Innovation

I read the same article in one of the IE mags,I get free.

I thought it a good article and showed insight on the part of the author.

Of course I agree with her,innovation is about taking a chance,the choice of course is "how much of a chance",,,,defined by cost versus possibility (%) in profit.

Joe in Texas

Isn't this the same article posted in this thread?

http://cr4.globalspec.com/thread/56239

I suspect the reluctance to take risks is the same all over the world. It all comes down to a risk/benefit ratio and how many resources a company can afford to dedicate to R&D. In today's world economy, short sighted goals and lack of available resources (people and money) can severely limit innovation.

Ah yes, i see now. But i got this from another source, so i did not know. Sorry. Should have searched CR4 first.Thanks for pointing it out...i will request CR4 to pull this one.

Its ok, the really good stuff keeps circulating because it continues to inform.

I used it in my blog some time ago (last november?) as well: http://pmpaspeakingofprecision.com/2009/11/19/6-rules-for-stifling-innovation/

Milo

Hi Shridhar,

In the shop floors Chief Engineer is referred as Cheap Engineer..

Good one !

But my old English boss defined an Engineer as "One who could make for a bob what any fool could make for a quid"

Your post was fine! Please keep it as-is since it opens the possibility for the discussion to develop along a different path.

Oh yes, there was some 'cascading' ranting there.... pity.

If I am not wrong, same artical was discussed in

http://cr4.globalspec.com/thread/56239

(...... OH! I did not see mjb1962 has pointed out same thing already. I wanted to delete my post, but seems that there is no provision to delete, just facility to edit is there. Thus, putting these additional remarks)

On reading this thread, I began wondering again what is it about the American economy (or legal system) that results in we consumers being fed relatively drab technology? I hear that in Europe, Japan and Korea, the variety and ingenuity of consumer technology (especially mobile, but I don't think limited to that sphere) is greater, and there is much that you simply can't buy in the US.

You can purchase more things more easily via a mobile phone overseas than you can here. European banking apparently makes wide use of more secure smart-cards with circuitry, instead of the simple magnetic strip the American banking system uses.

We Americans pride ourselves on our innovation, so why don't we excel everywhere?

i believe Apple is an awesome innovator. Even the battery charger of a Macbook is unique in my opinion. i am sure there are many more organisations and individuals who are great innovators.

Therein lies the rub i think. A great innovator, if he owns his company, can give shape to his dreams. If 7 out of 10 ideas fall flat (Macbook Air?) it is still ok. The pity is the thousands of innovators who are throttled by the system.

In my own tiny field of LV Switchgear, i am enthralled by the innovations of European companies. However, the original inventions came mostly from the USA. MCCB for example.

The time has come for USA to reinvent itself, if you will pardon my effrontery in saying so from far away.

Just as i submitted this post, Globalspec's newsletter arrived. Many good things, but relevant to this thread here....

http://www.longislandpress.com/2010/02/21/national-grid-provides-incentives-for-future-engineers/

Good news and bad news both ? The trend may be similar to what we see here...Computer Science still takes the best brains (pays astrnomical salaries compared to Power engineering or anything else) .. so we have all those engineers who are ripe for DVader

The time has come for USA to reinvent itself, if you will pardon my effrontery in saying so from far away.

"Officially," (speaking as an American citizen representing my country to a commensurate degree) I can say, "Your opinion is noted."

More unofficially, I say we're working on it. Roughly 60% of us agree with you, but only half of that 60% has any kind of consensus about the end result, a little less than half of that 60% wants an entirely different result, and the rest don't form a consensus. About 30% of America thinks there's nothing wrong with the way we are, or wish we could go back to the way we were. 5% can't bring themselves to care, and the final 5% like things just the way they are.

Finally, about 80% of the whole don't have the time/energy/passion to act - it's an overlapping set.

Don't get disheartened.. i have had the good fortune to interact with people who had >100 patents to their credit, and i am sure they represent a considerable part of your country ... these good and bad times come in waves, like an AC voltage wave, you simply can't help going up again .... wish you all good luck.

I agree with Shridhar. U.S has been great Innovator. Automobiles, Aeroplanes, Computers, Satellites, Internet etc all came from U.S. Now where are those people who were great Innovators. Present generation is busy with some thing else?. I do not know.

I lament too at the Indian scene.

Yet we seem to be good at inventions on the political or government front.

All sorts of ways of collecting clandestine cash, proving black is white and claiming uninterrupted power even when lights are off on an unscheduled power cut all point to great personal inventiveness.

We seem to develop cold feet when it comes to technological inventiveness.

Bioramani