Civilisation, like infrastructure, requires a lot of maintenance.
Maintenance is not sexy, popular or fun. It's easy to forget, downplay or undefund it.
When you underfund maintenance effects are not immediately apparent. By the time the problem is obvious it's often late.
💯 this applies to software too
Centralization exacerbates these effects, because it essentially puts all our eggs in one basket -- a basket that is increasingly complex, and thus less and less sexy to pay attention to when pandering for votes. Especially when someone else can be blamed for the lack of attention paid.
Similar dynamic to what we see in rented vs. owned property. A homeowner, protecting their investment, and the home they live in, is a lot more likely to maintain what is theirs --and to find it relatively easy to stay on top of -- than a landlord who sees the rent come in month after month, doesn't see the effects of the lack of maintenance on a daily basis, and may be overwhelmed if they do perchance take a closer look at the state of their properties to find that they have a laundry list to address.
On the other side, it IS true that there are efficiency gains to be had from centralization through scaling effects, but ONLY if the attention is paid in a timely, systematic manner. These theoretical efficiencies seem to be the loudest argument against distributed infrastructure, but the best argument against them seems to be the repeated failure of centralized authority to actually effectively address the maintenance issues. As with other aspects of life, it would seem competent benevolent central planners are few and far between, particularly with large, complex systems.
A cada dia que pasa, mas se parece todo al tercio final de Atlas Shrugged.
La crisis de Valencia me recuerda a ese momento tan triste en el tercio final del libro cuando todos los trabajadores, tanto de la red ferroviaria como de otros servicios, llegan a ese punto en que se la sopla todo. Cuando deciden acatar las ordenes sin sentido de los bureaus centrales, aunque puedan ver perfectamente las consecuencias terribles de seguirlas, y cual seria el camino correcto. Porque lo unico que importa es salvar el cuello politicamente, no hacer que nada funcione.
Lo de la semana pasada en Valencia es la punta del iceberg. Cuantas decadas y hordas de funcionarios han seguido ordenes estupidas, cuando tuvieron claro como el dia ante sus ojos el camino correcto? Como serian las cosas si hubiesen tenido espiritu propio?
Lo de los mails de la CHJ parece sacado del capítulo del choque de trenes. Todos los burócratas preocupándose más de evitar responsabilidades que de ayudar. Es triste decirlo, pero Rand lo retrató demasiado bien.
