There's an interesting story on Fox News (odd source, hey) about the role the porn industry plays in shaping the take up of technology. It claims, for example, that the porn industry seized on the VHS format, and the rest was history for Betamax. The same thing might happen to Sony again with Blu-ray, apparently.
But apart from that, the article points out that the porn industry is worth a lot of money:
Although the vagaries of entertainment accounting have become legendary, it is universally acknowledged that the U.S. adult-film industry, at around $12 billion in annual sales, rentals, and cable charges in 2006, is an even grander and more efficient moneymaking machine than legitimate mainstream American cinema (the latter's annual gross came in at $9 billion for 2006).
Figures of around $10 billion a year always interest me, because that is getting pretty close to the budget of NASA. (Well, now it's up to close to $17 billion, but as recently as 1999 it was only $13 billion.)
This may be a handy figure to keep in mind when you next have to argue with someone who whines about the expense of the space program. People hear "billions" and without context it means nothing.
Also, with figures like this, is public direct sponsorship of a space program really out of the question? All we need is an entrepreneur who is out to raise money to set up an orbiting studio specifically to make zero-G porn. (All the earth bound variations of sex were surely filmed by about 1985 anyway. ) Richard Branson is probably already considering a sex hotel anyway, I reckon.
Porn business makes a lot of money because a lot of people love porn and pay for it. In a free, democratic and capitalistic country like the USA, porn produces a $12 billion product. How do taxpayers know they are getting a $17 billion product from NASA?
ReplyDeleteWe should let those who want to support NASA give them money instead of making everyone pay for it.
Yes, indeed.
ReplyDeleteAnd only those people who want children to be educated should give schools money.
And let only those who want hospitals give them money.
And let only those who want bridges give money to bridge builders.
BTW - be sure to return all those things in your house that are the direct result of NASA inventions; yes, yes, even your runners with the velcro tabs, come on, take 'em off right now.
caz,
ReplyDeleteI would give money for education, hospitals and bridges without being threatened with prison time if I didn't. And I'd let everyone use the schools, hospitals and bridges even if they didn't help pay for them. I would give to NASA. I wouldn't give money for the Iraq war nor for Exxon Mobil oil exploration.
It's possible there wouldn't be as many schools, hospitals and bridges because people won't freely give as much as is coerced from them. Or people would contribute the same or more and society would be more free.