🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1b4hv4INN309@gap.caltech.edu> carl@SOL1.GPS.CALTECH.EDU writes:
>Hey!  What's so bad about a private business (like, for example, the California
>Institute of Technology) managing a government lab (like, for example, the Jet
>Propulsion Laboratory)?

Having been a Lab (caltech) employee and also knowing an ex-V-P of Caltech
(an educational institute), I have no problems with an educational institution
running secret or non-secret government labs.  They are accountable.
Both the UC and Caltech have nicely educationally oriented mottos despite
classified work.  Most businesses don't approach this.  I would say some
would be classed as more "evil" than governments (which are clumsy).
I didn't say all.  We having shining examples of businesses in this
country: AT&T Bell Labs [rapidly changing as we speak], Polaroid, IBM, H-P,
call them "Theory Z" companies, what ever, in contrast to some of the
former rust belt companies (who were once shining examples).  But you probably
won't find a computer company running something like LLNL/LANL or numerous
other labs.  It will depend on your priorities.
We have to decide whether we want research in this country or whether we
want business, and what the balance between to two shall be.
All grossly generalized, of course.

--eugene miya, NASA Ames Research Center, eugene@orville.nas.nasa.gov
  Acting Associate Editor, Software and Publication Reviews
  Scientific Programming
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