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>> WELCOME TO THE LIVE RADIO SHOW,
CRITICAL MASS SPEAKER SERIES.
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY LONG BEACH
IN FRONT OF A LIVE AUDIENCE.
I WANT TO THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING OUT TONIGHT.
YEAH, BABY!
[ CHEERING AND APPLAUSE ]
WE HAVE AN EXCITING SHOW PLANNED FOR YOU TONIGHT
AND WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOU COMING TO THE EVENT HERE
ON THE BEAUTIFUL CAMPUS AS WELL AS LISTENING TO US
ON THE STREAM ON OCTALKRADIO.NET.
TONIGHT'S THEME IS CURIOSITY AND CURIOSITY IS DEFINED
AS A QUALITY RELATED TO INQUISITIVE THINKING
SUCH AS EXPLORATION AND LEARNING EVIDENT IN OBSERVATION
IN HUMAN AND ANIMAL SPECIES.
THE LATE YOGI BERRA ONCE SAID,
"YOU CAN OBSERVE A LOT BY WATCHING."
TONIGHT WE'RE GOING TO EXPLORE THE CONCEPT OF CURIOSITY
TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE ROLE IT PLAYS IN ONE'S LIFE
AND PROFESSIONAL CAREER.
TO HELP ME DISCUSS THE POWER OF CURIOSITY,
WE HAVE TWO PANELISTS.
TO MY FAR LEFT, DEAN MICHAEL SOLT.
HE IS THE DEAN OF THE BUSINESS SCHOOL HERE
AT CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY LONG BEACH.
GIVE HIM A BIG ROUND OF APPLAUSE!
[ CHEERING AND APPLAUSE ]
ALSO JOINING US TONIGHT, WE'RE VERY EXCITED TO HAVE HIM
AS WELL HERE IN THE AUDIENCE AND ON THE PANEL IS WILL POMERANTZ.
HE IS VICE PRESIDENT SPECIAL PROJECTS VIRGIN GALACTIC.
[ APPLAUSE ]
THIS IS OUR COLLEGE SPEAKER SERIES AND I'M HONORED
TO BE BACK ON THE CAMPUS OF CAL STATE UNIVERSITY LONG BEACH
AND WE ARE STREAMING ON OCTALKRADIO.NET.
THE SHOW WILL BE AVAILABLE AS A PODCAST ON ITUNES
AND YOUR FAVORITE PODCASTING SOFTWARE NEXT WEEK AS WELL
AS FROM MY WEBSITE, CRITICALMASSFORBUSINESS.COM.
THIS IS A DISCUSSION, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,
DESIGNED TO BE INTERACTIVE BETWEEN THE PANEL AND ME
AND THE PANEL AND YOU, OUR LIVE AUDIENCE.
AS I SAID, WE HAVE A MICROPHONE HERE FOR YOUR USE.
DON'T BE SHY IF THE SPIRIT MOVES YOU, JUST GET UP AND COME
ON DOWN AND WE'LL LET YOU BE A PART OF THE LIVE SHOW AS WELL.
LET'S GET STARTED AND I WONDER IF MAYBE WE COULD ASK
IF YOU COULD BOTH TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND
AND TRY TO TIE IN THE CONCEPT OF CURIOSITY
AND HOW IT'S SERVED YOU IN YOUR CAREER.
DEAN SOLT, ARE YOU GOING TO GO FIRST?
>> SURE. WELL, GOOD EVENING EVERYONE.
THANK YOU, RICK, FOR INVITING US TO BE HERE.
WELL, I'VE BEEN DEAN OF THE BUSINESS SCHOOL HERE SINCE 2008
AND THAT'S A LITTLE BIT ABOUT MY BACKGROUND,
BUT BEFORE THAT I WAS A PROFESSOR
OF FINANCE FOR MANY DECADES.
FOR 17 YEARS I WAS A PROFESSOR OF FINANCE AT SAN JOSE STATE
AND FOR PART OF THAT TIME I WAS AN ASSOCIATE DEAN
AND GOING WAY BACK I WAS A LITTLE BABY BUCKEYE NUT
IN OHIO GROWING UP AND BY THE TIME I GOT
TO COLLEGE I WAS A BIG BUCKEYE NUT OR JUST MADE ME NUTTY
FOR THE BUCKEYES, I DON'T KNOW.
BUT, THROUGHOUT MY ACADEMIC CAREER, I'VE BEEN A TEACHER
AND A RESEARCHER AND I THINK THAT HAS TIED
IN WITH CURIOSITY A LOT.
THE RESEARCH PART IS TRYING TO DO SOMETHING NEW AND ORIGINAL
IN MY FIELD, WHICH IS FINANCE, THAT HADN'T BEEN DONE BEFORE.
SO, THAT TAKES A LOT OF CURIOSITY TO THINK ABOUT THAT
AND DESIGNING COURSES LIKE NEW VENTURE FINANCE
OR INTERNATIONAL FINANCE, MAKING THEM INTERESTING FOR STUDENTS.
THAT MADE ME CURIOUS ABOUT THOSE SUBJECTS TOO.
SO, CURIOSITY HAS BEEN PART OF MY PATH, I BELIEVE.
>> GIVE HIM A ROUND OF APPLAUSE
FOR BEING THE FIRST ONE TO SPEAK TONIGHT
[ APPLAUSE ]
WILL?
>> WELL, FIRST OF ALL RICK, THANKS FOR HAVING ME ON THE SHOW
AND THANKS TO DEAN SOLT FOR HOSTING US TODAY.
I'M VERY HAPPY TO BE HERE ON CAMPUS,
PARTICULARLY DURING HOMECOMING WEEK.
IN TERMS OF MY BACKGROUND, YOU KNOW, MAYBE IT'S BECAUSE I MOVED
AROUND EVERY COUPLE OF YEARS WHEN I WAS A KID,
BUT I HAVE ALWAYS LOVED EXPLORATION.
YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU'RE SORT OF FORCED BY CIRCUMSTANCES OF LIFE
TO MAKE ALL NEW FRIENDS AND LEARN NEW TYPES OF FOOD
AND EVERYTHING EVERY COUPLE OF YEARS,
SOMETIMES IT GETS A LITTLE BIT ADDICTIVE.
SO, PERSONALLY, MY LIFE'S GOAL HAS ALWAYS BEEN MAKING IT EASIER
FOR PEOPLE TO EXPLORE OUTER SPACE.
I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO GO TO SPACE PERSONALLY,
BUT I FOUND OUT WHEN I WAS EIGHT YEARS OLD THAT I COULD NEVER GO
BECAUSE I HAVE THIS TERRIBLE MEDICAL AFFLICTION CALLED
NEEDING TO WEAR GLASSES.
SO, YES, I WILL ACCEPT YOUR PITY
FOR THIS HORRIBLE AND RARE AFFLICTION.
RIGHT? TOTALLY DISABLED BY THIS, IT'S AMAZING.
BUT, THAT DETERRED ME FOR A LITTLE WHILE,
BUT ONCE I REALIZED OUTER SPACE--
SPACE EXPLORATION WAS ACTUALLY AN INDUSTRY
THAT HAD REAL JOBS I GOT HOOKED INTO IT
AND GOT MY ACADEMIC DEGREE IN EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCES.
I SPENT A COUPLE YEARS STUDYING THE GEOLOGY OF OTHER PLANETS.
PEOPLE USED TO PAY ME TO SIT AROUND AND LOOK
AT PRETTY PICTURES OF MARS AND THINK DEEP THOUGHTS,
WHICH WAS SPECTACULAR BUT ALSO A LITTLE BIT FRUSTRATING
BECAUSE AS A CURIOUS PERSON, I FOUND IT VERY UNSETTLING THAT IN
THAT FIELD WHEN YOU STUDY ANOTHER PLANET
AND YOU'RE A SCIENTIST AND ALL YOU WANT IS DATA,
IN THAT FIELD YOU'RE VERY FORTUNATE
IF YOU GET A NEW DATA SET ONCE PER DECADE.
AND YOU'RE ALWAYS SORT OF ONE BAD DAY AWAY
FROM SKIPPING A DECADE AND THAT WAS NOT THE PACE OF THINGS
THAT I WAS WELL ACCUSTOMED TO.
SO, I DECIDED TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL AND THEN
THROUGH VARIOUS TWISTS AND TURNS
IN MY CAREER REALLY DEDICATE MYSELF
TO LETTING THERE BE MORE DATA SETS, ALLOWING MORE PEOPLE
FROM MORE DIFFERENT TYPES OF BACKGROUNDS, MORE UNIVERSITIES,
MORE PRIVATE COMPANIES, MORE INDIVIDUALS TO ASK NEW QUESTIONS
ABOUT SPACE AND THEN GO
OUT THERE WHETHER IT'S GOING THEMSELVES OR SENDING SATELLITES
AND GO GET ANSWERS TO THOSE QUESTIONS.
>> GIVE HIM A ROUND OF APPLAUSE PLEASE.
WILL POMERANTZ.
[ APPLAUSE ]
AS WE BEGAN TO PUT THE SHOW CONCEPT TOGETHER,
DOING SOME BACKGROUND, IF YOU HAVEN'T GOOGLED THIS GENTLEMEN,
I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO DO IT.
NOT NOW. NOT ON OUR SMARTPHONES.
PUT THOSE DOWN.
HOLD ON. BUT, LATER THIS EVENING OR SOMETIME
IN THE NOT-TOO-DISTANT FUTURE.
AND AS I HEARD HIM SPEAK AND READ ABOUT HIM,
THE IDEA OF CURIOSITY KIND OF CAME TO US AS TO FOLLOW
INTO THE PROFESSION-- HOW MANY OF US GO OUT AND LOOK
UP AT THE STARS AT NIGHT ON OCCASION?
ANYBODY IN THE AUDIENCE DO THAT?
IS THAT NOT AN AMAZING SIGHT?
IS THAT NOT AN AMAZING SIGHT?!
THANK YOU.
AMEN, BROTHER.
LET'S MAKE THIS WORK, ALRIGHT?
JUST WONDERING WHAT IS THERE AND--
WHICH GOT US THINKING ABOUT, WELL, WHAT IF IT'S NOT SOMETHING
AS VAST AND AS POTENTIALLY INTERESTING AS SPACE?
WHAT IF IT'S SOMETHING LIKE YOUR CAREER OR YOUR JOB?
HOW DO YOU BRING THAT SAME SENSE OF WONDER AND IS THAT IMPORTANT
TO BRING THAT SENSE OF WONDER INTO YOUR LIFE, INTO YOUR JOB?
ARE THERE ADVANTAGES TO THAT?
AND THAT'S PART OF WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DISCUSS TONIGHT.
NOT TO GET TOO HEAVY, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE FUN,
BUT WE'RE ALSO GOING TO HAVE A SERIOUS CONVERSATION.
SO, LET'S START BY ASKING WILL, IF YOU'LL GO FIRST,
WHAT'S YOUR DEFINITION OF CURIOSITY?
>> WELL, THESE DAYS I HAVE A DIFFERENT ONE.
MY WIFE WORKS FOR NASA AT THE JET PROPULSION LAB
AND SHE'S A MISSION LEAD FOR A ROBOTIC MISSION EXPLORING MARS
THAT IS CALLED CURIOSITY.
SO, CURIOSITY, IN ADDITION TO OTHER THINGS,
MEANS HALF OF THE INCOME IN OUR FAMILY, WHICH IS PRETTY NICE.
[ CHEERING ]
BUT, MORE GENERALLY, I WOULD SAY CURIOSITY MEANS JUST CONSTANTLY
ASKING QUESTIONS AND ACTUALLY CARING
ABOUT THE ANSWER TO THOSE QUESTIONS.
YOU KNOW, THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE WHO ASK A LOT OF QUESTIONS
BECAUSE IT'S A WAY TO FILL THE TIME
AND MAKE CONVERSATIONS LESS AWKWARD AND I GUESS THAT'S FINE,
BUT THERE ARE OTHER PEOPLE WHO ASK QUESTIONS AND THEN WILL GO
AND GO BACK TO THEIR COMPUTER
AND SPEND 20 HOURS RESEARCHING THE DAMN THING JUST
BECAUSE THEY GOT THE BUG IN THEIR BRAIN THAT HEY,
THERE'S SOMETHING INTERESTING OUT THERE
AND I WANT TO GO FIGURE IT OUT.
>> DEAN SOLT?
>> WELL, I THINK CURIOSITY IS WANTING KNOWLEDGE,
NEEDING EXPLANATION, SEEKING ANSWERS.
I THINK IT'S THE INBRED-- INBORN INTEGRAL PART OF HUMAN NATURE
THAT SORT OF BRINGS TOGETHER OUR PSYCHE
AND THE REAL WORLD AROUND US.
TO ME, IT'S THE LINK BETWEEN OUR MENTAL STATES
AND THE REAL WORLD.
SO, A LOT OF WAYS, SEEMS TO ME
THAT CURIOSITY IS AN ACTION WORD.
LITTLE QUOTE FROM WALT DISNEY.
HE SAID, "WE KEEP MOVING FORWARD, OPENING NEW DOORS
AND DOING NEW THINGS BECAUSE WE'RE CURIOUS
AND CURIOSITY KEEPS LEADING US DOWN THE ROAD."
SO, I THINK IT TRULY IS AN ACTION WORD.
>> THANK YOU.
ALRIGHT. I WOULD LIKE YOU
TO GIVE THEM BOTH A ROUND OF APPLAUSE AGAIN.
I'M SORRY, BUT WE'RE GOING TO JUST KEEP YOU MOVING.
I KNOW IT'S SIX O'CLOCK, SIX SOMETHING HERE IN THE EVENING.
HOPEFULLY YOU GOT A LITTLE BIT OF FOOD
IF YOU'RE IN THE LIVE AUDIENCE.
IF YOU'RE LISTENING TO US ON THE STREAM, YOU COULD BE WALKING
AROUND YOUR HOUSE DOING WHATEVER IS THE RIGHT THINK
FOR YOU TO DO RIGHT NOW.
MAYBE EVEN HAVING A DRINK.
BUT THAT'S FINE WITH US; WE DON'T MIND AS LONG
AS YOU'RE LISTENING AND PARTICIPATING.
WHAT DO YOU GENTLEMEN THINK--
OR HOW DO YOU THINK CURIOSITY IS IMPORTANT IN A CAREER?
HOW DO YOU THINK IT SHOWS UP IN SOMEONE'S CAREER?
DOESN'T HAVE TO BE ABOUT SPACE.
MAYBE SOME OF YOU ARE GOING TO PROCEED IN THAT VEIN
AND THAT INDUSTRY, BUT, OVERALL,
HOW DO YOU RESPOND TO THAT QUESTION?
>> I-- IT COULD NOT POSSIBLY BE MORE IMPORTANT.
IT IS SOMETHING THAT WE ARE ABSOLUTELY LOOKING
FOR FROM THE MOMENT YOU FIRST APPLY FOR A JOB
AT OUR COMPANY AND, BY THE WAY, WE'RE HIRING, SO I HOPE MANY
OF YOU WILL APPLY FOR A JOB AT OUR COMPANY.
BUT, EVEN ONCE YOU MAKE IT IN THROUGH THE DOORS, IT IS A THING
THAT WE REQUIRE OF YOU EVERY DAY AND NIGHTS AND WEEKENDS ALSO.
YOU KNOW, THE CURIOUS EMPLOYEES ARE THE ONES
WHO DON'T ONLY DO WHAT THEIR MANAGER DIRECTS THEM TO DO.
AND THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS
THAT NO MATTER HOW AMAZINGLY VIRTUOSIC YOUR CEO IS
AND NO MATTER HOW GOOD YOUR MIDDLE LINE MANAGERS ARE,
YOUR MANAGER WILL NEVER TELL YOU EVERYTHING THAT YOU NEED TO DO.
