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2007-05-08 Europe

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Posted by Seafarious 2007-05-08 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11128 views ] Top

#1 bring a return of investments of up to 9 billion euros (11.9 billion dollars), making it the continent's most lucrative infrastructure project

I'm sure it will be at least as financially successful as Airbus and the Chunnel.

Posted by DMFD 2007-05-08 00:05|| 2007-05-08 00:05|| Front Page Top

#2 The Kiss of Death

Posted by Unomble Lumumba4775 2007-05-08 00:12|| 2007-05-08 00:12|| Front Page Top

#3 We CANNOT allow Washington to invest one dime in this farce. Put the money in missile defense instead. Let the winding-down European wind-up toy wind down a bit faster.

Posted by Verlaine 2007-05-08 00:15|| 2007-05-08 00:15|| Front Page Top

#4 Airbus flying at 16,000 km altitude. I'm sure that the EU govt will make it a profitable enterprise. The US gives GPS for free, and the EU hates the US so much that it would rather throw good money after bad rather than use it.

Posted by Alaska Paul">Alaska Paul 2007-05-08 00:21|| 2007-05-08 00:21|| Front Page Top

#5 We want to have the best value for money

Free is not good enough!

Let's take a step back and think now. Suppose I am a European trying to decide between a system that provides reliable navigational data within a few meters for free vs. something I have to pay even one euro a month for plus the overhead of having to deal with payments, new proprietary technology, license transfers/registrations when a piece of equipment breaks, etc. vs. something that is so portable you probably never thought about it. Hmm. Boy, that's a tough one.

This hazy logic brought to you by the people who thought an ill-conceived pig of an airplane was a good idea.

Posted by gorb 2007-05-08 03:55|| 2007-05-08 03:55|| Front Page Top

#6 Let me get this straight...

A highly technical project brought to you by the same E.U. bureaucrats who came up with the E.U. Constitution.

Well it might be entertaining....

Posted by CrazyFool 2007-05-08 05:02|| 2007-05-08 05:02|| Front Page Top

#7 ...If I may suggest for future stories about the Galileo system: Put a thought balloon in that pic of him thinking, "Oy..."

Mike

Posted by Mike Kozlowski 2007-05-08 08:42|| 2007-05-08 08:42|| Front Page Top

#8 EU Referendum's been following this for awhile.

Posted by anonymous2u 2007-05-08 10:37|| 2007-05-08 10:37|| Front Page Top

#9 it's a navigation system AND an employment agency AND a dessert topping!

It's ~~New Shimmer~~ Galileo!

Posted by Frank G">Frank G 2007-05-08 10:52|| 2007-05-08 10:52|| Front Page Top

#10 Easy solution for the EU: simply REQUIRE all Europeans to use Galileo. Forbid sales of GPS receivers. Force all Airbus planes to be fitted with Galileo equipment. It's easy when all that is needed is a few regulations.

Posted by Rambler">Rambler 2007-05-08 11:08|| 2007-05-08 11:08|| Front Page Top

#11 Rambler, sad thing is that's probably what will happen.

Posted by AllahHateMe 2007-05-08 11:31|| 2007-05-08 11:31|| Front Page Top

#12 Not probably. That's the plan.

Posted by kelly 2007-05-08 16:34|| 2007-05-08 16:34|| Front Page Top

#13 And that's not the half of the plan. They're also going to require all cars to have this so that people can be taxed on road usage.

Posted by AlanC">AlanC 2007-05-08 17:19|| 2007-05-08 17:19|| Front Page Top

#14 Galileo is a military system masquerading as a system for "the people". The scam is get the commuters of Europe to pay for a system that primarily benefits the French military and weapons industries (and the Chinese who will make the receivers). GPS is the "smarts" in a huge range of rockets, artillery, bombs, missiles, and UAVs. The catch is that, the US can make it useless by withholding the encryption codes or even degrading the nonencrypted signals. Therefore the only users of GPS weapons are US allies. The French do not qualify and therefore prevents GPS weapons sales to those we find unsavory.

The cover of the hugely inefficient (vs gas tax) road tax and "find your favorite restaurant with Galileo" schemes forces EU consumers to pay for and maintain a system that the French military itself cannot afford. As a bonus, Galileo will allow the authorities to download everywhere a EU peasant has driven.

Last but not least, by including China as a tier 1 partner, the Galileo folks have given the Chinese all the systems data for a pittance. Now the Chinese will build a Galileo clone that, funny enough, interferes with the Galileo signal.

Posted by ed 2007-05-08 18:26|| 2007-05-08 18:26|| Front Page Top

#15 Hey, name the next one after Copernicus, okay?
Thanks a lot...

Posted by Galileo 2007-05-08 20:08|| 2007-05-08 20:08|| Front Page Top

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