"Are you aware that we might not have had the Internet if it wasn't for government funded research? How much has your quality of life improved as a result of this?"
Might also be a good time to point out that the Internet did not fulfill it's intended goals either -- a communications network resistant to withstanding the loss of huge chunks of it's infrastructure most likely caused by large scale nuclear bombardment by the Soviets.
Great point. DARPA thought they were going to get a unified military communications system. Instead, they enabled a cultural revolution that has proven to be far better at fighting totalitarianism and promoting democracy than anything the military tried to invent.
Normally I don't feed trolls, but I think the point still has to be made. Just because something didn't succeed in it's initial intent doesn't mean it was valueless. Quite often, the secondary use of the thing is far more valuable.
Might also be a good time to point out that the Internet did not fulfill it's intended goals either -- a communications network resistant to withstanding the loss of huge chunks of it's infrastructure most likely caused by large scale nuclear bombardment by the Soviets.