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Joined 28 days ago
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Cake day: September 2nd, 2026

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  • Yes, we can build such stuff these days. There is no shortage of engineers in the USA, there is a shortage of employers willing to pay well.

    There is no shortage of experienced machinist, in fact we have far more advanced manufacturing capabilities than we did in the 1950’s. We just have a smaller industrial footprint than we did in the 1950’s but there are plenty of companies that can machine titanium (in fact there are more machinist nowadays that know how to machine titanium because its more common than it was in the 1950’s.)

    The shortage is in investors willing to invest in talented labor and the tooling to make the aircraft. The idea that we “lost” these skills is a general misunderstanding of how things work and reddit-tier click-bait “i’m smart” type headlines.

    Yes, we can build a lunar lander even thought all the guys who built the original are dead. It would be a better lander than the originals. Yes, we can build rocket engines as good or better than the F1’s on the Saturn V. In fact SpaceX developed engine technology that far surpasses the F1’s for their boosters and just because they didn’t make 5 gigantic ones (opting for 33 smaller units) doesn’t mean they aren’t a better platform. The Saturn V couldn’t land it’s booster to be reused later on.


  • I don’t like vendors who think they can take advantage of me for a few extra bucks because of what they see (isn’t that a form of prejudice?)

    Same with haggles at flea markets or garage sales. If you don’t label your prices I’m immediately not interested. I’m a demographic that looks “put together” and thus “wealthy” when in reality I’m basically broke and would file for bankruptcy if it’d clear my debt.

    So when I come across a haggler (usually an old guy or a foreigner from a country that has a culture of haggling) I tend to avoid them because I don’t enjoy that process. Thats why America came up with price tags and fixed pricing for stuff. Way less hassle. Only idiots really savor the process of haggling. It sucks.