So effectively, you want to subsidise scientists working on some arbitrary aim (Space exploration), in the hope they'll invent cool stuff you can spin off...
I don't think you need to subsidise science like this.
Did we really get "propelled" into new age of technology half a century ago? Did the moon landing really change anything here on earth? Technology would have advanced just fine without it.
Do you really think that firstly, those technologies only exist because of NASA, and secondly that the cheapest way to innovate is to pick some arbitrary aim (Space exploration) and then spin off lots of innovation from it?
You could do a better job just taking the money spent on space exploration, and opening some innovation/invention centers.
edit: banned now, so I can't add any comments. It's really surprising just how extreme the religion of science is sometimes. Scary.
Health, welfare, lowering taxes, employment.... y'know, things that enrich real peoples lives.
Space toys and exploration are fun for those working on them, but will this event transform civilisation? Nope. Did the moon landing really transform civilisation? Nope.
Maybe you don't personally, maybe you don't as a group anymore.
As I suggested in my original post though, I have more useful things to do than look back at comments I posted years ago and compile evidence. I've moved on.
I'm sure it happens a lot more often than you realise, because in general when people get hellbanned, they come to the same realisations as me.
I had this happen to me when I critiqued a YC backed company. Had a few thousand in 'meaningless internet karma points'.
You pretty soon realise after a few further comments anyway, so I doubt it's actually effective.
It's pretty mean spirited though - generally a "douchebag" move. It'd be like having a bad employee, but instead of firing him, or discussing his work, just don't bother paying him any more.
After being hellbanned I actually realised that commenting on internet forums is toxic, generally a waste of time, and not productive. So I quit. At the start, you sort of care about "karma". But you end up realising it's a measure of two things. 1. How much time you waste commenting on the internet, and 2. How much you can agree with the groupthink echo-chamber.
But for those that like spending time commenting, I would have thought following a subreddit model would work better here, with the growth. Spread the power out. If I get hellbanned from the "rust is the future!!!" subhackernews, big whoop.
It'd also help with filtering out all the non-interesting (self driving cars) stories.
But then perhaps it'd basically be reddit at that stage which would defeat the point...
I don't think you need to subsidise science like this.
Did we really get "propelled" into new age of technology half a century ago? Did the moon landing really change anything here on earth? Technology would have advanced just fine without it.