Comments on: Suppress innovation, but claim the credit http://michaelnielsen.org/blog/suppress-innovation-but-claim-the-credit/ Mon, 07 May 2012 21:35:26 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: Steve http://michaelnielsen.org/blog/suppress-innovation-but-claim-the-credit/comment-page-1/#comment-15256 Steve Mon, 27 Oct 2008 12:52:20 +0000 http://michaelnielsen.org/blog/?p=477#comment-15256 This is particularly poignant in your case, Michael. Please succeed in doing something revolutionary in spite of it all! This is particularly poignant in your case, Michael. Please succeed in doing something revolutionary in spite of it all!

]]> By: Michael Nielsen http://michaelnielsen.org/blog/suppress-innovation-but-claim-the-credit/comment-page-1/#comment-15205 Michael Nielsen Sat, 25 Oct 2008 01:37:33 +0000 http://michaelnielsen.org/blog/?p=477#comment-15205 Hi John - I agree that the increasing emphasis on accountability and top-down strategy is a bad thing. But in the particular case of the web, I don't think the good old days were a whole lot better. Berners-Lee actively tried to get support for a project at CERN for two years, without making any headway. He easily might not have done it at all, or been delayed more years, if his manager had been of a slightly different mind. Unix seems to match your picture better; I get the impression that Thompson et al were at least tolerated at Bell Labs, if not exactly encouraged. Hi John – I agree that the increasing emphasis on accountability and top-down strategy is a bad thing. But in the particular case of the web, I don’t think the good old days were a whole lot better. Berners-Lee actively tried to get support for a project at CERN for two years, without making any headway. He easily might not have done it at all, or been delayed more years, if his manager had been of a slightly different mind. Unix seems to match your picture better; I get the impression that Thompson et al were at least tolerated at Bell Labs, if not exactly encouraged.

]]> By: John Quiggin http://michaelnielsen.org/blog/suppress-innovation-but-claim-the-credit/comment-page-1/#comment-15202 John Quiggin Sat, 25 Oct 2008 00:08:25 +0000 http://michaelnielsen.org/blog/?p=477#comment-15202 I think the lesson is a subtly different one. The Web and Unix arose, in part, because the organizations involved hired bright people and gave them enough slack to pursue creative ideas. The grant-giving committees may not be clever enough to pick the winners, but they did leave enough space for winners to emerge any way. That is all under threat with increasing emphasis on accountability and corporate strategy. I think the lesson is a subtly different one. The Web and Unix arose, in part, because the organizations involved hired bright people and gave them enough slack to pursue creative ideas. The grant-giving committees may not be clever enough to pick the winners, but they did leave enough space for winners to emerge any way. That is all under threat with increasing emphasis on accountability and corporate strategy.

]]> By: Who Invented the Internet? « Organizations and Markets http://michaelnielsen.org/blog/suppress-innovation-but-claim-the-credit/comment-page-1/#comment-15176 Who Invented the Internet? « Organizations and Markets Thu, 23 Oct 2008 22:10:11 +0000 http://michaelnielsen.org/blog/?p=477#comment-15176 [...] either.) But who did invent the internet? Physicists have long maintained that they did. Michael Nielsen (via Josh Gans) disagrees: It’s true that the principal inventor of the web, Tim Berners-Lee, was [...] [...] either.) But who did invent the internet? Physicists have long maintained that they did. Michael Nielsen (via Josh Gans) disagrees: It’s true that the principal inventor of the web, Tim Berners-Lee, was [...]

]]> By: Michael Nielsen http://michaelnielsen.org/blog/suppress-innovation-but-claim-the-credit/comment-page-1/#comment-15174 Michael Nielsen Thu, 23 Oct 2008 19:15:48 +0000 http://michaelnielsen.org/blog/?p=477#comment-15174 Ewout, I nearly put that in, but I'm unsure to what extent it represents generosity on CERN's part, and to what extent it represents lack of awareness, i.e., it's possible that if they'd realized the value, they'd have tried to keep it proprietary. Certainly, TBL seems to have been very well aware of the value of making the web open. Curiously, Mosaic launched one week before CERN made the web open. Ewout,

I nearly put that in, but I’m unsure to what extent it represents generosity on CERN’s part, and to what extent it represents lack of awareness, i.e., it’s possible that if they’d realized the value, they’d have tried to keep it proprietary. Certainly, TBL seems to have been very well aware of the value of making the web open.

Curiously, Mosaic launched one week before CERN made the web open.

]]> By: Ewout ter Haar http://michaelnielsen.org/blog/suppress-innovation-but-claim-the-credit/comment-page-1/#comment-15173 Ewout ter Haar Thu, 23 Oct 2008 17:28:53 +0000 http://michaelnielsen.org/blog/?p=477#comment-15173 I think it is fair to mention the decision of CERN to put TBL's work in the public domain (see http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7375703.stm , especially the image ). This is often mentioned as an important factor (over and above the technical ones) in accounts of how the Web won (over Gopher, for example). Large organizations being not receptive to innovation is not news. Doing the right thing with respect to intellectual property is news, especially 15 years ago when open source was still a radical idea and the idea that the mistreatment of IP issues as an enormous obstacle to innovation was not yet mainstream. I think it is fair to mention the decision of CERN to put TBL’s work in the public domain (see http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7375703.stm , especially the image ). This is often mentioned as an important factor (over and above the technical ones) in accounts of how the Web won (over Gopher, for example).