IF HE OR SHE DOES, THEN THERE'S PROBABLY--
YOU HAVEN'T FOUND THE RIGHT COMPANY JUST YET.
I WORK AT A COMPANY WHERE WE'RE ENCOURAGED--
OF COURSE WE HAVE TO DO OUR WORK, BUT WE'RE ENCOURAGED
TO ASK OTHER QUESTIONS TO FIND NEW WAYS OF DOING THINGS
TO MAYBE EVEN SUGGEST ENTIRELY NEW THINGS
THAT PERHAPS WE SHOULD BE DOING.
IF WE DIDN'T HAVE THAT, WE WOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN BORN
AS A COMPANY.
I MEAN FOR GOODNESS SAKES WE'RE A COMPANY THAT'S TRYING
TO BE THE WORLD'S FIRST COMMERCIAL SPACE LINE.
WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE IT SO THAT ANYONE ON THE PLANET CAN GO
TO SPACE SO THAT EVERYONE ON THE PLANET CAN BUILD A SATELLITE
OR SOME KIND OF RESEARCH EXPERIMENT, SEND THAT TO SPACE.
YOU DON'T EVEN START A BUSINESS THAT ON THE SURFACE
OF IT SOUNDS KIND OF CRAZY UNLESS YOU'RE CURIOUS
ABOUT WELL, WHAT THE HECK WOULD HAPPEN IF WE JUST--
IF WE JUST ANNOUNCE THIS THING,
WOULD ANYONE BE INTERESTED IN BUYING IT?
SO, YEAH. AND, AGAIN, THAT IS CERTAINLY NOT LIMITED
TO AEROSPACE.
ALL YOU SAY THIS IN THE CONTEXT OF HIRING BECAUSE I'M HERE
AT A UNIVERSITY AND I SUSPECT MAYBE SOME OF YOU ARE LOOKING
FOR INTERNSHIPS OR JOBS.
YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU-- WE COME IN,
WE'RE GOING TO ASK YOU QUESTIONS ABOUT--
NOT JUST ABOUT YOUR GRADES OR WHAT YOU'VE DONE
AT MAYBE PAST SUMMER INTERNSHIPS OR FOR A PROFESSOR
THAT YOU WORK FOR, I'M GOING
TO ASK WHAT YOU DO IN YOUR SPARE TIME.
I'M GOING TO ASK WHAT YOUR HOBBIES ARE
AND WHAT I WANT THE ANSWER TO BE IS WELL I WAS LOOKING
FOR THIS CLUB AND CAL STATE LONG BEACH DIDN'T HAVE THE CLUB
SO I STARTED THIS CLUB AND THEN WE BUILT THIS PROJECT--
AND IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE A ROCKET.
IF IT'S A ROCKET THAT'S GREAT
AND I KNOW THERE'S SOME COOL ROCKETRY PROJECTS HERE,
BUT IF IT'S A DRONE, IF IT'S A MODEL CAR,
IF IT'S AN ELECTRIC REFRIGERATOR,
IF IT'S AN APP, IF IT'S A PODCAST.
I WANT TO KNOW THAT YOU WERE CURIOUS ABOUT SOMETHING
AND YOU TOOK SOME INITIATIVE AND YOU TOOK SOME STEPS
AND YOU STUMBLED PERHAPS ALONG THE WAY BUT YOU WERE CURIOUS
ABOUT WHY YOU STUMBLED AND YOU WENT OFF AND FIXED IT.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
DEAN SOLT?
>> WELL, I DO THINK SOMEONE OR ANYONE WOULD HAVE A CAREER
WITHOUT BEING CURIOUS.
I DO THINK THE TYPE OF CAREER OR MAYBE THE ARC
OF THE CAREER REALLY DEPENDS UPON CURIOSITY.
SO, I THINK CURIOSITY CAN BE A GREAT BOOST TO A CAREER.
TO ME, BUSINESS SORT OF GOES BETWEEN TWO ANCHORS, YOU KNOW,
STANDARDIZATION AND UNIQUENESS.
RATIONAL PROCESSES AND EXTRA RATIONAL PROCESSES.
REALLY CONSISTENT BUSINESS PROCESSES
OR DISRUPTIVE PROCESSES.
AND I THINK-- WELL, THINK
ABOUT THE 200 YEARS AGO WE HAD THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
THAT BROUGHT US FACTORIES, ASSEMBLY LINES,
CHEAPER PRODUCTS, BUT IT TURNED PEOPLE INTO THINGS LIKE COGS
IN A MACHINERY
OF A MANUFACTURING PROCESS OR A BUREAUCRACY.
NOW, SOMEONE HAD TO HAVE THE IDEA FOR AND THE CURIOSITY
TO COME UP WITH A COTTON GIN, THE STEAM ENGINE,
OR THE RAILROAD TRAIN THAT--
THE LOCOMOTIVE, BUT BUSINESS TURNED THEM INTO CONSISTENT,
RATIONAL STANDARD PROCESSES.
SO, I THINK THERE IS THIS DIFFICULTY OF TRYING
TO BE UNIQUE, YET BUILD SOMETHING THAT IS MAYBE SCALABLE
AND TO ME THAT'S A BIG WORD TODAY, SCALABLE.
THAT IS, TURNS THINGS INTO STANDARDIZED
AND CONSISTENT PROCESSES.
SO, THERE IS THIS TENDENCY FOR BUSINESS TO DRIVE OUT CURIOSITY.
I DO THINK THAT IN TODAY'S WORLD, FOR ALL OF YOU OUT THERE
WHO WILL BE WORKING AT VIRGIN GALACTIC OR INTERNING
AT VIRGIN GALACTIC, I THINK IT'S NOT ENOUGH JUST TO THINK
THAT YOU CAN BE A COG IN A WHEEL.
YOU HAVE TO BE SOMETHING MORE.
I WAS AT A CONFERENCE A COUPLE YEARS AGO
AND I HEARD THOMAS FRIEDMAN SPEAK IN, YOU KNOW,
THE EARTH IS-- THE WORLD IS FLAT.
THOMAS FREIDMAN.
AND HE TALKED ABOUT HOW IN EARLIER TIMES, SORT OF LIKE
FOR MAYBE US BABY BOOMERS, IT WAS GOOD ENOUGH
TO MEET EXPECTATIONS, YOU KNOW, MEET THE JOB EXPECTATIONS
OR THE MANUFACTURING EXPECTATION
OR THE COMPANY EXPECTATION OVERALL.
IN OTHER WORDS, YOU COULD BE SUCCESSFUL AT SORT
OF BEING AVERAGE, BUT HE SAYS TODAY THAT'S NOT THE CASE
AND WHAT I HEARD WILL SAY IS THAT'S DEFINITELY NOT WHAT
VIRGIN GALACTIC WANTS.
THEY WANT PEOPLE WHO ARE CONSTANTLY QUESTIONING
AND THINKING ALL THE TIME.
AND THAT'S SORT OF WHAT THOMAS FRIEDMAN TOLD THE AUDIENCE.
HE SAID THAT EVERYONE NEEDS TO TRY TO BE ABOVE AVERAGE--
OR NOT AVERAGE IS MAYBE A DIFFERENT WAY OF SAYING IT.
AND I THINK THAT CURIOSITY CAN BE A PIECE OF THAT PUZZLE
THAT CAN HELP AND INDIVIDUAL BECOME MORE THAN AVERAGE.
>> YOU'RE LISTENING TO THE CRITICAL MASS RADIO SHOW.
THIS IS OUR COLLEGE SPEAKER SERIES.
WE'RE AT CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY IN LONG BEACH
AND WE'RE AT A LIVE AUDIENCE ON A SCHOOL NIGHT.
[ APPLAUSE ]
BUT, IT'S THURSDAY AND IF I'VE HEARD CORRECTLY,
THURSDAY NIGHT IS NOW THE START OF THE WEEKEND FOR THE COLLEGE.
IS THAT TRUE?
IS THAT-- AND WE CAN START PARTYING TONIGHT?
IS THE HOMECOMING RALLY--
PEP RALLY GOING ON LATER AFTER THIS EVENT?
SO, WE DON'T WANT TO KEEP YOU FROM THAT FUN.
ANYBODY IN THE AUDIENCE HAVE CHILDREN?
ANYBODY IN THE AUDIENCE BEEN A CHILD?
OK. GREAT.
I THINK BACK TO ONE OF THE MOST COMMON WORDS THAT CHILDREN USE
WHEN THEY'RE STARTING TO DISCOVER THE WORLD WHICH IS WHY.
WHY? RIGHT?
HOW MANY TIMES DO WE HAVE TO--
HOW CURIOUS ARE WE IN OUR EARLY FORMS
OF WHAT WE ARE AND WHAT WE BECOME?
WELL, I'M STRUCK THAT IN YOUR INDUSTRY YOU TALKED ABOUT IT
AND A LOT OF CURIOUS PEOPLE GO INTO THAT CRAVING SOMETHING--
LEARNING SOMETHING THAT ISN'T KNOWN YET.
DO YOU SEE ANY COMMON TRAITS THAT ARE INHERENT IN THE PEOPLE
THAT POPULATE YOUR INDUSTRY IN PARTICULAR?
>> SURE. DEFINITELY.
YOU KNOW, I FEEL INCREDIBLY FORTUNATE TO WORK IN AN INDUSTRY
THAT ALMOST EVERYONE IN THE WORLD LIKES.
YOU KNOW, I GO AROUND THE WORLD, I GIVE A LOT OF PRESENTATIONS.
I GET A CHANCE TO TALK TO PEOPLE OF ALL AGES
AND ALMOST NO ONE'S BORED BY SPACE EXPLORATION.
YOU KNOW, I WOULD HAVE A VERY DIFFERENT CAREER IF I WAS HAVING
TO GO GET PEOPLE EXCITED ABOUT MAYBE SOME OTHER PRODUCTS
THAT ARE ON THE MARKET, BUT WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT YEAH,
YOU COULD GO TO SPACE, IT'S PRETTY EASY
TO GET PEOPLE FIRED UP ABOUT IT.
AND OBVIOUSLY THAT EXTENDS TO THE EMPLOYEES.
EVERYONE IN OUR BUILDING WHETHER THEY'RE WORKING RECEPTION
OR THEY'RE THE ROCKET SCIENTIST TWEAKING THE ENGINES ARE PRETTY
PASSIONATE ABOUT THEIR JOBS.
AND THAT SHOWS.
WHEN YOU'RE PASSIONATE ABOUT YOUR JOB, YOU'RE NOT JUST THERE
TO STAMP A TIME CARD AND TO WATCH THE CLOCK SPIN
AROUND FOR EIGHT HOURS OR NINE HOURS.
THOSE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO ARE READING THE EXTRA BOOKS
IN THEIR SPARE TIME.
THEY'RE FOLLOWING ALONG WITH EVERY MISSION THAT'S GOING
ON AT ANY OTHER COMPANY BECAUSE WE--
I THINK WE'RE A PRETTY UNIQUE COMPANY IN WHAT WE'RE DOING,
BUT WE'RE CERTAINLY NOT THE ONLY COMPANY IN THE BUSINESS.
THERE'S NASA, SPACEX, THERE'S, YOU KNOW,
COUNTRY-- OTHER COUNTRIES.
THEY'RE THE ONES WHO ARE FULLY UP TO SPEED
ON ALL THOSE MISSIONS AND THEY'RE SORT OF LOOKING AT EACH
OF THEM AND SAYING OH, HOW DO WE TOP THAT.
HOW DO WE MAKE SOMETHING LIKE THAT, BUT MORE APPLICABLE
TO OUR CUSTOMERS OR EVEN BETTER OR HOW DO WE BRING THAT PROCESS
INTO THE BUILDING AND ALLOW IT TO MAKE THIS A MORE FUN PLACE
TO WORK, A SAFER PLACE TO WORK, A HEALTHIER PLACE TO WORK?
WHATEVER IT IS.
SO, IT'S THAT COMBINATION OF PASSION AND CURIOSITY
WHICH I THINK ARE PRETTY FUNDAMENTALLY LINKED.
IT'S HARD NOT TO BE CURIOUS
ABOUT SOMETHING YOU'RE PASSIONATE ABOUT.
YOU KNOW? IT DOESN'T MATTER TO ME WHETHER IT'S A CAREER
OR A BAND OR A SPORTS TEAM, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE A FANATIC
ABOUT A BAND, YOU'VE READ THE WIKIPEDIA PAGE,
YOU'VE WATCHED THE DOCUMENTARY, YOU OWN EVERY ALBUM,
YOU'VE DOWNLOADED THE BOOTLEGS, LIKE YOU ARE CURIOUS.
YOU WANT ALL OF THE DATA.
YOU'VE-- YOU'RE DOING PRETTY WELL IN LIFE
IF YOU CAN FIND A JOB THAT YOU FEEL LIKE THAT ABOUT WHERE,
AGAIN, YOU'RE NOT IN A RACE TO GET HOME.
IT'S KIND OF THE OPPOSITE.
WHEN YOU GET HOME, YOU WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT IT.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
WE HAVE ONE MORE QUESTION AND THEN WE'RE GOING
TO TAKE OUR FIRST COMMERCIAL BREAK HERE
ON CRITICAL MASS RADIO SHOW ON OUR COLLEGE SPEAKER SERIES
AND IT'S FOR YOU, DEAN.
ARE YOU OBSERVING ANY CHANGES IN HOW STUDENTS
AT THE SCHOOL SATISFY THEIR CURIOSITY?
>> WELL, I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN STUDENTS TODAY AND STUDENTS OF EARLIER TIMES.
I'M NOT SURE THAT CURIOSITY IS
THAT DIFFERENCE, TO TELL THE TRUTH.
AS I SEE STUDENTS TODAY THEY'RE EXTREMELY BUSY
IN VERY, VERY, VERY MANY WAYS.
THEY'RE PLUGGED IN TO A LOT OF THINGS,
SAY IT'S EDUCATION THINGS, WORK THINGS, SOCIAL THINGS,
AND IT SEEMS LIKE A LOT MORE PLUGGED IN TO THINGS
THAN I WAS AS AN UNDERGRADUATE.
BUT, I DON'T KNOW IF THEY'RE REALLY MORE CURIOUS.
I THINK THERE'S HIGHER EXPECTATIONS
IN SOME WAYS FOR STUDENTS TODAY.
I THINK THE BAR FOR GETTING INTO COLLEGE MIGHT BE HIGHER.
I'VE RUN INTO A LOT OF PARENTS AND FRIENDS WHO SAY, GEE,
I HAVE A GREAT CAREER LIFE AND FAMILY, BUT I DON'T KNOW
IF I COULD GET INTO XYZ UNIVERSITY TODAY.
BUT, ON THE OTHER HAND, I THINK THERE ARE SOME THINGS
THAT ARE THE SAME FOR ALL STUDENTS THROUGHOUT TIME.
I THINK STUDENTS TODAY TO BE SUCCESSFUL NEED
TO BE DEDICATED AND DILIGENT.
COMMITTED TO THEIR WORK.
WORK HARD, TAKE RESPONSIBILITY, AND BE ACCOUNTABLE.
I THINK THOSE THINGS HAVE NOT CHANGED THROUGHOUT TIME.
I DO THINK THAT SOME STUDENTS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN CURIOUS.
JUST LIKE TODAY, THERE ARE SOME STUDENTS WHO ARE CURIOUS--
IF I HAVE A COUPLE SECONDS-- SO THE CURIOSITY DOESN'T SEEM
TO BE A DIFFERENCE BECAUSE I THINK STUDENTS,
LIKE ALWAYS, ARE WAY TOO BUSY.
