

Scott Adams' startup idea: Hole Digger - andreyf
http://dilbertblog.typepad.com/the_dilbert_blog/2007/08/holes.html

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rml
Reading the comments here, I don't think the commenters are fully grasping
Adams' point. Especially interesting is his desire that the hole-digging
robots be self-replicating, so as to allow for ever greater numbers of
replacements, lower costs, and so on. It reminds me of a post I read regarding
the feasibility of space colonization written by an engineer who went on and
on about the "long tail" of industrial production -- basically, there are so
many thousands of parts in any sufficiently complicated piece of technology
that there are whole billion-dollar industries employing thousands of people
just to create a subset of the required components. Cars are a perfect
example, although the idea has implications for many technologies we use
(computers, anyone?). An interesting approach to this problem (I read about it
in Make magazine) is the RepRap Project, at <http://reprap.org>. They are
trying to solve the "long tail" manufacturing problem by creating an
inexpensive machine that can be used to build almost anything, including
copies of itself. Perhaps something like this will lead to the future Adams is
hoping for...

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geebee
When I saw this title, I expected the post to be about enterprise software.
How, instead of buying and installing enterprise software that costs millions
and never works, an entrepreneur could just offer to dig them into a hole for
a third of the price.

But surprisingly, Scott Adams actually meant real, genuine, physical holes.

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danteembermage
If I could license a hole digger, the first thing I would do is connect LA to
New York the short way. If I'm really lucky they will have invented a room
temperature superconductor by then so my now nearly frictionless train can
fall across the country at break-neck speed with near zero energy expenditure.

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josefresco
give me 2 ounces of whatever he's smoking...

seriously ... hole diggers? are you serious?!?

~~~
motoko
I would, but it grows deep underground...

