RE: colonial weapons (chip fabs and colony math)

As probably the only lister living in North Dakota, I guess I'll have to
reply to this one though I don't see it as an insult, just a chance to
further educate others.

> Certain industries are going to be non existent on smaller colony
> worlds. PERIOD. Eventually they will make it. But it will take time.
> One can extend this sort of idea to certain states.
>
> I can go to North Dakota and find lots of farmers.

Fewer and fewer actually, they are all moving to the cities

> I won't find a
> factory that fabricates chips. I won't likely find many people that
> can even burn e-proms in their basement work shop either. If I wanted
> to suddenly locate a business in North Dakota to make computers, I'm
> going to have a hard time getting it set up.

Even backwoods places have more than most people think.  Check out
Phoenix
International, located in Fargo: http://www.phoeintl.com/
"Phoenix International® is a leader in the design and manufacture of
custom,
integrated electronic solutions for Original Equipment Manufacturers.
Since
our inception in 1987, we have developed highly ruggedized electronic
components and systems for industries that rely on their equipment to
function under the most adverse conditions—industries such as
on-highway,
agriculture, heavy construction, industrial control, material handling
and
more."

Imation (3M) has a major factory and hour south of Fargo that made most
of
their 3.5" computer disks along with magnetic tape and other storage
media.
They recently expanded their production to include optical media such as
magneto-optical, CD-ROM, CD-RW and DVD.

Great Plains Software was just bought by Microsoft, and was large enough
so
the CEO of Great Plains became a Senior VP of Microsoft.

There GEM Electric Car is built here, and they were recently bought by
DaimlerChrysler.
http://gemcar.com/

> I won't have enough skilled workers for that industry.

Phoenix International employs over 200 engineers alone and North Dakota
State University has set up a Research and Technology Park where labs
and
equipment are shared between hi-tech companies like Phoenix
International.
As result, NDSU has landed several Department of Defense research
grants.

> I won't have any nearby
> contractors for parts or supplies I'll need. I will be shipping
> harddrives, components, power supplies, CRTs, connectors, memory and
> processors from out side of the country. Sure, I could get cases
> fabricated there easy. But, I could set the same kind of factory up
> in Silicon valley and be set for everything I need, there would be
> local businesses with those fields already set up. Either as brokers
> that bring it in from else where, or items that are made in-situ.

Sure some places will be better located than others but many
metropolitan
locations will still have to import some componants since the don't
produce
it all localy.

> Granted, shipping is cheap, but, if it's so cheap, why aren't there
> computer makers in North Dakota?

Well Gateway was mentioned and its not that far south of ND.  Also while
ND
is somewhat insulated from the rest of the world (the economic slowdown
effecting the rest of the US is barely being felt here) unemployment is
very, very low so some companies have decided not to locate here because
the
pool of available workers is just too small.

Sure ND does not make everything but next time you eat some pasta or
drink
some beer (in the US), there is probably an North Dakota connection
since
the Durham and the Barley they were made from was probably grown here.

How this effects manufacturing on colonies, hmmmmm, let me
think......;-)

Dean Gundberg

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