https://www.isegoria.net/2024/02/rockets-had-an-extremely-high-idiot-index/ From the ancient Greek for equality in freedom of speech; an eclectic mix of thoughts, large and small Sat, 16 May 2026 20:20:38 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.6.1 https://www.isegoria.net/2024/02/rockets-had-an-extremely-high-idiot-index/comment-page-1/#comment-3651273 Jim Fri, 09 Feb 2024 16:46:59 +0000 https://www.isegoria.net/?p=50874#comment-3651273 Software is the most valuable “commodity” owing entirely to special favor by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. To repeal the DMCA is to solve the problem.

]]> https://www.isegoria.net/2024/02/rockets-had-an-extremely-high-idiot-index/comment-page-1/#comment-3650243 Michael van der Riet Tue, 06 Feb 2024 06:34:33 +0000 https://www.isegoria.net/?p=50874#comment-3650243 Software has no raw materials whatsoever yet it is the most valuable commodity. Starlink is a fantastic achievement yet each satellite costs many thousand times more than the tin and plastic in it. Back of envelope wins again.

]]> https://www.isegoria.net/2024/02/rockets-had-an-extremely-high-idiot-index/comment-page-1/#comment-3650000 Handle Mon, 05 Feb 2024 13:17:02 +0000 https://www.isegoria.net/?p=50874#comment-3650000 Idiot index is a great way of looking for opportunities for better design and process, but a lot of times the engineers have done a fine job with the design and process, and the extra cost is expensive local labor and legal and regulatory burdens. That just created a bunch of arbitrage opportunities for outsourcing, mostly to China. Where idiot index pays off is for stuff you can’t outsource, which also tends to be stuff insulated from cost-cutting pressures by monopoly or government subsidy.

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