rrc124+@PITT.EDU wrote:

> Lately, I've been worried. I see a trend, and i'd like all your input on it.. since many of you are on the front lines. Over the years, I have seen a slow erroding of the possibilities for success of the solitary inventor, tinkering with electronics in his basement and coming out with the next big thing. Hundreds of reasons can be listed, including:
>
> -Move from DIP to SMD devices which require expensive machinery.

True, but not relevent. Almost all can be done by hand.

>
> -New consumer products tending to be much more complex, to the point where your own car requires specialized technicians and computers to tinker with.
>
> -Like the SMD problem, so many more high cost captiol investments are needed.. not more is a simple oscilliscope good enough - now you have $500 compilers, 1000 min purchase requirements for devices, etc.
>
> -Amazingly expensive patent process.

Patents are just fluff. The guy who gets there first makes the money,
patent or no patent. I hold 2 patents, and I gotta say: they are really
worthless. Their primary purpose is to keep corporate lawyers busy.

> There are a lot more little bits of proof that I seem to forget now. Maybe i'm just seeing something that isn't there. That's why I want another opinion ;-)

Nope, you are just gettin' tired and old. Just like I am.

---

Good ideas are good ideas regardless of the source. Many good ideas come
from people at big companies. But the actual IDEA is created in that
unique flash of insight within the mind of an individual person. No
committee ever had a brilliant idea, but somebody on that committee did-
from time to time- or the company would not be in business.

Notice that since 1880, the Nobel Prize selection team has NEVER awarded
a Nobel Prize to a company.

The notion that Edison was an solitary genius is pretty much a myth. He
had some ideas: some hohum, some good, some brilliant, and some VERY
bad. He then got a team of engineers together and verified, refined, and
developed the idea. Edison was dead wrong on the issue of DC vs AC
power, but was right about the incandescent bulb.

Now, go out and have a great day. And a good idea!

--Bob
--

Replier: Most attachments rejected
       --------------
         Bob Axtell
PIC Hardware & Firmware Dev
   http://beam.to/baxtell
       1-520-219-2363

--
http://www.piclist.com hint: The PICList is archived three different
ways.  See http://www.piclist.com/#archives for details.