Large organizations being not receptive to innovation is not news. Doing the right thing with respect to intellectual property is news, especially 15 years ago when open source was still a radical idea and the idea that the mistreatment of IP issues as an enormous obstacle to innovation was not yet mainstream.

]]> By: Hayk Hakobyan http://michaelnielsen.org/blog/suppress-innovation-but-claim-the-credit/comment-page-1/#comment-15167 Hayk Hakobyan Thu, 23 Oct 2008 08:14:49 +0000 http://michaelnielsen.org/blog/?p=477#comment-15167 Couldn't agree more! It is against the very nature any establishment or institution to encourage or support change - any such endeavor leading to changes, as you said, of unpredictable nature. Establishments, however innovative and change-inducing they might claim to be, usually are so. Even the most innovative of companies, let alone scientific establishments such as CERN, such as Google stiffle innovation to one extent or another - and this is Google. In addition to that, in science at least, there is also a misattribution of discoveries/inventions. Have a post about it at http://fail92fail.wordpress.com/category/scientific-failures/ Couldn’t agree more!

It is against the very nature any establishment or institution to encourage or support change – any such endeavor leading to changes, as you said, of unpredictable nature.

Establishments, however innovative and change-inducing they might claim to be, usually are so. Even the most innovative of companies, let alone scientific establishments such as CERN, such as Google stiffle innovation to one extent or another – and this is Google.

In addition to that, in science at least, there is also a misattribution of discoveries/inventions.

Have a post about it at http://fail92fail.wordpress.com/category/scientific-failures/

]]> By: Jesse Rodgers http://michaelnielsen.org/blog/suppress-innovation-but-claim-the-credit/comment-page-1/#comment-15163 Jesse Rodgers Thu, 23 Oct 2008 01:51:15 +0000 http://michaelnielsen.org/blog/?p=477#comment-15163 It is human nature to not encourage people to try different things. The tribe is safe is we do things that we know work, the same way (think Engineers)... new things might kill the crops or poison the well. Having worked in academia for most of my professional life thus far I have seen time and again that the only innovation comes from those that don't tell anyone what they are doing and just do it. Easier to beg forgiveness and all that. Colleagues quickly point fingers when things go wrong and are paralyzed by indecision. This finger pointing fuels the fear of failure that lingers in the halls of pretty much all academic institutions I would imagine. Academics do it, staff do it... everyone perpetuates this culture. I see that as the perfect place to try new things... the people that could stop you are so busy with their consensus building on old issues they can't pay attention. Frustration comes when your idea works and they claim credit (happened to me a number of times). But I have learned to just move on to the next crazy idea... It is human nature to not encourage people to try different things. The tribe is safe is we do things that we know work, the same way (think Engineers)… new things might kill the crops or poison the well.

Having worked in academia for most of my professional life thus far I have seen time and again that the only innovation comes from those that don’t tell anyone what they are doing and just do it. Easier to beg forgiveness and all that. Colleagues quickly point fingers when things go wrong and are paralyzed by indecision. This finger pointing fuels the fear of failure that lingers in the halls of pretty much all academic institutions I would imagine. Academics do it, staff do it… everyone perpetuates this culture.

I see that as the perfect place to try new things… the people that could stop you are so busy with their consensus building on old issues they can’t pay attention. Frustration comes when your idea works and they claim credit (happened to me a number of times). But I have learned to just move on to the next crazy idea…

]]> By: Peter Turney http://michaelnielsen.org/blog/suppress-innovation-but-claim-the-credit/comment-page-1/#comment-15158 Peter Turney Wed, 22 Oct 2008 21:46:39 +0000 http://michaelnielsen.org/blog/?p=477#comment-15158 An interesting case is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philo_Farnsworth" rel="nofollow">Philo Farnsworth</a> and the way he was treated by RCA, Philco, and ITT. An interesting case is Philo Farnsworth and the way he was treated by RCA, Philco, and ITT.

]]> By: CoreEcon » Blog Archive » The Internet and Academics http://michaelnielsen.org/blog/suppress-innovation-but-claim-the-credit/comment-page-1/#comment-15157 CoreEcon » Blog Archive » The Internet and Academics Wed, 22 Oct 2008 21:22:51 +0000 http://michaelnielsen.org/blog/?p=477#comment-15157 [...] that the Internet is the keystone example of why unfettered research in academia is a good idea. Michael Nielsen challenges that canonical [...] [...] that the Internet is the keystone example of why unfettered research in academia is a good idea. Michael Nielsen challenges that canonical [...]

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