I wasn't around for the second millennium versions. At some point, doesn't there exist a kind of activation energy threshold where enough money/promise etc is gained from the prototype that this pattern works for good ideas and not for bad ones?
Yes ... However. Most car manufacturers manage to deal with this without it becoming too common, with standard engineering controls ( proper fasteners, torque specifications, QC etc).
This is one of those things that's incredibly context dependent. There are lots of fat cat small companies out there who do easy tasks with thick margins. There are also jobs that are deceptively hard which it makes sense to hire out.
I usually try to err on the side of diy, but everyone has a different threshold on these things. Sometimes the economics work out when you don't count your time.
I'm all for safety and health at a reasonable cost, but yeah, seems like it doesn't matter how good things are. We gotta have something to worry about.
This reminds a little of the paperclip simulator, but this seems about 85% less likely to cause me to skip an entire day of work while clicking furiously. It's really good though!
People willing and able to do this probably have a few things going on at a time. Plus they're not necessarily at the high end of living expenses. A couple grand haul for a couple hours work is pretty good.
Exactly. The coastline paradox is a mathematical curiousity, not a practical objection to measuring things. Coastlines are not infinite length in practice. You define a system of measurement then a length in that system
Something something a different enough value function is indistinguishable from malice.
More seriously, like the old adage about everyone being the hero of their own story, all parents think they have their children's best interests at heart. There's probably no such thing as universal best interests. Gets at some of the thorny problems - personhood, adulthood, cultural values.