10.11.10
World leader in stuff for the rich
Everything else, not so much.
From the Associated Press:
Virgin Galactic’s space tourism rocket SpaceShipTwo achieved its first solo glide flight Sunday, marking another step in the company’s eventual plans to fly paying passengers.
“Tickets to ride aboard [Virgin Galactic’s] SpaceShipTwo cost $200,000,” the news report continued. “Some 370 customers have plunked down deposits …. ”
“[A spaceport] is under construction” in New Mexico, it is said.
Burt Rutan, making world-changing stuff near space skimmers-as-Bentleys for the only people capable of paying in cash.
Nishimiya said,
October 11, 2010 at 1:03 pm
As a proud American I take objection to your claim that the US is only the world leader in stuff for the rich. While we may only be fifth in terms of how many people we execute (damn you China, Saudi Arabia, etc), we are the undisputed leader in terms of incarcerating our fellow citizens : http://www.allcountries.org/ranks/prison_incarceration_rates_of_countries_2007.html
Apologize, sir!
George Smith said,
October 11, 2010 at 4:37 pm
Uncle! You have defeated me with merciless statistics!
bonze blayk said,
October 12, 2010 at 7:24 am
My dear Mr. Destiny:
Burt Rutan is waaay cool… and this is potentially world-changing stuff in the middle term, even if it’s only a fun jaunt for relatively rich folks in the near future.
… just sayin’…
George Smith said,
October 12, 2010 at 7:42 am
Sadly, I was never a subscriber to WIRED.
George Smith said,
October 12, 2010 at 7:45 am
It’s my jaundice showing. Even more than usual.