THEY'RE BUSY WORRYING ABOUT THEIR NEXT EXAM,
THEIR NEXT PROJECT, THEIR NEXT SET OF READINGS.
AND MAYBE THEY'RE BUILDING THAT BASE OF KNOWLEDGE FROM WHICH
TO BE CURIOUS AND THEY'RE ALSO MATURING AS PEOPLE,
SO IT'S NOT A KNOCK ON TODAY'S STUDENTS.
I CAN SAY ONE THING I WOULD
LIKE FOR TODAY'S STUDENTS IS MAYBE TRY AND WORK INTO DEPTH--
MORE DEPTH IN CERTAIN SUBJECTS AND GET IMMERSED IN THINGS
AND DIG DEEPER AND I THINK CURIOSITY WOULD COME
AS A WAY OF THAT.
SO, IF I COULD SEE STUDENTS BECOME DEEPER
IN SOME AREAS INSTEAD OF HAVING A WIKIPEDIA-LIKE KNOWLEDGE
OF EVERYTHING, THAT WOULD BE ONE THING I WOULD LIKE.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
ALRIGHT. WE'RE GOING TO TAKE OUR FIRST COMMERCIAL BREAK.
WHEN WE COME BACK, WE'RE GOING
TO START THE CONVERSATION WITH THIS THOUGHT.
HOW IS TECHNOLOGY, IN YOUR OBSERVATION--
WILL, IN YOUR INDUSTRY AND, DEAN SOLT,
IN YOUR PROFESSION-- AFFECTING CURIOSITY?
IS IT ENABLING OR IS IT HAVING AN ADVERSE EFFECT ON IT.
WE'RE GOING TO START WITH THAT AND THEN WE'RE GOING
TO OPEN THE FLOOR UP TO SOME OF YOU HERE IN THE AUDIENCE.
ANYBODY HAVE A QUESTION?
RAISE YOUR HAND IF YOU THINK YOU MIGHT HAVE A QUESTION.
SHOW ME YOUR HANDS.
COME ON! A COUPLE MORE.
OK. GOOD, WE'VE GOT A FEW BRAVE SOULS TO START.
ALWAYS TAKES A FEW BRAVE SOULS, DOESN'T IT?
ALRIGHT. WE'RE GOING TO TAKE OUR FIRST BREAK HERE ON COMMERCIAL--
ON CRITICAL MASS RADIO SHOW.
WELCOME BACK TO THIS EDITION OF CRITICAL MASS RADIO SHOW.
WE'RE LIVE FROM CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY LONG BEACH!
WE GOT A PACKED HOUSE TONIGHT AND IT'S A SCHOOL NIGHT.
AND THEY'RE OUT TO LEARN ABOUT CURIOSITY AND WE'RE--
AS I SAID, WE'RE GOING TO OPEN IT UP TO THE FLOOR
IN JUST ONE MINUTE, BUT BEFORE WE GET THERE,
BEFORE THE BREAK I MENTIONED THAT WE WERE GOING TO TALK
ABOUT CURIOSITY AND HOW TECHNOLOGY IS IMPACTING IT BOTH
POSITIVELY AND MAYBE IN A NOT SO POSITIVE WAY.
SO, WILL, ARE YOU COMFORTABLE STARTING--
>> SURE.
>> WHAT'S YOUR SENSE OF THAT?
>> YEAH. I THINK IT'S HELPED MASSIVELY.
I SUPPOSE THERE ARE SOME DOWNSIDES.
IT'S EASIER TO GET DISTRACTED AND SORT OF SAY OH, SHINY THING
AND NEVER POUR YOURSELF TOO DEEPLY INTO ONE SUBJECT,
BUT I WOULD SAY ON BALANCE TECHNOLOGY HAS MASSIVELY HELPED
US AS-- ALL OF US, I IMAGINE, IN EVERY CAREER AS WE--
AS YOU ENABLE PEOPLE'S CURIOSITY.
YOU KNOW, THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS,
IF ANY OF YOU HAVE A SMARTPHONE--
OF COURSE ALL OF YOU HAVE SMARTPHONES,
I'M ON A COLLEGE CAMPUS.
YOU ALL HAVE FIVE OR SIX SMARTPHONES, PRESUMABLY.
YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE ACCESS TO MORE INFORMATION
THAN PRESIDENT CLINTON HAD ACCESS
TO THROUGHOUT HIS ENTIRE PRESIDENCY.
RIGHT? AND IT COSTS YOU LIKE $50 A MONTH OR SOMETHING.
IT'S A PRETTY SPECTACULAR THING.
IT MEANS THAT WHATEVER YOU GET INTERESTED
IN YOU CAN REALLY DELVE INTO.
YOU CAN SUPPLEMENT YOUR COURSEWORK HERE
BY WATCHING KHAN ACADEMY VIDEOS OR EDX OR COURSERA.
YOU CAN CONNECT WITH AN EXPERT.
YOU CAN GO ONLINE AND SAY, YOU KNOW, I'VE GOTTEN REALLY CURIOUS
ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE WORLD OF VENTURE CAPITAL
IN CHINA AND SAY OH MY GOD, I KNOW SOMEBODY WHO STUDIES THAT
AND IT'S EASY FOR ME TO EMAIL HIM OR JUST CONTACT HIM
ON TWITTER OR SOMETHING.
WE CAN CONNECT ABOUT THAT.
AND IT'S EASY EVEN TO SORT OF FIND OTHER PEOPLE
WITH LIKE-MINDED INTERESTS WHICH ALWAYS ALLOWS YOU TO SORT
OF TAKE THE POWER OF ONE PERSON AND TURN IT
INTO A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT.
YOU KNOW, NOWADAYS WHENEVER I GIVE TALKS
ABOUT SPACE EXPLORATION, I ALWAYS LIKE TO END
WITH A LITTLE BIT OF A CALL TO ACTION AND I
LIKE TO REFERENCE THIS WEBSITE I DISCOVERED.
A FRIEND OF MINE LAUNCHED IT.
I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH IT,
I DON'T MAKE ANY MONEY OFF IT OR ANYTHING,
I JUST THINK IT'S REALLY COOL.
THERE'S THIS WEBSITE CALLED SPACEHACK.ORG
AND ALL IT IS IS A LIST OF-- IT'S A ROLLING LIST,
BUT IT'S TYPICALLY ABOUT 30 DIFFERENT PROJECTS WHERE ANYONE
IN THE WORLD CAN ACTIVELY CONTRIBUTE TO SPACE EXPLORATION
AND IT DOES NOT REQUIRE A PHD.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO HAVE 20/20 VISION.
YOU DON'T NEED TO HAVE 10,000 HOURS
IN THE COCKPIT OF A FIGHTER JET.
YOU NEED A COMPUTER AND AN INTERNET CONNECTION
OR MAYBE A SMARTPHONE AND INTERNET CONNECTION
AND YOU CAN BE APPLYING WHATEVER YOUR PARTICULAR SKILLS ARE
TO SPACE EXPLORATION.
YOU COULD BE HELPING, YOU KNOW, CLASSIFY OLD IMAGES
FROM TELESCOPES TO SAY HEY THIS THING LOOKS
LIKE IT MIGHT BE A GALAXY
AND MAYBE A PROFESSIONAL ASTRONOMER CAN LOOK AT IT.
YOU CAN HELP WRITE BUSINESS PLANS FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE TRYING
TO COME UP WITH NEW SPACE BUSINESSES.
YOU CAN WRITE SOFTWARE.
YOU CAN GO THROUGH OLD HISTORICAL ARCHIVES
OF NASA'S EARLIEST DAYS OF HUMAN SPACE FLIGHT
AND YOU CAN TRANSCRIBE THINGS
OR TRANSLATE THEM INTO OTHER LANGUAGES.
I MEAN THERE'S 100 DIFFERENT WAYS.
I IMAGINE IF YOU HAD BEEN INTERESTED
IN THOSE THINGS 50 YEARS AGO, YOU KNOW, YOU WOULD HAVE HAD
TO TAKE A PLANE DOWN TO TEXAS AND TRY AND GET ACCESS
TO THE LIBRARY AT THE JOHNSON SPACE CENTER
AND THAT WOULD HAVE TAKEN YOU A MONTH TO DO THAT AND THEN MAYBE
THAT WOULD HAVE GIVEN YOU ANOTHER THING
AND YOU COULD HAVE MAYBE CONNECTED THOSE DOTS,
BUT IN YOUR LIFETIME YOU COULD HAVE ASSEMBLED
LIKE THREE DOTS IN A ROW.
YOU CAN DO ALL THAT IN THE COURSE
OF LIKE A TWO-HOUR BINGE SESSION SITTING ON YOUR COUCH INSTEAD
OF WATCHING THE NEXT EPISODE OF HOUSE OF CARDS OR SOMETHING.
YOU CAN GET AN AMAZING AMOUNT DONE,
SO I THINK TECHNOLOGY HAS MADE ME MORE CURIOUS,
BUT IT HAS ALSO ENABLED ME TO SORT OF SATISFY SOME
OF THOSE CURIOSITY WHICH JUST ALWAYS LEADS
TO THE NEXT QUESTION.
>> IF I COULD HAVE A FOLLOW UP QUESTION WITH YOU, WILL,
BEFORE WE ASK YOU, DEAN, TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION.
ONE OF THE VIDEOS THAT I SAW, ONE OF THE TALKS THAT YOU GAVE,
YOU ENDED WITH SUGGESTING THAT TECHNOLOGY HAS LOWERED THE RISK
OF EXPLORATION OF SPACE.
THAT-- I THINK YOU SAID IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG,
YOU'RE NOT IN FRONT OF THE SENATE OR A SUB-COMMITTEE,
YOU'RE TALKING TO YOUR INVESTORS
ABOUT WHY THE KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN DIDN'T GO OFF.
>> YEAH.
>> BUT, FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE, HOW HAS TECHNOLOGY MADE
THAT EVEN-- MADE SPACE EXPLORATION EVEN MORE POSSIBLE?
>> YEAH. THERE ARE MANY FIELDS AND SPACE EXPLORATION IS ONE
OF THEM WHERE IT CAN BE HARD IN SOME WAYS
TO INDULGE CURIOSITY JUST BECAUSE THERE'S SO MUCH TIME
AND MONEY INVOLVED IN TRYING SOMETHING.
RIGHT? IT'S DIFFICULT TO DIP YOUR TOES INTO THE WORLD
OF SUPER CONDUCTING SUPER COLLIDERS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT
BECAUSE YOU NEED A COUPLE BILLION DOLLARS TO BUILD ONE.
AND SPACE CERTAINLY USED TO BE ONE OF THOSE FIELDS, RIGHT?
FOR EXAMPLE, JUST TO GROUND YOU ALL WITH SOME FINANCIAL NUMBERS.
EVERY SINGLE FLIGHT OF NASA SPACE SHUTTLE--
NOT THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE VEHICLE,
EVERY SINGLE FLIGHT COSTS ABOUT $1.3 BILLION.
DEPENDS A LITTLE BIT ON HOW YOU CALCULATE THE NUMBERS,
BUT IT'S IN THAT BILLION PLUS RANGE.
SO, IT'S HARD TO SAY, HMM, I'M CURIOUS ABOUT SPACE.
LET'S-- CAN WE JUST-- LET'S DO A SPACE SHUTTLE MISSION.
THAT'S STARTING TO CHANGE NOW.
YOU'RE GETTING TO THE POINT
WHERE YOU CAN DO REAL EXPERIMENTS
AND YOU CAN SPEND, YOU KNOW, $10,000.
AND MAYBE THAT'S NOT SOMETHING YOU'D DO IN A MOMENT
OF IDLE CURIOSITY AS AN INDIVIDUAL,
BUT MAYBE THAT IS SOMETHING YOU DO IN A MOMENT OF IDLE CURIOSITY
AS A MEMBER OF THE FACULTY HERE AT A UNIVERSITY.
YOU KNOW? YOU CAN WRITE A GRANT AND GET $10,000
AND BUILD A CUBESAT AND FLY IT INTO SPACE AND LEARN SOMETHING
THAT NO ONE'S EVER KNOWN BEFORE.
IT ALSO MEANS THAT YOU CAN-- WHEN IT GETS THAT MUCH EASIER,
YOU KIND OF ASK DUMBER QUESTIONS BECAUSE THE CONSEQUENCES
OF FAILURE ARE DIFFERENT
AND OF COURSE IT'S REALLY HARD MANY TIMES TO TELL IN ADVANCE
WHICH QUESTIONS ARE DUMB AND WHICH QUESTIONS ARE SMART.
THERE ARE LOTS OF QUESTIONS THAT SEEMED DUMB AT THE TIME
AND THEN, YOU KNOW, TOTALLY REVOLUTIONIZE OUR WORLD.
LIKE, YOU KNOW, WHY DOES IT LOOK
LIKE THIS MOLD KILLED ALL THESE BACTERIA?
OH, THAT'S PENICILLIN.
THAT'S GOING TO SAVE A BILLION PEOPLE.
IT PROBABLY SEEMED LIKE A DUMB QUESTION AT FIRST,
WHY IS THIS GUY ASKING ABOUT MOLDS ALL THE TIME.
WHEN IT DOESN'T COST YOU A BILLION DOLLARS
AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO PLEAD FOR THE UNITED STATES PRESIDENT
AND THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS TO AGREE ON SOMETHING FOR ONCE,
BUT YOU CAN JUST GO AND DO A KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN
OR YOU CAN GET ONE MEMBER OF FACULTY TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT
OF SPARE MONEY OR YOU CAN GO AND ASK YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY
TO LET YOU BORROW THEIR COMPUTERS
TO ASSEMBLE THEM TOGETHER OR FIND A MAKERSPACE
OR WHATEVER ELSE IT IS, IT JUST ALLOWS PEOPLE
TO TRY THOSE CRAZY IDEAS THAT TURN OUT TO BE BRILLIANT.
>> THANK YOU.
DEAN, WOULD YOU LIKE TO TALK ABOUT THE IMPACT
OF TECHNOLOGY ON CURIOSITY?
>> WELL, WE'RE-- I'D BE HAPPY TO.
IT'S-- WE'RE IN A REAL EXCITING TIME
IN THE UNIVERSITIES RIGHT NOW.
I THINK WE TEND TO HAVE THE EDUCATIONAL MODEL
THAT PROBABLY HASN'T CHANGED MUCH FOR 800 YEARS.
SOMEONE STANDS UP ON THE STAGE AND PROFESSES THINGS TO STUDENTS
AND STUDENTS DULY LISTEN AS LONG AS THEY CAN STAY AWAKE
AND THEN GO HOME AND SUPPOSEDLY REFLECT
ON IT AND THEN COME BACK.
THAT MODEL IS-- IT'S DONE A LOT FOR OUR--
IT DID PUT A MAN ON THE MOON AND THINGS LIKE THAT,
BUT I THINK RIGHT NOW WE'RE AT A MUCH MORE EXCITING TIME AND IT'S
BECAUSE OF TECHNOLOGY.
WE'RE ACTUALLY FLIPPING THINGS AROUND AND OUR PROVOST LOVES
TO CALL IT THE FLIPPED CLASSROOM.
INSTEAD OF THE CLASSROOM BEING THE TIME FOR LECTURE
AND THE NON-CLASSROOM TIME BEING THE TIME FOR DOING HOMEWORK,
THAT'S BEING FLIPPED THROUGH VIDEOS, OTHER ONLINE RESOURCES.
STUDENTS BEFORE THEY COME TO CLASS CAN DO A LOT
OF PREPARATION AND THEN THAT VALUABLE TIME
IN THE CLASSROOM IS ONE
WHERE QUESTIONS CAN BE ASKED WHETHER THEY'RE GOOD QUESTIONS,
NOT GOOD QUESTIONS, SMART QUESTIONS, DUMB QUESTIONS.
