux-marketing.html