Al Jazeera's Take on the Open Source HMD
http://m.aljazeera.com/story/2013715133717569407 My former AI professor (who actually is a big supporter of GOOG, helped design some of their search algorithms, and also did work for the DOD on software for doing satellite tracking from space, and is a big supporter of goog's new calico initiative ) has just put me onto this article. He is growing increasingly wary of all this patent, corporatism, profit sillyness that he is now perhaps seeing erode good open research that is hurting his tenured peers at various universities as they are marginalized by their administrators and the system. He has made some coin off his research, so to me its good to see him develop fears about this system from the inside.
Of course, those that care, can see the parallels mentioned in the article about research, patents, etc etc doing the least good for mankind versus enriching a few at the top. On perhaps why free open software and hardware and associated patents/legalities relating to VR can be harmed by certain beliefs, even though Mr. Luckey wants me (and many of you) to believe that perhaps the corporate/profit/patent way is the right way. Time will tell. (He did make the claim that without lotsa money he couldn't hire expensive people to do what was required eh? And maybe VR would fail without him and his company?) 8 billion humans on this planet, and to believe that without money some just wouldn't willingly do research and invest time for FREE just to make the world better? Perhaps Mr. Luckey is right. In a world where you don't have tenure, you don't have free research ability from the government to follow your passions, but instead are dictated to by profit seeking corporations (and thier bonus seeking CEO's) you will be very limited in what you can pursue. What say you VR university research people? Is it wise to let companies dictate research patterns to universities and then be able to patent research that was funded on the public's dime? Talk about enriching the 1% at the cost of the 99%! Sith LORDS! I failed you Annakin :(
I had some talks with Stephen Fleming, commercialization officer at Ga Tech a few years ago about this dangerous trend, but its hard to get someone to see a different viewpoint, when their paycheck is so contingent on them not seeing it!!
Sharing science is a crime
Last updated: 3 August 2013
The more one shares, the more one undermines a future patent application and a system that encourages privatisation.
You did it, friend. You helped discover the cure for cancer. Pretty big deal, that. Just imagine: Within 20 years, leukemia and lymphoma could end up being nothing more than trendy baby names - alongside yours.
Understandably, your first impulse might be to share your discovery. Tell the world! But not so fast, professor. Your holier-than-thou plan for sainthood has one big flaw: that fancy little cure of yours is worth a pretty little penny. And divulging that cure before someone can patent it is likely to land you in a prison cell for crimes against economic disparity. Quarterly profits are people too, you know. And the reality is whether you want to be a saint or not, the economic considerations that govern academic research in the United States almost give one no choice but to be a scoundrel.
It doesn't matter if you start out working for a university. Scientists are given two choices for getting their research funded, academia or not: go to work for the Pentagon or start making something you can patent. And the government and its corporations want it that way. Article continues.....
Of course, those that care, can see the parallels mentioned in the article about research, patents, etc etc doing the least good for mankind versus enriching a few at the top. On perhaps why free open software and hardware and associated patents/legalities relating to VR can be harmed by certain beliefs, even though Mr. Luckey wants me (and many of you) to believe that perhaps the corporate/profit/patent way is the right way. Time will tell. (He did make the claim that without lotsa money he couldn't hire expensive people to do what was required eh? And maybe VR would fail without him and his company?) 8 billion humans on this planet, and to believe that without money some just wouldn't willingly do research and invest time for FREE just to make the world better? Perhaps Mr. Luckey is right. In a world where you don't have tenure, you don't have free research ability from the government to follow your passions, but instead are dictated to by profit seeking corporations (and thier bonus seeking CEO's) you will be very limited in what you can pursue. What say you VR university research people? Is it wise to let companies dictate research patterns to universities and then be able to patent research that was funded on the public's dime? Talk about enriching the 1% at the cost of the 99%! Sith LORDS! I failed you Annakin :(
I had some talks with Stephen Fleming, commercialization officer at Ga Tech a few years ago about this dangerous trend, but its hard to get someone to see a different viewpoint, when their paycheck is so contingent on them not seeing it!!
Sharing science is a crime
Last updated: 3 August 2013
The more one shares, the more one undermines a future patent application and a system that encourages privatisation.
You did it, friend. You helped discover the cure for cancer. Pretty big deal, that. Just imagine: Within 20 years, leukemia and lymphoma could end up being nothing more than trendy baby names - alongside yours.
Understandably, your first impulse might be to share your discovery. Tell the world! But not so fast, professor. Your holier-than-thou plan for sainthood has one big flaw: that fancy little cure of yours is worth a pretty little penny. And divulging that cure before someone can patent it is likely to land you in a prison cell for crimes against economic disparity. Quarterly profits are people too, you know. And the reality is whether you want to be a saint or not, the economic considerations that govern academic research in the United States almost give one no choice but to be a scoundrel.
It doesn't matter if you start out working for a university. Scientists are given two choices for getting their research funded, academia or not: go to work for the Pentagon or start making something you can patent. And the government and its corporations want it that way. Article continues.....