IT ALLOWS A WHOLE LOT MORE INTERACTION.
NOW, TO ME, LIKE I SAID, CURIOSITY'S AN ACTION WORD,
SO BY PROVIDING THIS DIFFERENT TYPE OF EDUCATIONAL MODEL,
YOU CAN ACTUALLY OPEN UP THE MINDS OF STUDENTS TO LEARN MORE
ABOUT THE SUBJECT AND REALLY GET A DEEPER
AND BETTER KNOWLEDGE THAT WAY.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
OK TIME FOR APPLAUSE FOR BOTH OF THE PANELISTS.
YOU'RE LISTENING TO CRITICAL MASS RADIO SHOW.
THIS IS OUR COLLEGE SPEAKER SERIES.
WE'RE AT CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY LONG BEACH
AND WE'VE ASKED FOR MEMBERS OF THE AUDIENCE
WHO MIGHT HAVE A QUESTION FOR ONE OF THE PANELISTS TO LINE UP
AND A FEW OF THEM HAVE, SO WOULD YOU COME TO THE MIC,
TELL US YOUR NAME AND ASK YOUR QUESTION.
GIVE HIM A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR BEING BRAVE.
[ APPLAUSE ]
>> HELLO. MY NAME IS MIGUEL QUINTERO.
I'M A BUSINESS STUDENT HERE.
MY QUESTION IS IN THIS WORLD
WHERE WE HAVE MANY THINGS STANDARDIZED, SUCH AS TESTING,
HOW DO YOU THINK-- BASED ON YOUR PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
OR YOUR LIFE, HOW DO YOU THINK WE CAN CREATE THAT ENVIRONMENT
WHERE WE CAN FERMENT OR WE CAN NOURISH THE CURIOSITY
IN STUDENTS?
>> YEAH, THAT'S VERY DIFFICULT PROBLEM BECAUSE AS YOU KNOW WE--
IN YOUR CLASS, YOU'RE WITH 20, 30, 40 OR EVEN MORE STUDENTS
AT ONE TIME, SO HOW DO WE PROVIDE A CONSISTENT LEVEL
OF EDUCATION FOR EVERYONE?
I THINK TECHNOLOGY IS ACTUALLY PROVIDING SOME NEW SOLUTIONS
THERE, TOO.
I THINK THERE ARE DIFFERENT SORT OF TESTING OPTIONS
THAT CAN GENERATE DIFFERENT QUESTIONS FOR EACH STUDENT
AND THAT STUDENT CAN THEN TAKE THOSE EXAMS
OR QUIZZES BY THEMSELVES.
SO, I THINK BY USING MORE TECHNOLOGY WE'LL BE ABLE
TO ALLOW INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES TO COME THROUGH MORE.
>> I'M HAVE-- ADD A LITTLE BIT.
I WAS REALLY FASCINATED BY WHAT DEAN SOLT WAS TALKING
ABOUT IN TERMS OF THE FLIPPED CLASSROOM
WHICH I THINK IS THIS TOTALLY INTRIGUING TREND.
NOT ENOUGH TIME PERHAPS HAS PASSED FOR US
TO MEASURE THE RESULTS, BUT I THINK THEY'RE GOING
TO BE PHENOMENAL AND I THINK THEY'RE REALLY GOING TO HELP
WITH EXACTLY THIS PROBLEM.
YOU KNOW, IN ANY INDUSTRY, YOU NEED SOME STANDARDS.
EVERYONE NEEDS A COMMON VOCABULARY TO KNOW HOW
TO TALK ABOUT THE PROBLEMS.
SO, IF YOU'RE ALL WATCHING THE SAME VIDEO OR YOU'RE OPERATING
FROM THE SAME BOOK, THAT ALLOWS YOU TO QUICKLY PICK
UP THE THINGS THAT ARE REQUIRED THAT ARE STANDARD
AND THEN YOU CAN SPEND YOUR TIME WITH THE FACULTY MEMBER
OR THE GRADUATE STUDENT OR YOUR FELLOW UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT
AND EXPLORE AND ASK THOSE QUESTIONS AND START TO GET
INTO THE WEIRD AND FUNKY AND SILLY THINGS
WHERE THE NON-STANDARD BUT IMPORTANT STUFF HAPPENS.
SO, I'M-- I DON'T KNOW HOW IT'S GOING TO TURN OUT,
BUT I'M EXCITED ABOUT IT.
>> I THINK WE'RE ON A GOOD TREND.
I THINK IT'S HERE TO STAY.
>> I AGREE.
>> THANK YOU.
>> NO, THANK YOU.
WOULD ANOTHER QUESTION FROM THE AUDIENCE PLEASE COME ON DOWN?
TELL US YOUR NAME AND ASK THE QUESTION.
GIVE HIM A ROUND OF APPLAUSE.
YES! YES! YES!
[ APPLAUSE ]
>> THANK YOU.
MY NAME IS RILEY DUNN.
I'M AN AEROSPACE ENGINEERING STUDENT HERE.
I JUST HAD A QUESTION.
WE'VE BEEN TALKING A LOT ABOUT TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION
AND CURIOSITY TONIGHT, SO I KNOW VIRGIN GALACTIC FOCUSES ITS
AMBITIONS RIGHT NOW ON GETTING PEOPLE INTO LOW EARTH ORBIT
FOR SPACE TOURISM, COMMERCIAL SPACE FLIGHT.
I'M WONDERING WITH NEW TECHNOLOGIES THAT HAVE OPENED
UP IF VIRGIN GALACTIC HAS SET ITS SIGHTS
ON ANYTHING BEYOND JUST LOW ORBIT COMMERCIAL SPACEFLIGHT.
ANY THINGS PERTAINING TO SPACE EXPLORATION
OR SCIENTIFIC VENTURES?
>> SOLID QUESTION.
WE'RE DEFINITELY THINKING ABOUT IT.
YOU KNOW, WE'RE PRETTY BUSY ON OUR FIRST TWO PROJECTS
ON OUR HUMAN SPACEFLIGHT PROGRAM WITH SPACESHIPTWO
AND OUR SMALL SATELLITE LAUNCH PROGRAM WITH LAUNCHERONE.
EACH OF THOSE IS PRETTY HARD IN AND OF ITSELF
AND I THINK ALSO EACH OF THOSE THINGS IS PRETTY SIGNIFICANT,
BOTH IN TERMS OF GENERATING SOME FINANCIAL RETURNS,
BUT ALSO IN TERMS OF LIKE MAKING THIS WORLD A BETTER PLACE
AND A MORE INTERESTING PLACE.
BUT NEITHER OF THEM IS THE END GAME FOR US.
WE CERTAINLY WANT TO DO MORE.
WE WORK FOR A GUY, SIR RICHARD BRANSON, OUR FOUNDER, IS,
YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE MOST CURIOUS PEOPLE I'VE EVER MET.
HE'S ALWAYS ASKING HOW CAN WE DO THIS BETTER
AND WHAT COULD WE DO NEW AND WHY HAVEN'T WE DONE IT YET.
WHY CAN'T WE DO IT TOMORROW?
SO, HE IS ALWAYS SORT OF CHALLENGING US TO THINK
ABOUT WHAT COMES NEXT.
IT'S ONE REASON I LIKE THE FACT
THAT WE GIVE OUR VEHICLES THESE KIND OF UNCREATIVE NAMES
LIKE SPACESHIPONE, SPACESHIPTWO, LAUNCHERONE.
IT IMPLIES THAT SOMEDAY THERE WILL BE A SPACESHIPTHREE
AND A SPACESHIPFOUR AND I DON'T WANT TO OVERSELL IT,
WE'RE NOT LIKE SECRETLY DESIGNING
IN A HANGER SOMEWHERE SPACESHIPTHREE,
BUT WE'VE THOUGHT A LITTLE BIT
ABOUT WHAT SHOULD SPACESHIPTHREE DO WHAT SHOULD LAUNCHERTWO DO.
WHAT SHOULD SPACESHIPTEN DO, YOU KNOW,
TWO DECADES FROM NOW OR WHATEVER IT IS.
IT'S IMPORTANT TO BE THINKING A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THOSE NOW,
NOT TO THE EXTENT THAT IT'S A DISTRACTION,
BUT ENOUGH THAT IT ALLOWS YOU TO MAKE BETTER DECISIONS TODAY.
YOU KNOW, AS YOU LOOK AT ALL OF YOUR DECISIONS,
WHETHER IT'S A MAKE BUY DECISION
ABOUT WHETHER WE DO THIS IN-HOUSE OR WE CONTRACT IT OUT
OR MAYBE IT'S A DECISION-- YOU'RE AN AEROSPACE ENGINEER,
IT'S A DECISION ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT PROPELLANT SHOULD WE USE
FOR OUR LIQUID ROCKET ENGINES.
YOU MAKE DIFFERENT DECISIONS SOMETIMES
IF THE PROJECT YOU'RE WORKING
ON IS THE ONLY PROJECT YOU WILL EVER WORK ON VERSUS
IF YOU'RE TRYING TO BUILD UP AN EXPERIENCE BASE
AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY BASE THAT WILL ALLOW YOU
TO TAKE A STEPPING STONE APPROACH AND GO
FROM THERE TO SOMEWHERE ELSE.
SO, I THINK IF YOU ASK RICHARD, HE WOULD LOVE US
TO BE NOT JUST DOING THE ALREADY PRETTY AWESOME THINGS WE ARE
DOING, BUT HAVING HOTELS ON THE MOON AND, YOU KNOW,
SENDING PEOPLE ALL OVER.
THERE'S A REASON WE'RE NOT CALLED VIRGIN NEAR-EARTH SPACE,
WE'RE VIRGIN GALACTIC.
HE WANTS US TO BE DOING ALL THAT STUFF NOW
AND IT IS ALWAYS FINDING THIS BALANCE
ABOUT FULFILLING YOUR CURIOSITY ABOUT THOSE OTHER THINGS
WITHOUT DISTRACTING YOURSELF TOO MUCH FROM THE JOB AT HAND.
>> THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU.
>> THANK HIM.
THANK YOU.
WE'RE ON A ROLL.
COME ON DOWN.
TELL US YOUR NAME PLEASE.
>> HI. MY NAME'S ANGELO CABANBAN [ASSUMED SPELLING].
I AM AN ACCOUNTING MAJOR OVER HERE, OBVIOUSLY.
MY QUESTION IS-- MAY SOUND REALLY SILLY AND STUPID,
BUT WITH THE ADVANCE OF TECHNOLOGY, YOU KNOW, YEARS AGO,
YOU WOULDN'T EVEN THINK THIS WAS POSSIBLE.
NOW, IN FICTION, YOU KNOW, WE ALWAYS HAVE, YOU KNOW,
WHAT OUR IDEAL OF WHAT SPACE OR WHATEVER IT IS IS GOING TO BE.
NOW, DO YOU THINK THAT IT WOULD BE CLOSER
TO STAR WARS OR STAR TREK?
YOU KNOW LIKE-- NO, BECAUSE I MEAN LIKE THERE'S THINGS
THAT COULD BE PLAUSIBLE LIKE THE O'NEILL CYLINDER
AS LIKE A SPACE COLONY OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
>> I GUESS I WOULD SAY AT LEAST I HOPE IT'S STAR TREK.
I FEEL LIKE THAT'S A-- THAT ENDS BETTER FOR MOST PEOPLE.
>> NOW, WHY NOT STAR WARS?
>> I'M NOT COMMENTING ON WHICH ONE I ENJOY MORE, BUT IF I WAS
TO BE CHARTING OUT THE FUTURE OF HUMANITY AND I HAD TO PICK ONE
OF THOSE, I'D SAY LESS EMPEROR PALPATINE.
>> OK. SO, YOU'RE MORE FOR THE REBEL ALLIANCE.
JUST MAKING SURE.
YOUR--
>> YES. THAT'S A FAIR ASSESSMENT AS WELL.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
>> YEAH, NO PROBLEM.
>> THANK YOU ANGELO.
[ APPLAUSE ]
>> HI. MY NAME IS JOSEPH WALSH.
I'M AN ACCOUNTING
AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS DOUBLE MAJOR HERE.
WILL, YOU STRESS FACILITATING SPACE EXPLORATION.
WHAT DO YOU SEE AS SOME OF THE BIGGEST OBSTACLES
IN THE INDUSTRY AND WHERE CAN MOTIVATED STUDENTS TRANSITIONING
TO THE WORKFORCE FOCUS THEIR CURIOSITY
TO HELP OVERCOME THESE OBSTACLES.
>> GOOD QUESTIONS.
IN TERMS OF WHERE CAN STUDENTS FOCUS THEIR CURIOSITY,
THERE ARE TONS OF WAYS.
ONE IS THAT WEBSITE I LISTED EARLIER, SPACEHACK.ORG.
ANOTHER ONE IS A-- THERE'S A STUDENT ORGANIZATION
THAT I AM CHAIR OF THE BOARD OF ADVISORS FOR CALLED THE STUDENTS
FOR THE EXPLORATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF SPACE.
THEY HAVE CHAPTERS AT ABOUT 50 UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES
ACROSS THE UNITED STATES AS WELL AS MANY MORE IN OTHER NATIONS.
TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE,
THERE'S NOT CURRENTLY A CHAPTER HERE.
I WOULD LOVE FOR THERE TO BE ONE.
I WILL HAPPILY PAY YOUR ANNUAL DUES FOR YOUR FIRST YEAR,
GRANTED THAT'S 25 BUCKS, SO I'M NOT BEING THAT GENEROUS.
BUT, THAT'S A GREAT WAY BECAUSE NOT ONLY WILL
THAT HELP YOU RECRUIT OTHER LIKE-MINDED STUDENTS, YOU KNOW,
WHO ARE IN THIS ROOM OR WHO ELSE ARE ON CAMPUS GETTING READY
FOR HOMECOMING WEEKEND AND FIND PEOPLE
WHERE YOU CAN MATCH YOUR ACCOUNTING
AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS BACKGROUND
WITH THE PREVIOUS QUESTION ASKED
WHO WAS AEROSPACE ENGINEERING BACKGROUND WITH, YOU KNOW,
ALL OF THE OTHER PEOPLE IN THE ROOM AND ASSEMBLE A TEAM,
BUT YOU CAN ALSO SORT OF DO SIMILAR THINGS FROM UNIVERSITY
TO UNIVERSITY AND YOU COULD SAY OK HERE
AT CAL STATE LONG BEACH WE'RE REALLY GOOD AT THESE THINGS,
BUT MAYBE WE DON'T HAVE DEPARTMENTS
IN THESE OTHER AREAS, SO LET'S GO FIND ANOTHER SCHOOL
THAT DOES THIS.
I WOULD HIGHLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO START ONE OF THOSE.
I THINK THE RESUMES OF PEOPLE WHO ARE ACTIVE IN THOSE--
OR THE-- SORRY, THE CAREER TRACK RECORDS OF THOSE WHO ARE ACTIVE
IN THOSE CLUBS ARE PRETTY GOOD.
THE CAREER TRACK RECORDS OF PEOPLE WHO ACTIVE
IN THOSE CLUBS ARE PRETTY GOOD.
THE CAREER TRACK RECORDS OF PEOPLE
WHO START THOSE CHAPTERS ARE EXTRAORDINARILY GOOD,
SO IT REFLECTS WELL ON THE INDIVIDUAL
OR INDIVIDUALS WHO DO THAT.
CAN YOU REMIND ME OF THE FIRST PART OF YOUR QUESTION?
>> OH, IT WAS JUST WHAT DO YOU SEE AS SOME
OF THE BIGGEST OBSTACLES IN THE INDUSTRY?
