Economic centralization

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uncertainty
Posts: 66
Joined: Tue Nov 14, 2017 2:35 pm

Economic centralization

Post by uncertainty »

Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson, a Republican in a Democratic administration, understood exactly what was necessary to meet production requirements. "If you are going to try to go to war, or to prepare for war, in a capitalist country," he said, "you have got to let business make money out of the process or business won't work." The government therefore chose to work on big business's terms ... The government also granted firms immunity from antitrust prosecution if they could show that cooperative arrangements would enhance essential war production.
An even more important incentive for business was the cost-plus-a-fixed-fee system, whereby the government guaranteed all development and production costs and then paid a percentage profit on the wartime goods produced.
...
Inevitably, governmental priorities changed. Under the influence of business interests, there was a good deal of centralization and concentration. Contracts wen tot the largest firms, whose operating officers often knew officials in Washington. There were obvious advantages to relying on the nation's major companies, for they already had the labor pools and assembly lines that could most easily be converted to war production. They also already had research staffs that could be quickly mobilized to make the necessary refinements in war items. The large firms subcontracted tasks to smaller companies, but even so, many of the nation's smaller firms, blocked from supplies of scarce materials and unable to produce civilian goods, had to close their doors.
- Home Front U.S.A pg. 15-17

America's economy already exists in a pretty concentrated state. I wonder though if more can't be done. In what capacity should "entrepreneurship" be encouraged? In that spirit to what degree should it be allowed and encourage within the centralized monopolies?
The corporation's creation was an attempt to legislate a vision of society in which the small entrepreneur had a chance, bu that vision gave way in the face of the demand for rapid production to assit in the conduct of the war. Though small businesses hoped for a revival in the postwar period, the creation of an early version of the "military-industrial complex" during the struggle provided a framework for favored the industrial giants, in wartime and in the ensuing years.
Does this mean that the conversation of "startups" must be killed? What about venture funding and the entire industry around it? Can startups be classified as "small business" if their potential to scale quickly means they are potential giants? We have seen impressive feats in the startup space in recent times surely it couldn't be in the same class as "mom and pop shops".

uncertainty
Posts: 66
Joined: Tue Nov 14, 2017 2:35 pm

Re: Economic centralization

Post by uncertainty »

I wonder how the growing pot industry plays a role in the agricultural scene moving forward. Surely the land could be used for food, but on the other hand letting it grow (pun not intended) would probably lead to even more investment in ag tech to produce the highest yields possible which could eventually be transfered to the rest of the ag community. Truth be told I haven't been in the people's situation but I'd also prefer people smoking pot to doing heroin. Probably not apples to apples though. Interesting to note that Prohibition of Alcohol ended in 1933. It has the potential to free up resources on enforcement and many blacks have been imprisoned on related offenses.

uncertainty
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Joined: Tue Nov 14, 2017 2:35 pm

Re: Economic centralization

Post by uncertainty »

I have started to view each crisis war as a "test" for adaptation. I think a part of that is understanding the other culture before you "beat" them. Sometimes they are completely defeated and they go away (dissolved) but if they don't loose poorly enough they learn from their mistakes and regrow anew. I think in this regard awakening eras can be great because they expand the identity of the group. In doing so they are better prepared for the next crisis war. I think as this coming crisis war focuses a large part on china they present specific obstacles to overcome. I think that a large part of adaptation that "needs to occur"/executed well is their psychological understanding. Clearly that is one of their strengths. Think inception, how far down can you go? I think that America in this sense is fairly well prepared as much of the boomer movements had influences in the east. To this end and (dare I say) to the Boomers credit certain drugs used in certain controlled contexts can be greatly beneficial in this realm from what I gather. I would still put the threshold pretty low though as to benefit. Granted this is far off but I foresee a day when drugs are accepted as a part of intellectual development at appropriate ages. I could even see industries built around building synthetics that maximize benefits while minimizing damage to the individual. I also widely agree with the policies of providing safe environments to "junkies". The knee jerk reaction to most is to say you are encouraging them. Fact is though it helps move the information of the problem above ground and a channel to open up support at some point. They are people and should be treated as much.

uncertainty
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Joined: Tue Nov 14, 2017 2:35 pm

Re: Economic centralization

Post by uncertainty »

uncertainty wrote:I think that a large part of adaptation that "needs to occur"/executed well is their psychological understanding. Clearly that is one of their strengths. Think inception, how far down can you go?
If psychology and IT/AI is to play a larger role in the upcoming conflict in the eastern theater, I wonder if it could be thought of as an intelligence war or mind warfare. This would also make sense considering we are entering the "Information Age".

The cold war with Russia amounted to a rough predecessor to this, and I think this could be a good model to use. One large influencing factor is nuclear capability. Nobody wants to be the first person to pull them out in part because if they do they have mutually assured destruction barring a completely fatal first strike. These high costs for crude methods of escalation result in needing to be better at positioning. It "seems" to almost nearly imply much more mental tactics than previous crisis wars. There looks to be plenty of angles for innovation away from using nukes and still be able to gain the upper hand. Hard to say though when irrationality takes hold.

uncertainty
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Re: Economic centralization

Post by uncertainty »

I mean just thinking about it if there is one thing that communists know and understand well it is brute force. I get the sense that America has a much greater strategic advantage by avoiding resorting to force. My guess though is that china would probably prefer America does because it brings America down to their level where they have a better shot at winning. They could likely pump out more "traditional" weapons can just from their sheer size. They have plenty of people they are willing to expend creating and deploying such weapons. The best and probably only way America could get an edge on that is its ability to create entirely new approaches. America clearly would want to engage them as little as possible on this plane where they clearly have an upper hand.

uncertainty
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Joined: Tue Nov 14, 2017 2:35 pm

Re: Economic centralization

Post by uncertainty »

Intelligence is essentially an information system. The more efficiently and effectively a process (be it human or artificial) utilizes information the "smarter" it is said to be. The side in WWIII that is smarter will win.

