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Comment by 1970-01-01 | Hacker News Reader

1970-01-01

I, a taxpayer, would rather have a cellphone signal in a remote location than lots of amazing pictures of a comet. And I just don't see a solution or compromise that could work. The utility of neat picture vs full cell signal in a Montana canyon cannot be won by taking more pictures and showing me the problem. I made my decision already.

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I, a taxpayer, wish that we could significantly reduce light pollution so we could see the stars on a typical clear night.

Then give up streetlights. Although crime and road accidents will massively increase and women won’t feel safe outdoors. So is it really worth it?

We don't need to give up streetlights to make huge progress. 20 to 50 percent of outdoor lighting is wasted. Just shielding streetlights would go a long way.

https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nightskies/sources.htm

Women would feel less safe yes but there is no evidence that crime and road accidents would increase.

Why gaze up at the vast cosmos when we can stare down at a little screen

Why have cheap radio safety when you can die under the stars?

How is it relevant that you're a taxpayer?

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/07/spacex-starlink-wins-nearly-...

Well, isn't that good for you? The other seven and a half billion of us just get to deal with having our skies skidmarked like this with no choice on the matter.

You can use satellite Internet too.

It's strange to call it "skid marked" when the "skid marks" only appear when you apply complicated technology setups, and those setups can easily remove the "skid marks" also.

"Now, the orbiting satellites themselves only appear as streaks because of the long camera exposure, over 10 minutes in this case. On the contrary, to the eye, satellites appear as points that drift slowly across the night sky and shine by reflecting sunlight -- primarily just after sunset and before sunrise. "

See https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap191014.html for example

I , as a citicen, would like that research will figure out the origins of space and time

"As an American, I believe that my personal convenience outweigh the needs and desires of literally every other person on the entire planet"

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