>> YEAH. YOU KNOW, MANY THINGS--
WELL, THERE'S MANY DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE SPACE INDUSTRY,
YOU KNOW, WHICH IS ONE OF THE EXCITING THINGS.
WE LIKE ACTUALLY HAVE A DIVISION OF LABOR.
THERE'S A BASIC ECONOMIC PRINCIPLE THAT'S EXISTED FOR,
I DON'T KNOW, A COUPLE THOUSAND YEARS HAS FINALLY COME
TO THE MOST ADVANCED HIGH TECH INDUSTRY
IN THE WORLD OR NEAR THE WORLD.
IT USED TO BE THERE WAS ONE GAME IN TOWN.
IT WAS THE GOVERNMENT AND YOUR CHOICE ABOUT WORKING
IN SPACE WAS DO I WANT TO WORK FOR NASA
OR DO I WANT TO WORK FOR THE DOD.
NOW THERE ARE DIFFERENT OPTIONS
AND THEY EACH HAVE THEIR OWN CHALLENGES.
FOR NASA, I THINK ITS BIGGEST CHALLENGE IS
THAT THEY HAVE, YOU KNOW, 539 BOSSES.
THEY WORK FOR THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS AND FOR THE PRESIDENT
AND PARTICULARLY LATELY THOSE GROUPS DON'T SEEM
TO AGREE VERY MUCH.
AND EVEN WHEN THEY DO AGREE TODAY,
THERE'S NO GUARANTEE THEY'RE GOING TO AGREE
WITH EACH OTHER TWO YEARS FROM NOW OR FOUR YEARS FROM NOW
OR CERTAINLY NOT EIGHT YEARS FROM NOW.
AND IN SPACE, WHEN A LOT OF THE MISSIONS TAKE EIGHT YEARS
TO PUT TOGETHER, THAT'S A HUGE CHALLENGE.
SO, I AM A HUGE FAN OF NASA.
I FUNDAMENTALLY THINK THEY CAN TACKLE ANY CHALLENGE WE THROW
AT THEM AS LONG AS YOU DON'T JUST KEEP THROWING NEW
CHALLENGES AT THEM AND TELL THEM TO STOP WORKING
ON THE ONE THEY WERE WORKING
ON BEFORE THEY HAVE HAD TIME TO FIX IT.
THAT'S THEIR BIGGEST CHALLENGE.
FROM OUR SIDE, TO TAKE VIRGIN GALACTIC AS A SPECIFIC EXAMPLE,
YOU KNOW, WE HAVE THE GREAT FORTUNE--
I'LL BORROW A QUOTE FROM SIR ISAAC NEWTON.
YOU KNOW, HE TALKED ABOUT IF I HAVE SEEN FURTHER IT'S
BECAUSE I'M STANDING ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS.
WE ARE ABSOLUTELY STANDING ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS
AND THOSE GIANTS ARE NASA, THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE, BOEING,
YOU KNOW, THE EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY, ALL THESE OTHER THINGS.
IF YOU LOOK AT WHAT WE'RE DOING AND YOU BREAK IT
DOWN INTO COMPONENTS, EVERYONE HAS DONE--
AT LEAST ONE ORGANIZATION HAS DONE EVERY SINGLE ONE
OF THOSE COMPONENTS BEFORE.
WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS PUT THEM ALL TOGETHER IN A PACKAGE
THAT ALL WORKS WELL TOGETHER AND IN AEROSPACE,
LIKE A LOT OF ENGINEERING FIELDS, EVERYTHING IS CONNECTED.
IF YOU DECIDE YOU WANT TO MAKE THE ROCKET ENGINE 10% MORE
POWERFUL, YOU'RE NOT JUST CHANGING THE ROCKET ENGINE.
YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE THE TANKS A LITTLE BIGGER.
OK NOW THE TANKS ARE BIGGER WHICH MEANS THE FINS NEEDS
TO BE BIGGER WHICH MEANS THE STRUCTURE--
BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH.
EVERYTHING CHANGES.
SO, IT'S FINDING A WAY OF BALANCING ALL
OF THAT WHILE KEEPING IT AFFORDABLE.
THAT'S THE OTHER-- THAT'S THE BIG CHALLENGE WE HAVE
THAT THE GOVERNMENT OFTEN DOESN'T HAVE.
YOU KNOW, NASA GETS ABOUT $18 BILLION A YEAR,
EVERY SINGLE YEAR.
THEY ALWAYS WILL.
IT WILL GO UP 1% OR DOWN 1%, BUT IT'S NEVER GOING
TO CHANGE TOO MUCH WHICH MEANS THEY CAN THINK
ABOUT THESE REALLY AMBITIOUS PROGRAMS AND THEY DON'T HAVE
TO OPTIMIZE FOR EVERY $1000 DECISION.
IT KIND OF ISN'T WORTH THEIR TIME.
WELL, FOR US, THAT'S ABSOLUTELY WORTH OUR TIME
BECAUSE $1000 MAKES AN ENORMOUS DIFFERENCE BOTH TO US
AND TO OUR END CUSTOMERS.
SO, FINDING A WAY TO SOLVE THAT KIND
OF SYSTEMS ENGINEERING PROBLEM WHILE NOT LETTING THE PRICE TAG
RUN UP IS I WOULD SAY THE NUMBER ONE CHALLENGE FOR US.
>> THANK YOU.
>> GREAT CONVERSATION.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR QUESTION.
LET'S GIVE EVERYBODY A ROUND OF APPLAUSE.
WE HAVE A FEW MINUTES AND I LOVE THE FACT
THAT WE HAVE THIS MUCH INTEREST.
PLEASE COME UP.
LET US KNOW YOUR NAME AND ASK YOUR QUESTION.
>> MY NAME IS WILL HOVICK [ASSUMED SPELLING].
I'M A MECHANICAL ENGINEERING STUDENT HERE
AT CAL STATE LONG BEACH AND MY QUESTION IS TO BOTH
OF YOU, WILL AND DEAN SOLT.
WHAT TYPE OF SPECIAL PROJECTS HAVE YOU BEEN CRITICALLY
INVOLVED WITH THAT HAVE MADE EITHER AN IMPACT
ON THE COMPANY YOU WORK FOR OR YOUR PERSONAL LIFE?
>> WELL, WE-- HE'LL HAVE A MUCH MORE INTERESTING ANSWER.
THE INTERESTING THINGS THAT I HAVE DONE HAVE JUST BEEN WORKING
WITH COLLEAGUES ON DIFFERENT RESEARCH PROJECTS
AND I GUESS THE SIGNAL THERE IS THE QUALITY OF THE JOURNALS.
I'VE BEEN LUCKY ENOUGH TO HIT SOME--
COUPLE PRETTY GOOD JOURNALS IN MY CAREER,
SO IT'S BEEN A GREAT PERSONAL SUCCESS FOR MYSELF
OR PERSONAL SATISFACTION FOR MYSELF.
ALSO, I LEAD A GREAT COLLEGE HERE ON CAMPUS.
WE'VE BEEN REACCREDITED A COUPLE TIMES SINCE I'VE BEEN HERE
AND OUR FACULTY CONTINUED
TO WORK HARD DEVELOPING NEW PROGRAMS.
WE HAVE A NEW MASTER OF SCIENCE OF ACCOUNTANCY,
NEW MASTER SCIENCE OF SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT,
SO I GUESS TO ME THAT'S THE BIGGEST IMPACT.
IF CURIOSITY HAS TO DO WITH BEING DYNAMIC AND CHANGE,
THEN I THINK THE IMPACT I'VE HAD
ON THE COLLEGE PROBABLY IS SOMETHING I'M VERY PROUD OF.
>> I TRIED TO BUILD MY CAREER AROUND DOING SPECIAL PROJECTS,
IF FOR NO OTHER REASON THAN I'VE REALIZED WHEN I'M WORKING
ON A REGULAR PROJECT I DO A BAD JOB.
YOU KNOW, IT'S ONE OF THE MAIN REASONS I MENTIONED EARLIER
AT THE TOP OF THE PROGRAM, YOU KNOW,
MY ACADEMIC BACKGROUND ORIGINALLY WAS
IN PLANETARY SCIENCE, WHICH IS A COOL FIELD.
I WASN'T A VERY GOOD PLANETARY SCIENTIST
BECAUSE IT WASN'T KEEPING ME ENGAGED AND MY MIND WOULD WONDER
AND I WOULD FIND MYSELF, YOU KNOW, SURFING THE WEB
OR DOING WHATEVER ELSE AT WORK RATHER
THAN FULLY APPLYING MYSELF.
I DISCOVERED THROUGH VARIOUS TWISTS AND TURNS IN BOTH
IN ACADEMIC AND A PROFESSIONAL AND A PERSONAL CAREER
THAT WHERE I DO BEST IS ATTACKING A TOTALLY NEW PROBLEM
WHERE NOBODY KNOWS HOW TO DO ANYTHING AND WHERE MY JOB IS NOT
TO GET A 100% PERFECT SCORE, MY JOB IS TO GO FROM LIKE ZERO
TO 80 VERY QUICKLY AND THEN TO FIND THAT OTHER PERSON
WHO CAN TAKE IT FROM 80 TO 100.
THAT'S WHY I WOULD MAKE A REALLY POOR ENGINEER, FRANKLY.
BECAUSE OFTEN I THINK THE ENGINEERING JOB IS OK IS NOT
ACCEPTABLE, YOU HAVE TO GO AND MAKE THIS PERFECT
AND THAT TAKES AN INCREDIBLE TYPE OF BRAIN
OF WHICH I GREATLY ADMIRE THE PEOPLE WHO CAN DO THAT.
SO, YEAH. KIND OF EVERY STEP ALONG THE ROAD I AM TRYING
TO FIND THE WAY.
WHERE CAN I TAKE THIS WEIRD THING
THAT NO ONE KNOWS WHAT THEY'RE DOING WITH AND KIND OF FAKE IT
UNTIL I MAKE IT AND THEN HAND IT OFF TO SOMEONE ELSE.
AT VIRGIN GALACTIC, I'VE GOTTEN TO BE PART
OF THAT A COUPLE TIMES.
I WAS, YOU KNOW, PART OF A RELATIVELY SMALL TEAM
THAT HAS STARTED UP ALL THE PRODUCTS
THAT WE DO OTHER THAN SPACE TOURISM.
SPACE TOURISM EXISTED WELL BEFORE I JOINED THE COMPANY,
BUT NOW IN ADDITION TO SPACE TOURISM WE FLY RESEARCH PAYLOADS
SUB-ORBIT TO SPACE.
WE'VE STARTED AN ENTIRE NEW PROGRAM CALLED LAUNCHERONE
WHICH IS A SMALL SATELLITE LAUNCH VEHICLE BASED RIGHT HERE
IN LONG BEACH WHERE WE'RE EMPLOYING 150 PEOPLE OR SO
AND THAT WAS ONE OF THOSE IDEAS THAT WAS A SKETCH ON A NAPKIN
AND I GOT TO TAKE IT FROM SKETCH ON A NAPKIN
TO SOMETHING A LITTLE BIT MORE SUBSTANTIVE BEFORE HANDING IT
OFF TO FOLKS SUCH AS YOURSELF.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH, WILL.
AND WILL.
>> THANK YOU GUYS.
>> ALRIGHT.
COME ON DOWN.
[ APPLAUSE ]
>> HOW WE DOING?
>> GREAT.
>> MY NAME IS JIMMY BORLIN [ASSUMED SPELLING],
CLASS OF '14 ALUMNI HERE.
BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION AND MARKETING.
AND THIS QUESTION IS TO BOTH DEAN SOLT AND WILL.
QUESTION IS, PLANETARY RESOURCES RECENTLY CAME
OUT WITH AN ARTICLE STATING
THAT THE U.S. SENATE JUST PASSED THE U.S. LAUNCH COMPETITIVE ACT
OF 2015.
HOW DOES THIS IMPACT THE FUTURE OF--
NOT FOR JUST SPACE EXPLORATION AS A WHOLE,
BUT FOR ALSO VIRGIN GALACTIC AND HUMAN MANKIND?
>> I WAS GOING TO READ THAT TONIGHT.
IT WAS ON MY DESK.
I JUST DIDN'T GET A CHANCE TO LOOK AT THAT, SO--
[ LAUGHTER ]
>> IT'S A GOOD THING.
YOU KNOW, IF YOU LOOK AT THE COMMERCIAL SPACE INDUSTRY,
THIS EMERGING ENTREPRENEURIAL COMMERCIAL SPACE INDUSTRY,
THERE ARE A FEW EXCEPTIONS, BUT IT IS ALMOST ENTIRELY
IN THE UNITED STATES AND THERE A COUPLE REASONS FOR THAT.
ONE IS ACCESS TO VENTURE CAPITAL
OF WHICH MY COLLEAGUE COULD ANSWER--
TELL YOU FAR MORE ABOUT THAN I COULD EVER DREAM OF.
ONE IS THE TALENT POOL COMING OUT OF OUR UNIVERSITIES
AND SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITY COLLEGES AND EVERYTHING ELSE,
BUT ANOTHER BIG PART OF IT SPECIFIC
TO AEROSPACE IS THE REGULATORY BASE.
IF YOU-- IF I HAD-- IF I LIVED IN ALMOST ANY OTHER COUNTRY
ON THE PLANET AND SANTA CLAUS CAME TO ME
AND HANDED ME A PERFECTLY WORKING SPACESHIPTWO VEHICLE
AND ALL OF THE PARTS THAT I WOULD NEED TO MAINTAIN IT
AND BLUEPRINTS AND FLIGHT MANUALS AND EVERYTHING ELSE,
IT WOULD BE ILLEGAL TO FLY ALMOST EVERYWHERE
ON THE PLANET EXCEPT FOR THE UNITED STATES.
THE U.S. TOOK A REAL LEADERSHIP ROLE,
NOT OFTEN SOMETHING YOU HEAR MEMBERS
OF INDUSTRY TALKING ABOUT REGULATORS DO.
THE REGULATORS EXERCISE AN INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF FORESIGHT
IN OUR INDUSTRY FOR WHICH WE ARE ETERNALLY GRATEFUL
AND SAID HEY THIS IS COMING DOWN THE PIPELINE.
IT'S NOT HERE YET, BUT IT'S COMING DOWN THE PIPELINE.
THEY NEED SOME REGULATORY BASIS TO WORK WITH BECAUSE
IF YOU DON'T HAVE ANY OF THAT IT'S ACTUALLY IT'S QUITE HARD
TO CONVINCE AN INVESTOR TO DROP A LOT OF MONEY
INTO YOUR CRAZY HAREBRAINED IDEA IF IT'S CURRENTLY ILLEGAL
AND HAS NO PATH TO BECOME LEGAL.
SO, CONGRESS HAD BEEN-- HAD HAD ENOUGH FORESIGHT ON THIS STUFF.
THERE WERE A FEW TWEAKS THAT WERE NEEDED
AND ALSO THERE WERE SOME EXISTING PROVISIONS THAT NEEDED
TO BE EXTENDED BECAUSE THE INDUSTRY HAS MOVED A LITTLE MORE
SLOWLY THAN PEOPLE EXPECTED AND SO I THINK
THAT THAT'S LARGELY WHAT THAT BILL WILL FOCUS ON.
IT DOES A LOT OF THINGS AND I HAVE NOT READ IT IN ITS ENTIRETY
BY ANY STRETCH OF THE IMAGINATION,
BUT IT'S A GOOD THING AND I HOPE THAT IT--
THERE ARE VERSIONS THAT HAVE PASSED BOTH HOUSE AND SENATE,
I HOPE THAT THEY CONFERENCE AND PASS THE FULL BILL PRETTY SOON.