Evolution itself is an information maximization algorithm. GD implies the identity group that is smartest wins.

Nearly every problem converges to an information problem.

uncertainty
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Re: Economic centralization

Post by uncertainty »

I think the model for the 20th century was physics and the model for the 21st is math. Here is an excerpt from von Nuemann's "The Mathematician"
At any rate, the problems of theoretical physics are objectively given; and, while the criteria which govern the exploitation of a success are, as I indicated earlier, mainly aesthetical, yet the portion of the problem, and that which I called above the original "break-through," are hard, objective facts. Accordingly, the subject of theoretical physics was at almost all times enormously concentrated; at almost all times most of the effort of all theoretical physicists was concentrated on no more than one or two very sharply circumscribed fields-quantum theory in the 1920's and early 1930's and elementary particles and structure of nuclei since the mid-1930's are examples.

The situation in mathematics is entirely different. Mathematics falls into a great number of subdivisions, differing from one another widely in character, style, aims, and influence. It shows the very opposite of the extreme concentration of theoretical physics. A good theoretical physicist may today still have a working knowledge of more than half of his subject. I doubt that any mathematician now living has much of a relationship to more than a quarter. "Objectively" given, "important" problems may arise after a subdivision of mathematics has evolved relatively far and if it has bogged down seriously before a difficulty. But even then the mathematician is essentially free to take it or leave it and turn to something else, while an "important" problem in theoretical physics is usually a conflict, a contradiction, which "must" be resolved. The mathematician has a wide variety of fields to which he may turn, and he enjoys a very considerable freedom in what he does with them. To come to the decisive point: I think that it is correct to say that his criteria of selection, and also those of success, are mainly aesthetical.


WWII was ended by an incredibly smart and consolidated (Los Almos) people. What has changed is that physics don't show any sign of being nearly as important in the up coming conflict. Einstein was the poster child of the 20th but characters like Turing, von Nuemann, and Shannon laid the foundations for the 21st. Not to mention that since WWII information has become so much farther dispersed across people. Instead of consolidated teams it seems more reasonable that a network of smart, autonomous teams working openly and creatively that will provide far greater results. AI obviously will play a huge part but it won't be from creating some massively consolidated AI. It will be by the innovative ways that we can combine and recombine and "infuse" AI most effectively in our systems. There won't be an AI but rather AI will be everywhere. Creativity and Aesthetics will be huge as von Nuemann alludes.

FishbellykanakaDude
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Re: Economic centralization

Post by FishbellykanakaDude »

uncertainty wrote:...Instead of consolidated teams it seems more reasonable that a network of smart, autonomous teams working openly and creatively that will provide far greater results. AI obviously will play a huge part but it won't be from creating some massively consolidated AI. It will be by the innovative ways that we can combine and recombine and "infuse" AI most effectively in our systems.

There won't be an AI but rather AI will be everywhere. Creativity and Aesthetics will be huge as von Nuemann alludes.
Hear hear! AI will arrive as convenience. Convenience is an aesthetic, of course.

...I'm all for convenience and comfort, certainly, if it doesn't cost too much. Which is why I'm personally trying to live a rather "minimalist" and "rustic" life, hopefully on the great ocean, as that place enforces minimalism and simple pleasures.

I'd prefer Skynet make it quick, and simply lob a missile at my floating domicile while I'm resting up for the next watch lulled to sleep by the waves and wind.

Aloha mateys! <shaka!> :)

uncertainty
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Joined: Tue Nov 14, 2017 2:35 pm

Re: Economic centralization

Post by uncertainty »

FishbellykanakaDude wrote: hopefully on the great ocean, as that place enforces minimalism and simple pleasures.

I'd prefer Skynet make it quick, and simply lob a missile at my floating domicile while I'm resting up for the next watch lulled to sleep by the waves and wind.

Aloha mateys! <shaka!> :)
... you and your sea lust :lol:

Here is one example of a creative application of AI. Swarms of small drones spread out and image surrounding areas and create 3D maps of the environments with "hot spots" where enemies are located. The units stationed in enemy territory can use VR to explore areas before hand to reduce the risk of the situation as well as provide up to date information of their movements. https://grail.cs.washington.edu/rome/rome_paper.pdf

FishbellykanakaDude
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Re: Economic centralization

Post by FishbellykanakaDude »

uncertainty wrote:
FishbellykanakaDude wrote: hopefully on the great ocean, as that place enforces minimalism and simple pleasures.

I'd prefer Skynet make it quick, and simply lob a missile at my floating domicile while I'm resting up for the next watch lulled to sleep by the waves and wind.

Aloha mateys! <shaka!> :)
... you and your sea lust :lol:
The lust for the big salty is overwhelming! :) ..and I love it that way.
Here is one example of a creative application of AI. Swarms of small drones spread out and image surrounding areas and create 3D maps of the environments with "hot spots" where enemies are located. The units stationed in enemy territory can use VR to explore areas before hand to reduce the risk of the situation as well as provide up to date information of their movements. https://grail.cs.washington.edu/rome/rome_paper.pdf
I suppose you could call that "AI", but that entire scenario could easily be conducted by remotely controlled drones (flying and "walking").

But I'm certainly not opposed to an AI that could DO that, as it's easily contained to "a mission".

Aloha nui ko'u hoaloha! :) <shaka!>

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