Monday, March 22, 2010

Common Sense Isn't

This weekend, I was at the shop working on the rocket. I was there on Sat and was accosted by an individual. He wanted to have some explanation of what I was doing and why. I gave my generalized spiel on what I am doing. He was fascinated and then started making a pitch to replace my aluminum and steel structure with his own patented $tech. He made his play. Unfortunately, it was very, very apparent that he did not understand a chunk of what he was talking about: getting confused about just being at an altitude and being in orbit is pretty bad.

I demurred pointing out that I had a follow-on technology that is PFA and that, if it works, is going to be pretty earthshaking in and out itself. This is what we'd invested in and this is what we are pursuing. A half clued individual would have realized at this point that I was rejecting his "offer."

He wouldn't let go though, like a pitbull with t bone in its mouth. He kept going on about it and finally wanted started making comments that it was obviously personality driven that we were not interested in his $tech. As a sop, I started asking pointed questions about his $tech: do you have specs? Have you used $tech is any related fashion? Would he be willing to do a proposal for $tech's use in what we were doing? etc. The answer time and again was 'no.' He had no idea about X, Y, or Z. No he wouldn't generate any in print specs. No to a proposal. No having used it anywhere related. etc, etc.

I declined. Politely. The gaps between and were too great even to continue the conversation.

He starting going off on how our $tech was not going to be safe and that it would be stolen right and left. He offered what he claimed was an example from his own past. He backed up his claimswith some dox on his website. He told me to take a look. He finally let off when I got one of the machinists involved. It wasn't pretty.

Well, this morning I took a look at his 'proof.'

oy.

It was painfully obvious what went wrong and where. Conflict of interest was screaming from the very first second. This Can Only End Well was likewise screaming from the first two events (before lawyers got involved). It didn't end the way he thought it did based on the dox at least. Double oy.

Teh Stoopid. It Burnz.

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