Comments on: Regional Centers of Innovation 101 http://www.scienceprogress.org/2009/01/regional-centers-of-innovation-101/ Progressive approaches to science policy Thu, 18 Mar 2010 02:59:00 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: Michael F. Sarabia http://www.scienceprogress.org/2009/01/regional-centers-of-innovation-101/comment-page-1/#comment-4051 Michael F. Sarabia Sat, 17 Jan 2009 02:26:37 +0000 http://www.scienceprogress.org/?p=917#comment-4051 Look at the facts: NASA's half dozen regional centers of innovation have been decimated. ben Laden couldn't have done worse. In high energy physics, it was a sad note in 1991 when the many millions invested in the Texas Supercollider became a hole in the ground, yes, He was the political leader. Yes, you might say but we lead in airplane design, right? Barely, UK was about to get the biggest gift ever for the production of the next generation of refueling tankers. That was barely stopped. There will be an entirely new generation of engineers before an American company could even think, for a minute about competiing with a new design. You know, "How do you get to Julliard?" Practice, practice, practice... There are many, many more sad examples. Why not learn from the bad and the good experiences? You want to expedite innovation on robotic all terrain truck control and driving? Do what DARPA did! A contest! Big steps were taken. Want to innovate a way to the Moon? Do what Google did! Offer $25 Million to anyone that does that. There are two active entrants. But will they fail? Von Braun said "It is not that I knew more than anybody, it is that I had more opportunities to fail than anybody. I learnt from mistakes." Did the X-Prize fail? No, there was a winner and they are getting ready to go further to the next step. The X-Prize was renamed in honor of an cosmonaut that orbited with the Russian Soyus capsule and donate $25 Million to the X-Prize. The money came from sale of a big Hi-tech company in Dallas. She wants us to succeed. My point, to be made, requires increasing our level of humility. Hu? You cannot breed a superior race, that has been proven. You cannot train an inventor. Read the biography of Edison? Yes, but if you had the "right" environment, inventions would flow. It is appealing. It appeals to our sense of "order", this first, that second, etc. Did Werner Von Braun have such an environment? Did you know that Pres. Kennedy had to rule in his favor on a technical issue because all of NACA favored another approach to the Moon? Other than Pres. Elect Obama, do we have other examples of that? Finally, consider the Internet technology. Who is pushing it? Where is this environment that promotes these ideas? Where are the ideas found? First: Google and Intel and they put their money on the line, Billions of Dollars and they do not wait for committees to review, evaluate and recommend. Why not use a proven concept, instead of failed concepts? ARPA developed the Internet without having a military requirement. They, allegedly, wanted to link computers. The best approach is Incentives. A. Contribute a few millions to the X-Prize and they will develop a cheap way to put payloads in orbit. B. Take a chance and expect failures. For example, $100 Million, could make the Single Stage To Orbit Space plane concept a reality, or a big explosion. I have three degrees in Aero and I am convinced the principles are sound and Reaction Motors of UK will be the first to do it. Let's join them on this big step for mankind. Don't be swayed by alleged "pro-America" that will never admit that every year 100,000 of the best technical jobs in the nation are reserved for FOREIGH GRADUATES!! These smart $%^$% come here sponsored by Hi-Tech companies, probably from Silicon Valley -where I used to work. Are you still on the chair? There is more. The well known Institute in India holds yearly competition for the lucky few they accept. Those they reject, readily get places in the top technical universities in the nation. I will not mention their names, they do get excellent students. One of those turned me down still hurts. If they don't care to discuss how scientists should be trained, how can you optimize a process they cannot describe or discuss, without jingoistic distractions? Look at the facts: NASA’s half dozen regional centers of innovation have been decimated. ben Laden couldn’t have done worse.
In high energy physics, it was a sad note in 1991 when the many millions invested in the Texas Supercollider became a hole in the ground, yes, He was the political leader.

Yes, you might say but we lead in airplane design, right?
Barely, UK was about to get the biggest gift ever for the production of the next generation of refueling tankers.
That was barely stopped. There will be an entirely new generation of engineers before an American company could even think, for a minute about competiing with a new design. You know, “How do you get to Julliard?” Practice, practice, practice…
There are many, many more sad examples.

Why not learn from the bad and the good experiences?
You want to expedite innovation on robotic all terrain truck control and driving?
Do what DARPA did! A contest! Big steps were taken.
Want to innovate a way to the Moon?
Do what Google did! Offer $25 Million to anyone that does that. There are two active entrants.
But will they fail? Von Braun said “It is not that I knew more than anybody, it is that I had more opportunities to fail than anybody. I learnt from mistakes.”
Did the X-Prize fail? No, there was a winner and they are getting ready to go further to the next step.
The X-Prize was renamed in honor of an cosmonaut that orbited with the Russian Soyus capsule and donate $25 Million to the X-Prize. The money came from sale of a big Hi-tech company in Dallas. She wants us to succeed.
My point, to be made, requires increasing our level of humility. Hu?
You cannot breed a superior race, that has been proven.
You cannot train an inventor. Read the biography of Edison?
Yes, but if you had the “right” environment, inventions would flow.
It is appealing. It appeals to our sense of “order”, this first, that second, etc. Did Werner Von Braun have such an environment?
Did you know that Pres. Kennedy had to rule in his favor on a technical issue because all of NACA favored another approach to the Moon? Other than Pres. Elect Obama,
do we have other examples of that?
Finally, consider the Internet technology. Who is pushing it? Where is this environment that promotes these ideas?
Where are the ideas found?
First: Google and Intel and they put their money on the line, Billions of Dollars and they do not wait for committees to review, evaluate and recommend.
Why not use a proven concept, instead of failed concepts?
ARPA developed the Internet without having a military requirement. They, allegedly, wanted to link computers.
The best approach is Incentives.
A. Contribute a few millions to the X-Prize and they will develop a cheap way to put payloads in orbit.
B. Take a chance and expect failures. For example, $100 Million, could make the Single Stage To Orbit Space plane concept a reality, or a big explosion.
I have three degrees in Aero and I am convinced the principles are sound and Reaction Motors of UK will be the first to do it. Let’s join them on this big step for mankind.
Don’t be swayed by alleged “pro-America” that will never admit that every year 100,000 of the best technical jobs in the nation are reserved for FOREIGH GRADUATES!!
These smart $%^$% come here sponsored by Hi-Tech companies, probably from Silicon Valley -where I used to work. Are you still on the chair? There is more.
The well known Institute in India holds yearly competition for the lucky few they accept. Those they reject, readily get places in the top technical universities in the nation. I will not mention their names, they do get excellent students. One of those turned me down still hurts.
If they don’t care to discuss how scientists should be trained, how can you optimize a process they cannot describe or discuss, without jingoistic distractions?

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