>> WHAT'S INTERESTING IS PART OF THE ARTICLE STATES
THAT IT ACTUALLY NOT ONLY ENCOURAGES
FOR SPACE EXPLORATION, BUT IT ALSO STATES
THAT THERE WILL BE NO HUMAN INTERFERENCE.
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THAT?
>> I'M NOT SURE THAT I AM SUPER FAMILIAR
WITH THOSE SPECIFIC CLAUSES, BUT I KNOW THAT, AGAIN,
THIS IS ONE OF THOSE AREAS OF REAL FORESIGHT
WHERE THIS BILL DOESN'T JUST TALK ABOUT THE ACTIVITIES
THAT ARE LIKE HAPPENING IMMINENTLY,
SUCH AS WHAT WE'RE DOING AT VIRGIN GALACTIC
OR WHAT SPACEX IS DOING UP THE STREET IN PARTNERSHIP WITH NASA
AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS, THEY'RE ALSO TALKING ABOUT THINGS
THAT ARE A LITTLE FURTHER AFIELD LIKE PROPERTY RIGHTS
ON OTHER PLANETS WHICH ARE IMPORTANT IF YOU'RE TRYING
TO BUILD AN ASTEROID MINING COMPANY
LIKE PLANETARY RESOURCES.
YOU KNOW, I THINK EVEN THE FOLKS AT PLANETARY RESOURCES,
WHICH BY THE WAY IS A SPECTACULAR COMPANY I'M A HUGE
FAN OF AND FULL OF BRILLIANT PEOPLE.
EVEN THEY WILL TELL YOU THE TIME WHEN THEY ACTUALLY GO
TO AN ASTEROID AND LAND ON IT
AND EXTRACT RESOURCES IS STILL PRETTY FAR OUT.
RIGHT? FIRST THEY HAVE TO FIND--
FIRST THEY HAVE TO BUILD THE TELESCOPES
THAT FIND THE ASTEROIDS AND THEN THEY HAVE
TO BUILD THE OTHER THINGS THAT GO AND VISIT THE ASTEROIDS
AND IDENTIFY THE SITE, SO IT'S
LIKE A COUPLE TECHNOLOGY GENERATIONS AWAY.
CONGRESS DIDN'T NEED TO PASS THAT, IT WASN'T--
THERE WEREN'T PEOPLE BANGING DOWN THE DOOR SAYING I'M HERE,
I'VE GOT MY PICKAXE, LET ME GO, BUT THEY DID SHOW
THAT FORESIGHT AGAIN AND I THINK IT'S GOING TO BE REALLY HELPFUL
TO COMPANIES LIKE PLANETARY RESOURCES.
>> THANK YOU, JIMMY.
>> GIVE HIM A ROUND OF APPLAUSE.
DEAN SOLT?
YES.
[ APPLAUSE ]
>> I REALLY HADN'T HEARD OF THAT PARTICULAR ACT, BUT LISTENING
TO WILL TALK, I STILL THINK THERE'S THIS SORT OF DRUMBEAT
OR HEARTBEAT BETWEEN DISRUPTION, UNIQUENESS, AND INNOVATION
AND STANDARDIZATION AND CONSISTENCY.
I THINK-- AND YOU'VE EVEN HINTED AT THE INVESTORS.
I THINK ULTIMATELY YOU WANT TO BE ABLE TO HAVE A PROCESS
THAT YOU CAN LAUNCH ROCKETS AGAIN AND AGAIN, SO YOU DO WANT
THAT SORT OF CONSISTENCY, EVEN THOUGH IT REQUIRES A CURIOSITY
OF RICHARD BRANSON ON DOWN TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT.
SO, THE QUESTION ABOUT THIS THING BEFORE CONGRESS IS
ABOUT REGULATION AND I THINK IF YOU TURN
ON FOX NEWS YOU'LL GET A VIEW THAT REGULATION IS ALL BAD
AND MAYBE IF YOU TURN ON MSNBC YOU MIGHT HEAR THAT--
HOW GREAT LEGISLATION AND REGULATION IS.
SO, I GUESS EVEN THOUGH I'M A BUSINESS SCHOOL DEAN
AND A FINANCE PROFESSOR, I THINK WE DO NEED REGULATION.
WE DO NEED TO HAVE SOME FRAMEWORK TO HAVE SOME SORT
OF STANDARDIZED PROCESSES THAT WE CAN COUNT ON THAT WE--
THAT INVESTORS CAN PUT THEIR MONEY IN THAT CUSTOMERS
OR CLIENTS CAN GET ON BOARD
AND TAKE THOSE SPACE TRIPS WHETHER IT BE SUB-ORBITAL
TO THE MOON OR BEYOND.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
WE HAVE TIME FOR TWO MORE QUESTIONS
AND LUCKILY WE HAVE TWO PEOPLE STANDING TO ASK QUESTIONS.
SO, YOUR NAME IS?
>> HI. MY NAME'S LEAH VIARIELLE [ASSUMED SPELLING].
I'M AN INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MAJOR.
THANK YOU TWO SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
I FEEL LIKE I ALMOST HAVE TOO MUCH CURIOSITY.
I AM FASCINATED BY SO MANY THINGS LIKE SPACE AND COUNTRIES
AND CULTURE AND FOOD AND EVERYTHING.
SO, I FEEL LIKE SOMETIMES THERE'S AN ISSUE
OF FINDING YOUR PASSION BECAUSE YOU ARE FASCINATED
BY A LOT OF THINGS.
SO, DOES IT JUST TAKE TIME, EXPERIENCE, MORE CURIOSITY
AND DIGGING TO FIND, YOU KNOW, WHAT YOU REALLY--
LIKE THAT SPECIFIC THING THAT YOU REALLY, REALLY WANT TO DO?
>> THAT WOULD BE MY VIEW, YOU KNOW, FROM MY OWN PATH
THROUGH LIFE AND WATCHING STUDENTS AND COLLEAGUES.
IT'S HARD TO JUST ROLL THE DICE AND KNOW EXACTLY WHAT
THAT PASSION IS, SO I DO THINK IT TAKES EXPERIENCE.
IT TAKES SOME GATHERING OF INFORMATION,
BUT AT SOME POINT I THINK YOU FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE HAVE
TO PURSUE DOWN A PATH.
IF THAT PATH DOESN'T WORK, YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE LOCKED IN.
YOU HAVE TO BE WILLING TO SAY WELL I WILL TRY SOMETHING ELSE,
BUT I THINK FOCUSING THE PASSION IS THE WAY
TO REALLY GET CURIOSITY TO PAY OFF.
>> IT'S AN EXTREMELY GOOD QUESTION.
I'M PROBABLY NOT THE BEST TO ANSWER.
I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S LIKE A BEHAVIORAL ECONOMIST
OR A PSYCHOLOGIST OR WHOMEVER ELSE WOULD BE,
BUT MY PERSONAL TAKE WOULD BE IT'S A GOOD THING
TO BE CURIOUS ABOUT TOO MUCH.
LIKE YOUR BRAIN HAS DEALT YOU A GOOD SET OF CARDS
IF THAT IS THE CASE, BUT IT CAN HAVE NEGATIVE EFFECTS
IF YOU LET IT RUN AMUCK.
IT DOES TAKE SOME TIME AND PROBABLY A FEW INSTANCES
WHERE YOU PUT YOUR HAND ON THE METAPHORICAL STOVE
AND YOU GET BURNED TO DEVELOP THE DISCIPLINE AND SAY OK,
THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH HOURS IN THE DAY FOR ME
TO DO EACH OF THESE THINGS.
I NEED TO PICK A FEW TO BE EXCELLENT WITH.
AND THAT'S NOT TO SAY I CAN'T CHANGE MY MIND
AND DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT NEXT YEAR OR NEXT SEMESTER
OR NEXT DECADE, BUT LIKE LET ME PICK A FEW OF THESE THINGS
AND GET REALLY GOOD BECAUSE BY DOING THOSE THINGS YOU WILL
PROBABLY LEARN WHETHER YOU ACTUALLY LIKE THEM
AS MUCH AS YOU THINK YOU DO.
I WOULD HIGHLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO USE THIS TIME WHEN YOU'RE
IN SCHOOL WHEN YOU'RE YOUNG.
I DON'T KNOW EVERYONE'S FAMILY SITUATION, PARTICULARLY
IF YOU ARE MAYBE UNMARRIED, DON'T HAVE KIDS YET,
YOU ARE RELATIVELY SPEAKING KIND OF DEBT-FREE-ISH.
IT WILL NEVER BE EASIER FOR YOU TO SAMPLE THINGS AND LEARN
THAT YOU SECRETLY HATED THEM AND YOU NEVER KNEW.
RIGHT? I-- WHEN I WAS YOUNG, I HAD INTERNSHIPS AT A FEW PLACES
WHERE I GROWING UP ALWAYS THOUGHT I DESPERATELY WANTED
TO WORK.
I DESPERATELY WANTED TO WORK AT NASA AND I DESPERATELY WANTED
TO WORK AT THE UNITED NATIONS.
AND I GOT INTERNSHIPS AT BOTH OF THEM AND I COULD NOT GET
OUT OF THERE QUICKLY ENOUGH.
EVEN THOUGH I STILL LOVE THOSE ORGANIZATIONS AND I SUPPORT THEM
AND I THINK THEY'RE FANTASTIC, THEY WERE NOT A GOOD FIT
FOR ME PERSONALLY AND I WOULD NEVER HAVE KNOWN THAT JUST
BY READING ABOUT THEM.
I MIGHT HAVE LEARNED THAT BY TALKING TO PEOPLE
WHO WORKED THERE, BUT THE EASIEST WAY WAS JUST TO GO
AND GET AN INTERNSHIP.
IT'S LIKE A FREE TRIAL PERIOD
WHERE THERE'S NO ONE'S HURT FEELINGS ARE HURT
IF YOU LEAVE AT THE END.
>> AND THEY DON'T PAY YOU.
>> EXACTLY.
SOMETIMES.
SOME OF THEM DON'T.
SO, IF YOU ARE-- IF-- EVERYONE'S FINANCIAL CIRCUMSTANCES ARE
DIFFERENT, BUT IF YOU ARE IN A POSITION
WHERE YOU CAN FIND A WAY TO DABBLE AS VOLUNTEER,
AS AN INTERN, AS A WHATEVER ELSE, NOW IS THE TIME TO DO IT.
>> THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU, LEAH.
WE'LL ASK-- GIVE A ROUND OF APPLAUSE.
YES! FINAL QUESTION FOR THIS SEGMENT
ON CRITICAL MASS RADIO SHOW.
YOUR NAME IS?
>> MY NAME IS STEPHANIE CHANG AND I AM A STUDENT
IN THE COLLEGE OF BUSINESS CONCENTRATING IN ACCOUNTING.
ALSO A MEMBER OF BETA ALPHA PSI, AN ACCOUNTING SOCIETY.
BUILDING OFF OF WHAT WILL SAID ABOUT-- IN REGARDS TO SAMPLING,
MY BACKGROUND-- ACTUALLY I STARTED OUT AT UC DAVIS BACK
IN 2010 AND 2011, ENDING MY LAST SEMESTER
WITH THE WHOLE PEPPER SPRAY INCIDENT.
SO, MY QUESTION IS TODAY THERE WERE--
THERE WAS A STRIKE OR A PROTEST OF SORTS GOING
ON RAISING AWARENESS ABOUT THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING
ON CAMPUS THAT NOT NECESSARILY EVERYBODY KNOWS ABOUT
AND I ACTUALLY HAPPENED TO CROSS A GROUP OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
FROM AN AVID PROGRAM AND THEY WERE JUST STANDING
BY THE WATER FOUNTAINS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT'S GOING
ON AS THIS HUGE GROUP OF STUDENTS ARE WALKING
THROUGH THE CAMPUS WITH SIGNS,
WITH MICROPHONES, WITH THINGS TO SHARE.
SO, WHAT I WAS TRYING TO DO WAS ENCOURAGE THE HIGH--
TURNED OUT HE WAS A HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER WHO IS IN CHARGE
OF THE PROGRAM THERE TO ENCOURAGE THEM TO, YES,
BE CURIOUS, TO-- IF THEY WANT TO TAKE PHOTOS, IF THEY WANT
TO TAKE VIDEOS, IF THEY WANT TO POST IT TO INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK,
WHATEVER THEY WANT THAT IT'S UP TO THEM TO ENCOURAGE
THAT CURIOSITY, BUT WHAT'S YOUR TAKE ON CURIOSITY
AND SOCIAL MEDIA IN REGARDS TO AWARENESS
ON MAYBE CAMPUS MATTERS.
>> WELL, THIS IS A-- BACK TO THE TECHNOLOGY.
THE EVER-EXPANDING EVER-IMPROVING TECHNOLOGY.
SO, THAT'S JUST A MEANS FOR COMMUNICATION.
SO, I THINK IN GENERAL IT CAN BE GOOD, BUT IT REALLY, I GUESS,
THE-- YOU HAVE TO BE CAREFUL
OF NOT EXCEEDING YOUR OWN PERSONAL BOUNDARIES SO THAT
IN THE FUTURE YOU COME BACK AND MAKE SURE THAT YOU'RE HAPPY
WITH THE THINGS THAT YOU HAVE POSTED.
BUT, TO ME, SOCIAL MEDIA JUST HELPS BRING CONNECTIONS AMONG
ALL OF US MORE EASILY, MORE READILY, AND MORE UNIVERSALLY.
>> I MEAN I-- FAR OUTSIDE OF MY AREA OF EXPERTISE,
BUT IT'S CLEAR JUST AS A CURIOUS PERSON
WHO READS THE NEWS, IT HAS POWER.
RIGHT? WE LEARNED THAT THIS WEEK PRETTY DRAMATICALLY IN MISSOURI
AND WE'VE LEARNED THAT AT OTHER UNIVERSITIES BUT ALSO IN,
YOU KNOW, NON-DEMOCRATIC REGIMES ALL AROUND THE WORLD.
THERE ARE-- CLEARLY IS POWER THERE.
I WON'T USE THAT OLD LINE
ABOUT WITH GREAT POWER COMES ET CETERA, ET CETERA,
BUT THAT IS PRETTY TRUE.
SO, I THINK IT IS A TOOL TO ABSOLUTELY BE USED AND IT'S--
NOW'S A GOOD TIME TO EXPERIMENT WITH HOW TO HARNESS IT.
>> AND IF I COULD JUST CONCLUDE REALLY QUICK
THAT I WAS ACTUALLY QUITE IMPRESSED
WITH HOW CAL STATE WAS HANDLING IT THAT NOTHING WAS--
AT LEAST WHEN I WAS THERE WAS SPIRALING OUT OF CONTROL
TO EMANATE WHAT HAPPENED BACK
AT UC DAVIS FOUR YEARS AGO AROUND THE SAME TIME.
SO, THAT'S ALL I HAD TO SAY.
THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU, STEPHANIE.
ALRIGHT GIVE A ROUND OF APPLAUSE TO EVERYBODY WHO CAME
UP AND ASKED A QUESTION.
WE HAD NINE QUESTIONS FROM THE AUDIENCE.
IT FILLED THE ENTIRE SEGMENT.
I WANT TO THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
IT'S THE POWER OF THE PEER GROUP ASKING QUESTIONS.
HOPEFULLY THERE ARE SOME OF YOU THAT HAVE A QUESTION
YET BECAUSE WE'RE GOING TO TAKE A SHORT COMMERCIAL BREAK HERE
ON CRITICAL MASS RADIO SHOW.
WE HAVE ONE MORE SEGMENT TO GO, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.
HOPEFULLY YOU'LL BE ABLE TO STAY WITH US FOR THAT.
