Where was the LLNL when it came to this?
http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_14461347?source=rss
Looks like we missed the boat again people. We've basically done nothing good for the immediate needs of the country since Starwars, and we most certainly could never accomplish what we did then in the same period of time. I’m so disgusted with this place it’s unreal.
7 comments:
LLNL did not create this because NNSA, DOE, Congress, etc. would not let them. So the bright minds did the bright thing and did it via a private company.
Now Scoob...don't you think you're being just a bit harsh...after all we have implemented the "Work Control (tm)" program.
Surely that kind of counts as SCIENCE!
Duck...... it's DNFSB!
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Why doesn't the Lab have an effort in fuel cells, you ask?
Check the archives!
http://llnlthetruestory.blogspot.com/2009/04/46-doe-bes-energy-frontiers-research.html
We were given a huge opportunity for Energy Frontier Research and we blew it! The other big labs submitted multiple proposals, and they all got more than one funded. Livermore ONLY proposed LIFE. Why? Well, a competing proposal might have gotten funded instead of management's favorite. We played chicken with Chu, thinking he'd just "have" to send some money our way. Think again.
Remember what Richard Feynman said:
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for nature cannot be fooled."
apparently, neither can Steven Chu, LOL!
10. If a manager didn't think of the idea, its not a good idea. Moreover, only top-level management gets to decide what is worthwhile.
9. You are only a matrix employee without any rights whatsover, so you would never get to work on anything for long or become an expert (unless you are one of the chosen few).
8. Your idea is not worthy because you are not an expert in the area (even though you are) as evidenced by you're not being in the right directorate.
7. According to the Lab accounting model its cheaper to develop a computer model (but only if you work for Comp) than build anything (unless you are part of NIF).
6. Until this year, DOE didn't think that working on energy was it's job.
5. Yes, you will get a royalty for a great idea, but there will be no money to develop it in the first place (unless you
have the right connections).
4. You would only leave and the Lab gets no benefit for your idea.
3. The overhead is too high for small projects.
2. The Lab only thinks that megaprojects lasting many years are worthwhile.
1. Under the increasing burden of the above, creative researchers have either given up hope of doing anything relevant or have left.
February 25, 2010 11:13 PM
If this is the mentality of LLNL and ULM then DOE / NNSA should demand ALL other segents of LLNL be shut down by the end of this years and leave NIF all by itself to see if it can stand on its own two feet. I doubt they can now or ever will. They use the funding from all the good projects to keep that COW alive for as long as they can. What a national waste of the tax payers money.
These innovative new fuel cells might be dangerous. Someone could burn their fingers or get an electric shock if they touched one. It's best to stick with NNSA uber-risk averse policies and not even bother with stuff like this.
The only thing that is really important at the NNSA labs today is that security and safety stats look darn near perfect. All other efforts are not welcomed and will likely be killed off by the NNSA's goons who go by the name of LLNS management.
Where was LLNL?
Why, writing up new work policies and procedures and working on Six Sigma perfection... of course!
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