The Myth That Ideas Are a Dime A Dozen
db's article on Savvy Street: "In the long run, technological progress (i.e. inventing), is the only competitive business advantage. The best management team in the world selling buggy whips at the turn of the century could not overcome the technological advance of the automobile. The best management team in the world selling vacuum tubes in the 1940s, could not overcome the advance of transistors and semiconductors.
This country is littered with companies that had great management teams that were overwhelmed by changes in technology. For instance, Digital Computers had a great management team, but they could not overcome the advance of the personal computer. Digital Computers, Inc. failed to invent fast enough to overcome the onslaught of small, inexpensive computers.
U.S. steel was not able to overcome the onslaught of mini-mills, aluminum, and plastics. This was not because they did not have a good management team, it was because the management team under- prioritized invention and over-prioritized execution or dissemination skills. Ford & GM have not become walking zombies because they did not have strong management teams, but because they have not invented."
This country is littered with companies that had great management teams that were overwhelmed by changes in technology. For instance, Digital Computers had a great management team, but they could not overcome the advance of the personal computer. Digital Computers, Inc. failed to invent fast enough to overcome the onslaught of small, inexpensive computers.
U.S. steel was not able to overcome the onslaught of mini-mills, aluminum, and plastics. This was not because they did not have a good management team, it was because the management team under- prioritized invention and over-prioritized execution or dissemination skills. Ford & GM have not become walking zombies because they did not have strong management teams, but because they have not invented."
Then, members of the team assigned to reviewing such assumptions would have come across developments in mechanically powered transport, and then done a business analysis on the impacts from this. People on the team worth their pay would have then come up with recommendations to 'pivot' over to motorised transport interests.
I am not trying to make some snide argument that ideas don't matter or in any way criticizing your article. I'm also not making some argument that once Edison found a practical realization of the lightbulb someone should be able to steal that technology.
The lightbulb really was 1% inspiration 99% perspiration. Edison got capital, built a lab (ironically with large windows to let in natural light) where people could come work for no money but for a chance at being around greatness and possibly getting wealth by making a share of that. He risked real money to publicize his inventions and to work on new inventions, some of which never panned out.
So what davidmcnab is saying rings completely true for me. Edison was a master at creating an org, creating prototypes, promoting technology at high-profile events, and tooling for large-scale production. Maybe we should call all those activities part of ideation, not "business" as if that were separate from invention. Maybe my confusion is in terms of what counts as invention and what is creating an organization.
I have programmed microcontrollers and used them in one of my own hardware designs. Nifty little beasts, sure. But they are just a marriage of existing microprocessor and PLC technologies. Minimal microprocessor (largely 1960s-70s architecture), plus support circuitry, together on a low-cost easy-to-deploy VLSI chip.
The electric light was a marriage of two known phenomena - the knowledge that metal wire carrying sufficiently high current to heat it to a temperature tends to emit visible light, plus the knowledge that oxidisation can not occur in a vacuum.
Many great inventions are simply novel (albeit often inspired) combinations of well established concepts. For decades I've been flooded with them. But to make it to market, they have so many hurdles to jump through.
As great a work of engineering that the uController is, I do not class it as a landslide invention. It is no Rearden Metal.
Even the much maligned buggy whip hasn't gone away. The population of consumers is just smaller.
There are many creators of disruptive technologies who've failed from a lack of management and marketing skills. I know this from experience, having invested in several such firms, strictly because they'd created something new and of great value, and botched delivering it to the customer base.
My kid once found the 45rpms and the 33s and 78s behind the sliding doors of the full blown sound system shelves. Looked at the 45 and said 'i didn't know they made hard floppy discs?
After some lessons with the equipment guess who advance inherited the lot and still operates it with now not 500 but four times that in vinyl. Most bought earlier if they passed the no scratch testl.
I grew up in the 50's plus.
Long before the Magic Bus
Became a digital collective
A set of ears was the prime objective
I'm glad I'm glad I'm glad
This did not just come about magically. I started in the business world selling insulations for use in outerwear. eventually I was selling my insulation to companies that made sleeping bags as well as outerwear. The more expensive makers turned to Polar Guard the very first and still only continuous filament fiber for use as am insulation. Today it is Lamilite with Climashield.The company I represented made it. I learned that quilted chopped staple fiberfill had to be quilted and the quilt stitching were cold spots. I then said what if we laminate it to eliminate the cold spots. But the chopped fiber would not work but then I tried the continuous filament fiber. It did work. So I bought a sewing machine and sewed up sample sleeping bags to show the companies I sold fiber to advising them that the best way to use the Polar Guard was to laminate it. No cold spots better insulation. Not a one believed me. There are other reasons to use it but you can read that on my web site. The idea to do this and actually make a useable product was 8 years in the making; i.e that was the time frame it took for me to get an education about all aspects of insulation from how it is made etc. The proof of how well my sleeping bags perform can be seen by reading the multitude of testimonials that I have received and continue to receive. Long after I am gone people will still be using my bags and if my heir can keep the company going they will continue to be sold. db is very correct good ideas are NOT a dime a dozen. When my patent attorney did the necessary research to see if my bag was patentable he sent copies to me of all those already patented. Of about 15 only one other bag patented was made and sold. It was originally patented by a company known as Alp Sports or Alpine Designs one and the same. They never made the bag but North Face did, It was known as shingle construction. Enormously expensive construction and it never worked but TNF sold them on their reputation. I do not think they make that construction today, makes no difference, bad product.
