David's "1000 flowers" bring to mind H.L. Mencken's reply when asked how
much he would pay for 10,000 words on the San Francisco earthquake: "Which
words?, In what order?" (leaving aside the odds that such famous quotes
are likely to be misattributed). The 1000 flowers that get financed are
not a random sample of the 1,000,000 flower ideas out there, but are for
the most part cookie-cutter variations on what a few folks think they know
in advance are _commercial_. It's the same as the 57 channels on
TV -- an immense "variety" of conformism. I don't really see how a
thousand permutations and combinations of metoo.com are that much
different than, say 12, or maybe 57.
David Shemano wrote:
> Second, nowhere did I say the technology mania is a "massive waste of
> resources." In fact, I am saying the exact opposite. If you want
> technological progress, there is no way for anybody to know in advance with
> any certainty how to effectuate "progress." The best way is to let a 1000
> flowers bloom and see what people determine is useful. You cannot have
> progress without failure.
Tom Walker
(604) 947-2213
