[SpaceProgram] Fwd: Project Management, Starships, and the Failure of Modern Physics - YouTube

Mon Sep 24 23:54:41 CEST 2012

Hi Matt,

Great points you've raised.

To clarify any wrong impression, the points you've raised have been part of
an active, ongoing discussion within the caretaker team. I think it's great
to see those same challenges discussed in a wider group.

Having lead some projects at hackerspaces, and participated in others, I
don't think the idea of top-down, big-plans-upfront will fly. I agree that
many large-project management techniques aren't really going to work in
this context.

I think there are a number of ways to run this program, but - at least in
my view - this will succeed if the ongoing plan for the actual research is
driven predominantly bottom up.

One idea of how that might look is that hackerspaces joining the program,
nominating a representative or two to present their interests, and have
those groups of representatives define the plan. There are challenges with
this approach, especially around managing change over time, but as I see
it, it's probably a reasonable middle ground. Trying to have lots of
independent researchers - rather than teams - coordinate a plan may be
ineffective.

In terms of what a longer-term plan for space exploration might look like,
it seems to me that a lot of the obvious technology needs and required
advances - or at least the known problems and challenges to be overcome -
are fairly easily identified and already widely discussed. In fact, many
hackerspace groups are already pursuing some of those challenges. So,
although I'm advocating an inclusive plan, driven by the interests of
individual hackerspace teams, I suspect that the plan will end up with many
elements we'd have included by taking a more top-down, project-management
lead plan.

As I see it, one of the things the SpaceGAMBIT organisation can do is
assist in enabling that process, rather than driving it. In my view, that
is a mix of linking projects and people across the network, providing
funds, curating project results and content as a commons resource, and
enabling skill and knowledge sharing.
Thanks & Best Regards,

Paul

Paul Szymkowiak

On 23 September 2012 11:49, Matt Johnson <railmeat at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi Jerry, I met you at 100YSS, that is how I heard about your space
> GAMBIT and this email list. As I understood it the talk was about how
> to focus physics research at a large scale, such as federally funded
> research projects and large university. I see hacker spaces involved
> in a large number of small loosely coordinated, or uncoordinated
> projects. Is that wrong? Since these project will be smaller, they
> would use more mundane project management techniques.
>
> I had hoped that 100YSS would present some kind of road map or broad
> plan that the various groups working on interstellar space could
> follow. I still hope they present something. It would probably be
> worthwhile asking someone at 100YSS if they plan to produce a road
> map.
>
> I am not sure how best to proceed with this sort of problem. You must
> have given it some thought before you made the DARPA grant proposals.
> What did you come up with? If I were thrown into this problem with no
> preparation I would start with some kind of literature search to get a
> picture of the current situation and try to interview experienced
> researchers in the field to find out what they think the next steps
> should be. Then some kind of RFP process to see what people are
> interested in doing.
>
> I am not sure how something like RFPs would work in a hacker context,
> do you know of examples of this being done? Perhaps an "X prize" style
> approach is more appropriate. In either case they would benefit from
> some kind of evangelism and marketing.
>
> --
> Matt Johnson
>
>
>
>
> On Sat, Sep 22, 2012 at 3:18 PM, Jerry Isdale <jerry at mauimakers.com>
> wrote:
> > This was given in the context of the 100YSS organization.
> > There are probably a half dozen different non-profit organizations and
> > groups now pursuing space technology.
> > To some extent each of these (including our SpaceGAMBIT) does 'control
> > project goals and funds' which decides what work will be done, at least
> on
> > their nickel.
> >
> > If you have a limited amount of funds and your goal is to give it to
> hackers
> > to further space education and research
> > how would you decide what work will be done?
> >
> > That is a quandary that I face.
> > Please help us decide.
> >
> > Jerry Isdale
> > isdale at spacegambit.org
> > USA Program Lead, SpaceGAMBIT
> > Global Alliance of Makers Building Interstellar Technology
> > http://SpaceGAMBIT.org
> >
> > This email is intended only for the personal and confidential use of the
> > human(s) named above. If intercepted by an extraterrestrial civilization,
> > all opinions expressed in this email are my own and do not necessarily
> > reflect the opinion of mankind as a whole.
> >
> >
> > On Sep 22, 2012, at 11:51 AM, Matt Johnson wrote:
> >
> > Interesting talk, the sliders were pretty funky though. I am sure
> > there is a lot to be gained by using the best technics in decision
> > making and project management. That assumes that there is some
> > organziation or body that controls project goals and funds and that
> > can decided what work will be done. That does not match with my
> > understanding of what a hacker space is.
> >
> > --
> > Matt Johnson
> >
> >
> >
> > On Thu, Sep 20, 2012 at 4:32 PM, Jerry Isdale <isdale at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > This was the talk at 100YSS Symposium that kicked me off on Quaternion
> >
> > Maxwell Physics.
> >
> > The engineer part of me likes the rigor Buck brings to the discussion ...
> >
> > The hacker part of me wants to run screaming naked thru the rainforest
> (my
> >
> > backyard).
> >
> >
> > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t95xWsxqNvI
> >
> >
> > The discussion of Heaviside-Tate flame war and impact on theoretical (and
> >
> > applied) physics starts about 12min in.
> >
> > The rest of discussion is pretty interesting too.
> >
> >
> > Jerry Isdale
> >
> > isdale at spacegambit.org
> >
> > USA Program Lead, SpaceGAMBIT
> >
> > Global Alliance of Makers Building Interstellar Technology
> >
> > http://SpaceGAMBIT.org
> >
> >
> > This email is intended only for the personal and confidential use of the
> >
> > human(s) named above. If intercepted by an extraterrestrial civilization,
> >
> > all opinions expressed in this email are my own and do not necessarily
> >
> > reflect the opinion of mankind as a whole.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> >
> > SpaceProgram mailing list
> >
> > SpaceProgram at lists.hackerspaces.org
> >
> > http://lists.hackerspaces.org/mailman/listinfo/spaceprogram
> >
> >
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> >
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