It is my belief that good ideas for products used by people are diminishing because the younger generation thinks by the age of 14 they know it all.
The LO was Al Lowe son of Lowe Alpine Systems and the TO Was Tom Cook a a retired Special Forces trooper. They manufactured in Emoryville California and also made quilted vests and i think sleeping bags for Columbia or one of the similar brands until US Labor costs stopped that. One could get the China/Malaya etc articles off the ship in Alameda for less expense.
I didn't see the government protecting their patent rights and innovations however onthe Loco Mark III
"The acceptance of the achievements of an individual by other individuals does not represent “ethnicity”: it represents a cultural division of labor in a free market; it represents a conscious, individual choice on the part of all the men involved; the achievements may be scientific or technological or industrial or intellectual or esthetic—and the sum of such accepted achievements constitutes a free, civilized nation’s culture. Tradition has nothing to do with it; tradition is being challenged and blasted daily in a free, civilized society: its citizens accept ideas and products because they are true and/or good—not because they are old nor because their ancestors accepted them. In such a society, concretes change, but what remains immutable—by individual conviction, not by tradition—are those philosophical principles which correspond to reality, i.e., which are true." “Global Balkanization,” The Voice of Reason, 119 (emphasis added)
The point I'm attempting to offer is that protection of private property arises from individual natural rights acknowledged and accepted by the group of individuals one associates with. Rights still exist regardless of the association involved, but protection of any rights relies on philosophical principles--not political (governing power) manipulations. It's interesting (and a bit disheartening) to see so much of the space and verbiage on this site devoted to the discussion of gaining or maintaining governing power (the ability to enact law and use force) rather than to the understanding and application of philosophical principles that support freedom and economic gain.
Rand seemed to deal with the conflict as she did in the quote provided above "The acceptance of the achievements of an individual by other individuals does not represent “ethnicity”: it represents a cultural division of labor in a free market; it represents a conscious, individual choice on the part of all the men involved; the achievements may be scientific or technological or industrial or intellectual or esthetic—and the sum of such accepted achievements constitutes a free, civilized nation’s culture." It is the acceptance of the achievements by other individuals by conscious, individual choice on the part of all men involved.
That acceptance cannot be forced nor "implemented by the governing power" gained through political whim or even party battles. We've seen the first attempt to implement by the governing power in the founding of this country, and it failed--spectacularly in many measures, from it's first day of existence--and it failed as the result of the failure of the intellectuals and institutions to maintain philosophical principles of individualism and laissez faire capitalism, as well as the compromises ceded between the Federalists and the Anti-federalists and to satisfy many other parties in order to get the Constitution accepted. I think that's why Jefferson saw the need for a revolution each generation--as a necessity to deal with those that sought and gained that governing power.
Not everyone has to become a businessperson, inventor, writer or artist in order to be creative. Objectivists can likely be found enjoying successful careers in any legitimate occupation. If government is necessary for a free society to function, then participating in government (including making improvements to its framework, as in Judge Narragansett’s case) is an honorable career for any Objectivist who wishes to pursue it. The alternative is to abandon the creation and implementation of public policy to power-lusters such as those who dominate most areas of government today.
Thank's for bringing this to the Gulch.
O.A.
My wife and I spent years honing our craft. She traveled to the Professional Photographers school in Indiana, I built a color darkroom, we kept up with the latest techniques, won prizes (Her) BUT when Kodak offered to finance the building of an automated color lab in my store, I grew suspicious. In any case, I looked down the road and decided that the day of the unaffiliated camera shop, photo studio or anything to do with photography had its days numbered.
As for Adams, he schlepped big old view cameras up mountainsides and cliffs in order to get just the right angle and waited until the lighting was just the way he wanted. If he wasn't happy he'd camp out in his van until he got the shot he wanted. Then, he'd spend as much time in the darkroom getting the print just right. It is rare to find that kind of photography today.
The king of 120 film cameras for many years was the dual lens Rolleiflex whose biggest advantage was its smaller size and light weight. It was supplanted by the single lens reflex Hasselblad.
It may be partly inspired by my comment that "uncommercialized ideas are a dime a dozen". https://www.galtsgulchonline.com/post...
The statement about a well-managed vacuum tube company vs semiconductors is powerful. I'm sure I would have scoffed at the first semiconductor prototype b/c it was bigger than a vac tube.
I think I fall into that Gen-X thinking that Peter Thiel describes where we think all cases of large investment on a new idea are WebVan.