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The lone inventor myth
by Rishi Sun Apr 07, 2013 12:39 pm
http://txchnologist.com/post/45139747427/tesla-vs-edison-debate-ignites-at-sxsw
Novak took on the myths that underpin the Tesla vs. Edison
debate – that Tesla’s work on alternating current was largely from his
own inspiration, that he died penniless after being cut out of millions
by Edison – and dismantled them. The source of many of these ideas about
Tesla, Novak said, came from a hagiography written soon after Tesla’s
death by a writer named Joseph J. O’Neill, that likened him to “a god.”
“The question is not: Who was a better inventor, Edison or
Tesla?” Novak said. “The question is: Why do we still frame the debate
in this way?” [Txchnologist is sponsored by General Electric, which is
the company of Edison, though we love Tesla, too.]
Inman replied that he was bewildered when his comic took off
and he didn’t expect it to be treated as though it was a Wikipedia
article.
“I absolutely speak in hyperbole and there are things in my
comic that are just wrong,” Inman said, adding that he had failed to
cite Joseph Swan as an inventor of the lightbulb.
Novak replied, “I take these things a little too seriously, and
I get that.” But he said that when it affects the national discourse,
there is a need to pull back. Tesla’s recognition of the
importance of this technology was extremely important. He was not the
sole inventor of these technologies.
He listed multiple other examples in his talk. For example, he
asked, who invented the Internet? He gave about 20 possible candidates
but suggested that, depending on the next 100 years, it’s possible that
people will believe the answer is Mark Zuckerberg.
Similarly, he took on the development of driverless cars. DARPA
had driverless car programs that ran throughout the 1980s but Google is
increasingly getting the sole credit for these innovations. Ditto for
Steve Jobs and tablets.
“The lone inventor myth is really good at selling T-shirts but it’s a poor understanding of history,” Novak said.
Novak took on the myths that underpin the Tesla vs. Edison
debate – that Tesla’s work on alternating current was largely from his
own inspiration, that he died penniless after being cut out of millions
by Edison – and dismantled them. The source of many of these ideas about
Tesla, Novak said, came from a hagiography written soon after Tesla’s
death by a writer named Joseph J. O’Neill, that likened him to “a god.”
“The question is not: Who was a better inventor, Edison or
Tesla?” Novak said. “The question is: Why do we still frame the debate
in this way?” [Txchnologist is sponsored by General Electric, which is
the company of Edison, though we love Tesla, too.]
Inman replied that he was bewildered when his comic took off
and he didn’t expect it to be treated as though it was a Wikipedia
article.
“I absolutely speak in hyperbole and there are things in my
comic that are just wrong,” Inman said, adding that he had failed to
cite Joseph Swan as an inventor of the lightbulb.
Novak replied, “I take these things a little too seriously, and
I get that.” But he said that when it affects the national discourse,
there is a need to pull back. Tesla’s recognition of the
importance of this technology was extremely important. He was not the
sole inventor of these technologies.
He listed multiple other examples in his talk. For example, he
asked, who invented the Internet? He gave about 20 possible candidates
but suggested that, depending on the next 100 years, it’s possible that
people will believe the answer is Mark Zuckerberg.
Similarly, he took on the development of driverless cars. DARPA
had driverless car programs that ran throughout the 1980s but Google is
increasingly getting the sole credit for these innovations. Ditto for
Steve Jobs and tablets.
“The lone inventor myth is really good at selling T-shirts but it’s a poor understanding of history,” Novak said.
Rishi- Posts : 5129
Join date : 2011-09-02
Re: The lone inventor myth
by Marathadi-Saamiyaar Sun Apr 07, 2013 1:42 pm
The politics, backstabbing, and petty cheapness that you find at office level is equally rampant at all these Noble professions all the way upto Nobel committee level.
They masquerade that as "free discussion."
They masquerade that as "free discussion."
Marathadi-Saamiyaar- Posts : 17675
Join date : 2011-04-30
Age : 110
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