WHEN WE COME BACK, I'M GOING TO ASK WILL JUST TO GIVE US A SENSE
FOR THE ARC OF SPACE TRAVEL AND SOME THINGS
THAT I'VE HEARD HIM TALK ABOUT BEFORE WHICH IS THE NUMBER
OF PEOPLE WHO'VE HAD THE PRIVILEGE
TO LEAVE THIS BEAUTIFUL THING CALLED EARTH
AND TRAVEL INTO SPACE.
THIS IS OUR FINAL SEGMENT.
WE'RE HONORED TO HAVE IN ADDITION TO DEAN SOLT
WHO IS THE DEAN OF CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY LONG BEACH
BUSINESS SCHOOL WE HAVE WILL POMERANTZ
WHO IS VICE PRESIDENT SPECIAL PROJECTS FOR VIRGIN GALACTIC.
WILL, BEFORE THE BREAK I SET IT UP BY SAYING I WAS GOING
TO ASK YOU JUST TO GIVE US A STATE FOR AND KIND
OF THE ARC OF SPACE TRAVEL.
JUST GIVE US SOME CONTEXT PLEASE.
>> SURE. WELL, I GUESS PEOPLE HAVE PROBABLY WANTED
TO EXPLORE SPACE SINCE THERE HAVE BEEN PEOPLE.
RIGHT? I THINK YOU CAN FIND IT IN CAVE PAINTINGS.
PEOPLE ARE DRAWING THE MOON AND DRAWING THE STARS
AND JULES VERNE WAS WRITING ABOUT GOING TO THE MOON
AND THERE ARE EXAMPLES GOING MUCH FARTHER BACK THAN THAT.
IT DIDN'T BECOME EVEN REMOTELY REALISTIC
UNTIL THE 20TH CENTURY.
AND I WON'T BORE YOU TOO MUCH WITH A HISTORICAL LECTURE,
BUT I FIND IT PRETTY AMAZING THAT WE STARTED EXPLORING SPACE
WITH SATELLITES IN 1957, OCTOBER 4TH, 1957 SPUTNIK LAUNCHES.
FIRST HUMAN GOES TO SPACE APRIL 12, 1961.
SO, WE'VE BEEN EXPLORING SPACE FOR QUITE A LONG TIME
AND WE MADE SOME INCREDIBLY RAPID PROGRESS
IN THE EARLY DAYS.
RIGHT? YOU HAVE PRESIDENT KENNEDY GETTING
UP BEFORE THE AMERICAN PUBLIC AND CHALLENGING US AS A NATION
TO PUT A HUMAN ON THE SURFACE OF THE MOON WITHIN A DECADE
AT A TIME WHEN OUR TOTAL SPACE FLIGHT EXPERIENCE
AS A SPECIES WAS MEASURED IN HOURS.
RIGHT? AND WE DID IT.
IT HAPPENED.
AND I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE CONNECTED THOSE DOTS
AND THEY JUST EXTRAPOLATED THAT LINE OR THEY SAID OH, HEY,
MAYBE WE'RE EVEN ON AN EXPONENTIAL CURVE
AND THEY SAID OK WE'RE GOING TO BE--
BY THE TIME WE REACH THE FUTURE, YOU KNOW, LIKE 2015
OR SOMETHING, EVERYONE WILL HAVE GONE TO SPACE PROBABLY LOTS
OF TIMES AND WE'LL BE LIVING IN 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY
OR THE JETSONS OR STAR WARS OR STAR TREK.
PICK YOUR FAVORITE ONE.
THAT HASN'T REALLY HAPPENED.
IT'S THAT THAT I FIND BOTH FASCINATING
AND FOR THE MOST PART CRUSHINGLY DEPRESSING IS THAT AS OF TODAY
IF YOU ADD UP EVERY HUMAN WHO HAS EVER BEEN IN SPACE
FOR EVEN AN INSTANT IN TIME, STARTING WITH YURI GAGARIN
IN 1961 GOING UP THROUGH THE CREW
OF THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION FLYING
ABOVE OUR HEADS RIGHT NOW, THE TOTAL NUMBER IS 551.
YOU KNOW, OUR LIVE AUDIENCE TODAY WAS A PRETTY GOOD CHUNK
OF THAT AND I FIND THAT JUST HORRIBLY SMALL.
HORRIBLY SMALL.
AND FOR A LONG TIME I WAS REALLY DISAPPOINTED ABOUT THAT AND FELT
LIKE THERE WASN'T ANYTHING I COULD DO
ABOUT IT OTHER THAN GRUMBLE.
YOU KNOW, SEND NASTY TWEETS
IF THERE HAD BEEN TWITTER BACK IN THOSE DAYS.
BUT, EVENTUALLY I REALIZED THAT IT WAS--
FUNDAMENTALLY, IT'S NOT NASA'S JOB TO INCREASE THAT NUMBER
BY ORDERS OF MAGNITUDE.
RIGHT? IT WAS NASA'S JOB AND OTHER SPACE AGENCIES' JOB
TO INCREASE THAT NUMBER FROM ZERO TO SOMETHING GREATER
THAN ZERO AND IT CONTINUES TO BE NASA'S JOB
AND I HOPE IT ALWAYS WILL CONTINUE NASA'S JOB
TO KEEP RAISING THAT NUMBER BY FIVE OR TEN OR 20 A YEAR.
RIGHT? THESE INCREDIBLE WELL-TRAINED,
HIGHLY SKILLED GOVERNMENT ASTRONAUTS GOING
OUT ON THESE TRULY INSPIRING MISSIONS OF EXPLORATION.
THAT'S NASA'S JOB.
IT'S NOT NASA'S JOB TO SAY WELL WILL POMERANTZ DREAMT OF GOING
TO SPACE AS A YOUNG BOY, SO LET'S MAKE IT SO.
THAT WOULD BE VERY ODD IF THAT WERE THE ONE THING THAT CONGRESS
AND THE PRESIDENT COULD AGREE UPON.
WHAT HAS STARTED TO HAPPEN RECENTLY IS THIS DIVISION
OF LABOR I REFERRED TO PREVIOUSLY.
IT ACTUALLY WAS MAINLY FOUNDED, INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH,
BY PEOPLE WHO GOT INSPIRED BY WATCHING WHAT NASA WAS DOING
AND THEN WENT OFF AND MADE A WHOLE LOT
OF MONEY DOING SOMETHING TOTALLY DIFFERENT,
WHETHER THAT'S FOUNDING A RECORD STORE AT AN AIRLINE
OR WRITING THE SOFTWARE FOR PAYPAL OR CREATING AMAZON.COM
OR CREATING THE EXTENDED STAY AMERICA HOTEL CHAIN
OR WHATEVER ELSE AND THEY MADE A BILLION DOLLARS
OR A COUPLE BILLION DOLLARS AND THEN THEY CAME BACK WELL,
YOU KNOW, MY FIRST LOVE WAS SPACE SO I'M JUST GOING
TO GIVE IT A WING BECAUSE NOW TECHNOLOGY HAS ALLOWED ME
TO INDULGE IN MY CURIOSITY ABOUT THIS AND GO OFF AND DO THAT.
SO, THAT'S WHAT WE HAVE HAPPENING NOW.
NASA REMAINS A STRONG ORGANIZATION.
LIKE I SAID, IT'S FUNDING IS ESSENTIALLY THE SAME
AS IT'S ALWAYS BEEN IF YOU ADJUST FOR INFLATION
AND THERE ARE A FEW ANOMALOUS POINTS IN THERE AT THE TAIL END
OF THE APOLLO PROGRAM, BUT FOR THE MOST PART IT'S BEEN ALWAYS
THE SAME.
BUT NOW WE HAVE A NEW SOURCE OF FUNDING.
YOU KNOW, PROBABLY MOST OF YOU ARE FAMILIAR
WITH THE TERM OF MONOPOLY.
MAYBE FEWER OF YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH THE TERM MONOPSONY.
IT'S SORT OF THE SAME THING
WHERE THERE'S ONLY ONE CUSTOMER INSTEAD OF ONLY ONE STORE.
WE WERE KIND OF A MONOPSONY IN THIS INDUSTRY AND A MONOPOLY
IN THIS INDUSTRY FOR, I DON'T KNOW,
THE BETTER PART OF 40 YEARS.
NOW WE HAVE DIFFERENT CUSTOMERS.
YOU KNOW, IN THE CASE OF MY COMPANY,
WE'VE SOLD 700 TICKETS TO SPACE.
I'VE GOT 700 DIFFERENT CUSTOMERS JUST FOR THAT ONE SIDE
OF THE BUSINESS AND THEY ENABLE ME TO DO DIFFERENT THINGS
BECAUSE THEY ASK DIFFERENT THINGS OF ME
AND THEY ARE MORE CONSISTENT ABOUT SOME THINGS
AND PERHAPS LESS CONSISTENT ABOUT OTHER THINGS.
BUT, BECAUSE WE HAVE THIS INFLUX OF MONEY AND THIS INFLUX
OF ENTHUSIASM AND THIS INFLUX OF TALENT
AND BECAUSE WE'RE DOING A BETTER JOB RETAINING TALENT
BECAUSE IT USED TO BE IF YOU HAD THE EXPERIENCE I HAD
WHERE YOU WENT AND DID A SUMMER INTERNSHIP AT NASA
AND YOU DECIDED IT WASN'T FOR YOU,
THAT MEANT THE WHOLE INDUSTRY WASN'T FOR YOU
BECAUSE THERE WAS NO OTHER OPTION.
NOW WE'RE ABLE TO KEEP SOME OF THOSE YOUNG PEOPLE
BECAUSE THEY SAY OK, NASA WASN'T FOR ME,
MAYBE PLANETARY RESOURCES IS.
MAYBE I, YOU KNOW,
IF A 10,000-PERSON COMPANY DOESN'T SUIT MY STYLE,
MAYBE 10-PERSON COMPANY DOES.
BECAUSE ALL THOSE THINGS ARE HAPPENING, WE ARE NOW GETTING
TO THE POINT WHERE I THINK WE ARE GOING TO START TO SEE--
WE'RE GOING TO START TO ACHIEVE THAT VISION THAT SO MANY
OF OUR FELLOW COUNTRYMEN
AND COUNTRYWOMEN HAD BACK IN THE 1960'S.
WE'RE GOING TO SEE THAT EXPONENTIAL GROWTH CURVE
WHERE THE NUMBER OF-- NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN
TO SPACE DOESN'T JUST KEEP GOING SLOWLY PLODDING ALONG THIS
STEADY LINE BUT STARTS TO TAKE THAT NICE CURVE UPWARDS
AND WE START TO HAVE NOT JUST 500 PEOPLE GOING EVER,
BUT LIKE 500 PEOPLE GOING A YEAR
AND THEN 500 PEOPLE GOING A SEASON
AND THEN 500 PEOPLE GOING A WEEK.
AND EACH OF THOSE THINGS, LIKE ANY OTHER EXPONENT,
HAS WONDERFUL TRICKLEDOWN EFFECTS
WHERE WHEN YOU HAVE LOTS MORE PEOPLE GOING AND THEY COME
FROM LOTS OF DIFFERENT COUNTRIES AND LOTS
OF DEMOGRAPHIC BACKGROUNDS,
NOW ALL THE SUDDEN THEY'RE GOING BACK INTO THEIR COMMUNITY
AND THEY'RE NOT ONLY SPEAKING TO EVERY MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENT
AND INSPIRING THEM TO STUDY STEM CAREERS, THEY'RE ALSO GOING
AND THEY'RE SPEAKING TO THEIR UNIVERSITY ADMINISTRATORS
AND TO THEIR CITY COUNCILWOMAN AND TO THEIR PRESIDENT
AND SAYING WE NEED TO INVEST IN THESE KINDS OF THINGS
OR OH I HAVE THESE GREAT IDEAS OR OH NOW THAT WE CAN DO THIS,
THIS ENABLES THESE TEN OTHER THINGS.
SO, I THINK THE STATE OF THE INDUSTRY IS GOOD.
LIKE ANY OTHER INDUSTRY THAT'S IN A STATE OF RAPID CHANGE,
IT'S FRAUGHT WITH PERIL.
THERE ARE SOME RISKS.
THERE ARE SOME VERY GOOD PEOPLE WHO THROUGH NO FAULT
OF THEIR OWN ARE HUNTING FOR JOBS FOR THE FIRST TIME
IN 40 YEARS BECAUSE DIRECTIONS ARE CHANGING.
>> PAUL ROBERTS WHO OWNS OCTALKRADIO.NET WHISPERED
IN MY EAR HE WANTED ME TO ASK BOTH
OF YOU WHY IS SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA SUCH A HOT BED
FOR THIS GENERATION OF SPACE EXPLORATION?
>> A PAIR OF REASONS.
ONE IS HISTORY.
A LOT OF IT USED TO HAPPEN HERE WHICH MEANT A LOT
OF THE TALENT IS HERE, A LOT OF THE SUPPLY CHAIN IS HERE,
A LOT OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE IS HERE.
IT'S ALSO JUST A NICE PLACE TO LIVE.
SO, WHEN YOU'RE ELON MUSK
AND YOU'VE MADE A COUPLE BILLION DOLLARS AND YOU WANT
TO START A SPACE COMPANY YOU CAN GO ANYWHERE YOU WANT.
THIS IS A PRETTY GOOD PLACE TO GO.
SO, IT THINK THAT THAT HAS A BIG PART TO DO WITH IT.
I'M CONFIDENT THAT THE INCREDIBLE EDUCATION SYSTEM
IN THE STATE HAS A BIG PART TO DO WITH THAT AS WELL
BECAUSE IT MEANS NOT ONLY CAN I RETRACT THE--
ATTRACT THE GRAY-HAIRED VETERANS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD
TO COME HERE, BUT I CAN COUNT ON, LIKE,
KEEPING THOSE CHAIRS FULL WITH CURIOUS
AND ENTERPRISING YOUNG PEOPLE AS MY COMPANY GROWS
AND THE WORKFORCE AGES, ET CETERA.
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, THE AVIATION BUSINESS STARTED BY A COUPLE
OF BUCKEYES OVER A HUNDRED YEARS AGO, THE WRIGHT BROTHERS,
AND I THINK THEY LAUNCHED THEIR PLANE
ON THE NORTH CAROLINA COAST, BUT IF YOU LOOK
AT THE HISTORY WILL WAS TALKING ABOUT, REALLY THE GROWTH
OF AVIATION TOOK PLACE OUT HERE.
PROBABLY BECAUSE OF WEATHER TO SOME DEGREE.
THE ABILITY TO PUT PLANES TOGETHER YEAR-ROUND,
FLY THEM YEAR-ROUND, MAYBE HAD PLAYED A ROLE
IN SOME PART OF THAT.
THEN, ONCE YOU HAVE A SORT OF A CRITICAL MASS, YOU KNOW,
IT SORT OF BREEDS ON ITSELF.
YOU HAVE THE ENGINEERS, YOU HAVE THE SUPPLIERS,
YOU HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE AND THE TECHNOLOGY.
SO, I THINK IT IS IF THERE'S ROOTS
IN THE AVIATION INDUSTRY HERE THAT GO WAY BACK
IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA THAT ARE PROVIDING LIKE A PLATFORM
FOR TODAY'S-- THE NEXT GENERATION,
THE SPACE EXPLORATION.
>> EXCELLENT.
CAN WE GIVE THEM BOTH A ROUND OF APPLAUSE?
[ APPLAUSE ]
WILL, I'VE GOT A QUESTION.
YOU SERVED FOR THREE YEARS AS THE SENIOR DIRECTOR
OF SPACE PRIZES FOR X PRIZE.
DO I HAVE THAT CORRECT?
>> YEAH.
>> ALRIGHT.
YOU WORKED WITH BOTH GOOGLE AND NASA TO WORK MILLIONS
OF DOLLARS IN PRIZE MONEY, YES?
CAN YOU SHARE THE ROLE CURIOSITY PLAYS IN--
THAT YOU'VE OBSERVED IN GOOGLE AND IN NASA?
>> YEAH. WHAT I WAS DOING AT THAT TIME WHEN I WAS WORKING
AT THE X PRIZE FOUNDATION, WHAT THE X PRIZE FOUNDATION
AND DOES AND-- DID AND STILL DOES IS THIS--
ACTUALLY, IN MANY WAYS KIND OF AN ANCIENT AND UNDER--
OVERLOOKED FOR A LONG TIME MODEL
OF TECHNOLOGY ADVANCEMENT CALLED THE INCENTIVE PRIZE WHICH SAYS
THAT IF I WANT TO ACHIEVE SOME TECHNOLOGY GOAL,
INSTEAD OF GOING OUT AND FINDING THE SMARTEST PERSON
AND PAYING HIM OR HER AND SAYING GO WORK ON THIS FOR A COUPLE
OF YEARS AND COME BACK AND TELL ME WHAT YOU DID,
INSTEAD JUST PUT A BIG CARROT AT THE END OF A STICK
TO THE WHOLE WORLD AND SAY I DON'T CARE WHO YOU ARE.
I DON'T CARE WHERE YOU WENT TO SCHOOL, WHAT YOU MAJORED IN,
WHAT YOUR GRADES WERE.
I DON'T CARE HOW DUMB YOUR IDEA SOUNDED THE DAY BEFORE
IT WORKED.
IF YOU DO THIS FIRST, YOU GET A BIG CHECK.
SO, THAT HAS WORKED MANY YEARS.
A LOT OF THE THINGS THAT ARE MOST IMPORTANT
TO YOUR LIFE TODAY, WHETHER YOU KNOW ABOUT THEM OR NOT,
ACTUALLY CAME IN MANY WAYS FROM INCENTIVE PRIZES.
YOU KNOW, THE FIRST WAY THAT HUMANS HAD
TO CALCULATE THEIR LONGITUDE, WHICH SAVED LIKE MILLIONS
OF LIVES AND ALLOWED PEOPLE TO EXPLORE CONTINENTS CAME
FROM AN INCENTIVE PRIZE.
THE FIRST PLANE TO FLY ACROSS THE ATLANTIC CAME
FROM AN INCENTIVE PRIZE.
THE FIRST COMMERCIAL VEHICLE TO FLY TO SPACE CAME
FROM AN INCENTIVE PRIZE.
I GOT TO RUN THESE TWO DIFFERENT PRIZES.
ONE WAS A $2 MILLION PRIZE FOR NASA AND NORTHROP GRUMMAN
THAT REQUIRED PEOPLE TO TEST LUNAR LANDERS HEAR ON EARTH,
SO BUILD THESE FLYING ROCKETS.
THE OTHER ONE'S STILL ON-GOING, IT'S FOR COMMERCIAL COMPANIES
TO LAND A ROBOT ON THE SURFACE OF THE MOON AND I'M VERY HOPEFUL
THAT IT MIGHT ACTUALLY BE WON BY A PRIVATELY-FUNDED TEAM IN 2017
WHICH ISN'T ALL THAT FAR OFF.
THOSE PRIZES FUNDAMENTALLY WOULD NOT WORK
IF PEOPLE WERE NOT CURIOUS
BECAUSE THE WAY THOSE PRIZES WORK ALMOST ALWAYS IS
BY ATTRACTING PEOPLE FROM OTHER INDUSTRIES.
IF THE PEOPLE IN THE INDUSTRY ARE ALREADY SOLVING THE PROBLEM,
YOU DON'T NEED A PRIZE AND THERE ARE MORE EFFICIENT WAYS
TO ACHIEVE THOSE RESULTS.
IF YOU ALREADY KNOW ALL THE SMART PEOPLE
WHO HAVE ANY RELEVANT KNOWLEDGE IN THAT FIELD,
YOU CAN JUST CALL THEM UP AND SAY HEY,
PLEASE START WORKING ON THIS.
ALMOST ALL OF THOSE PRIZES WERE WON BY PEOPLE
FROM TOTALLY OUTSIDE OF THAT FIELD.
YOU KNOW, I MENTIONED THE ICONIC--
THE FIRST BIG INCENTIVE PRIZE IN MANY WAYS WAS THIS ONE
TO ALLOW PEOPLE TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM
OF FINDING THEIR LONGITUDE WHEN AT SEA.
WHEN THAT PRIZE WAS CREATED, WE ALREADY HAD A WAY
TO FIND LATITUDE AT SEA AND THAT WAS THROUGH THE STARS.
IT WAS THROUGH CELESTIAL NAVIGATION.
SO, EVERYONE FIGURED WE KNOW HOW TO FIND LATITUDE,
IT'S THROUGH THE STARS.
HOW DO WE FIND LONGITUDE?
OBVIOUSLY, IT'S THROUGH THE STARS.
IT'S JUST A MORE COMPLEX WAY.
SO, ALL THE PEOPLE WHO WROTE THE RULES WERE ASTRONOMERS.
ALL OF THE JUDGES WERE ASTRONOMERS.
ALL THE TEAMS WERE ASTRONOMERS EXCEPT
FOR ONE GUY WHO WAS A WATCHMAKER.
AND WHICH ONE DO YOU THINK WON?
THE WATCHMAKER.
OF COURSE.
AND IT SURPRISED PEOPLE SO MUCH
THAT THEY DID NOT GIVE HIM THE PRIZE UNTIL AFTER HE DIED
AND HIS SON COLLECTED THE PRIZE.
HE PROVED THAT IT WORKED.
THEY SAID I DON'T BELIEVE IT.
THEY SAID GO DO IT AGAIN.
AT THIS TIME THAT MEANT HE HAD TO SAIL FROM THE UNITED KINGDOM
TO I THINK BRAZIL AND BACK,
SO THAT TOOK HIM ANOTHER FIVE YEARS.
THEY STILL DIDN'T BELIEVE IT.
HE HAD TO WRITE ALL THESE PAPERS,
HE HAD TO DO ALL THESE THINGS AND IT TOOK LIKE 20 YEARS.
THAT'S HOW OUTSIDE OF A BOX AN IDEA THIS WAS.
IF THAT GUY-- IF JOHN HARRISON HAD NOT BEEN CURIOUS
ABOUT THIS PROBLEM, WE WOULD STILL BE WAITING TO FIND A WAY
TO CALCULATE OUR LONGITUDE
BECAUSE IT BASICALLY IS NOT POSSIBLE
THROUGH CELESTIAL NAVIGATION.
EVEN WITH SUPER COMPUTERS AND THE HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE.
IT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH.
IT JUST DOESN'T MEAN ANYTHING.
SO, WE ABSOLUTELY-- THAT MODEL THRIVES ON CURIOSITY.
>> WHAT A GREAT ANSWER!
WHAT? DID WE ALL LEARN SOMETHING TONIGHT?
THERE YOU GO.
THERE'S THE PRICE OF ADMISSION RIGHT THERE,
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.
FINAL QUESTION FOR BOTH OF YOU TONIGHT
TO KIND OF BRING IT ALL HOME.
WHAT ARE YOUR FINAL THOUGHTS ON THE POWER OF CURIOSITY
IN BUSINESS AND IN ONE'S CAREER?
>> WELL, I THINK CURIOSITY IS SOMETHING THAT STARTS
WITH INSIDE EACH PERSON, SO THAT'S SORT
OF WHAT WE BRING TO THE GAME.
PARDON ME.
SO, WITHOUT CURIOSITY, ONE WILL JUST BE THAT COG IN MACHINE
AND COGS ARE NOT-- SEEM TO BE WORTH LESS
AND LESS ALL THE TIME.
SO, I THINK HAVING AN ACTIVE MIND AND YOU CAN HEAR
FROM WILL'S PATH THROUGH LIFE HE HAS A VERY ACTIVE MIND
AND TAKE SOME RISK AND I THINK WILL'S BEEN WILLING
TO TRY DIFFERENT THINGS ALL ALONG THE WAY.
SO, FOR THE ONE QUESTIONER EARLIER, LEAH,
I THINK IT'S BE VERY, VERY OPEN.
VERY, VERY WILLING TO TAKE RISK AND DO IT
WITH OPTIMISM AND CONFIDENCE.
TO SORT OF SUMMARIZE IT, IT'S--
IF YOU THINK ABOUT LIKE AN ENGINE.
AUTOMOBILE ENGINE.
IT'S THE PISTONS THAT GO UP AND DOWN THAT MAKE
THAT AUTOMOBILE MOVE, BUT IT'S THE SPARK PLUG
THAT FIRES THE PISTON.
AND, TO ME, CURIOSITY'S LIKE THE SPARK PLUG IN EACH OF OUR LIVES.
SO, IF WE WANT TO MOVE FORWARD, WE NEED TO HAVE CURIOSITY.
MAYBE WE'VE ALL SEEN THOSE DOS EQUIS COMMERCIALS,
THE MOST INTERESTING MAN IN THE WORLD.
WELL, YOU KNOW, HE SAYS STAY THIRSTY, MY FRIENDS.
BUT, HE'S ALWAYS DOING SOMETHING GREAT,
INTERESTING, AND EXCITING.
RIGHT? SO, I GUESS MY THOUGHT TO YOU ALL WOULD BE IF YOU WANT
TO HAVE A GREAT EXCITING LIFE AND CAREER,
STAY CURIOUS, MY FRIENDS.
[ LAUGHTER ]
[ APPLAUSE ]
>> BOY. I HATE TO EVEN SAY ANYTHING AFTER THAT.
THAT WAS SUCH A GOOD ANSWER.
THIS PODCAST BROUGHT TO YOU BY GOOD PEOPLE-- NO.
I HAVE HAD THE GOOD FORTUNE IN MY CAREER BECAUSE I'VE WORKED
ON A FIELD THAT PEOPLE ARE EXCITED ABOUT.
I'VE GOTTEN TO MEET A LOT OF ENTREPRENEURS, A LOT OF PEOPLE
WHO HAVE STARTED COMPANIES.
MANY OF WHOM HAVE STARTED, YOU KNOW, MULTIPLE COMPANIES.
SOME OF WHOM HAVE MADE OUTRAGEOUS SUMS OF MONEY
AND WHEN I ASK THEM ABOUT WHY THEY'VE STARTED THOSE COMPANIES
AND HOW THEY'VE STARTED THE COMPANIES, I FOUND ALMOST ALL
OF THEM HAVE A SEQUENCE OF TWO EMOTIONS.
IT'S FIRST FRUSTRATION AND THEN IT'S CURIOSITY.
IT'S SOMETHING HAPPENS TO THEM IN THEIR LIVES
THAT IS FUNDAMENTALLY DISSATISFYING
AND THEY'RE SAYING WHY THE F DID THAT HAPPEN THAT WAY.
WHY HASN'T SOMEONE COME UP WITH SOMETHING BETTER?
THIS STUPID THING BREAKS EVERY TIME I TRY--
WHY DOESN'T SOMEONE-- AND THEN THEY GET CURIOUS.
WHY DOESN'T SOMEONE DO THIS?
WHAT IF YOU DID IT THIS OTHER WAY?
AND SOMETIMES THAT LEADS NOWHERE
BECAUSE PEOPLE HAVE EXPLORED ALL THE OTHER BRANCHES ON THAT TREE
AND THERE ARE SOLID REASONS WHY YOU DON'T DO THOSE,
BUT A LOT OF TIMES IT'S BECAUSE NO ONE ELSE ASKED THAT QUESTION.
CURIOSITY IN BUSINESS OF ANY KIND, WHETHER IT'S BEING CURIOUS
ABOUT A NEW TYPE OF FOOD AND STARTING A FUSION RESTAURANT
OR FOOD TRUCK OR IT'S BEING CURIOUS ABOUT WHY IS IT
SO DANG EXPENSIVE TO PUT A GREENHOUSE ON MARS,
WHICH IS THE WAY ELON MUSK STARTED SPACEX.
HE WANTED TO PUT A GREENHOUSE ON MARS
AND HE DISCOVERED IT WAS EXTRAORDINARILY EXPENSIVE
AND HE SAID WHY IS IT SO EXPENSIVE.
I CAN ADD UP THE COST FOR BUYING THE ROCKET FUEL,
IT'S NOT THAT MUCH.
WHY DON'T I JUST GO AND DO THE DAMN THING MYSELF?
I THINK THAT EXPRESSION WHY DON'T I JUST GO
AND DO THE DAMN THING MYSELF IS LIKE THE FOUNDING CHARTER
OF ALMOST EVERY SUCCESSFUL STARTUP OUT THERE
AND THERE'S A QUESTION MARK,
THERE'S A CURIOSITY EMBEDDED IN THAT STATEMENT.
>> I NEED TO ASK EVERYBODY HERE IN THE AUDIENCE
TO PLEASE GIVE BOTH OF OUR PANELISTS A ROUSING--
AND YOURSELF A ROUND OF APPLAUSE.
YOU'VE BEEN LISTENING TO CRITICAL MASS RADIO SHOW.
THIS IS OUR COLLEGE SPEAKER SERIES.
OUR GUESTS TODAY GAVE US A LOT OF CONTENT.
DEAN SOLT, HE IS THE DEAN OF THE BUSINESS SCHOOL HERE
AT CAL STATE UNIVERSITY AT LONG BEACH AND WILL POMERANTZ
WHO IS VICE PRESIDENT IN SPECIAL PROJECTS FOR VIRGIN GALACTIC.
I'M YOUR HOST, RIC FRANZI.
I REALLY APPRECIATE THOSE OF YOU THAT STAYED UNTIL THE END
AND PARTICIPATED ACTIVELY AND LEARNED HOPEFULLY.
TAKE WHAT YOU'VE HEARD TONIGHT FROM OUR PANELISTS
AND FROM THE QUESTIONS THAT WERE ASKED BY YOUR PEERS AND SHARE IT
WITH AT LEAST TWO OF YOUR FRIENDS.
TAKE THAT CHALLENGE TONIGHT, WHETHER IT'S OVER A KEG
AT THE HOMECOMING PARTY
OR WHEREVER YOU MIGHT BE GOING LATER THIS EVENING
OR THIS WEEKEND AND KEEP THIS CONCEPT ALIVE
ABOUT BEING CURIOUS.
AND THE OTHER THING THAT I WOULD ASK IS SAMPLE IT YOURSELF.
NOTICE WHO IN YOUR NETWORK IS A CURIOUS SORT.
FIND THOSE PEOPLE WHO ASK GOOD QUESTIONS.
LEARN THAT SKILL TO ASK GOOD QUESTIONS.
LEADERS ASK GREAT QUESTIONS, LISTEN TO THE ANSWER,
AND FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO SOMETHING
WITH WHAT THEY'VE HEARD.
THE PERSON WHO GIVES THE RESPONSE IS NOW A PART
OF THE SOLUTION AND THE BEST IDEAS ARE IN YOUR BRAINS.
SHARE THEM WITH OTHERS.
ASK THE QUESTIONS.
BE A CURIOUS PERSON.
MAYBE SOMEDAY WHEN WE'RE BACK HERE DOING THIS
IN THE FUTURE WE'LL HAVE THE HONOR OF HAVING YOU AS ONE
OF OUR PANELISTS ON THIS STAGE AS WELL.
SO, FOR EVERYBODY INVOLVED IN THIS PRODUCTION TONIGHT,
I WANT TO THANK EVERYBODY WITH CAL STATE LONG BEACH.
WILL, THANK YOU AGAIN.
PAUL ROBERTS OC TALK RADIO.
THANK YOU ALL FOR STAYING TONIGHT.
GOOD NIGHT TO YOU IN THE AUDIENCE.
[ APPLAUSE ]
[ MUSIC ]