Does Conservatism stifle innovation?

[bobabode]

Originally Posted by finnbow

As a structural engineer, I'm OK with it.

C'mon Pat! No love for Galloping Gertie?

[merrylander]

Originally Posted by bobabode

C'mon Pat! No love for Galloping Gertie?

Near as I recall thhey took down GG and reassembled her somewhere along the Alaska Highway.

Never did understand why there is so much against pre-stressed concret in bridge building. Lots of it in The Netherlands and even just north of here in Quebec. You don't have to paint them every 5 or 6 years.

Whatever, at the moment you can take private enterprise and shove it up your arse. Our Verizon phone has been out for a week and there is no way you can get anything resembling intelligence from their web site, designed by a barking idiot. Yeaterday BG&E decided to play silly buggers with the electricity and now our heat pump trips the breaker so we have no A/C. This country is going to hell in a handcart all because it is dedicated to the half assed idea that private industry can do things better than the government - bullshit!

[BlueStreak]

Originally Posted by finnbow

As a structural engineer, I'm OK with it.

I was just wondering if you've ever had to do any "on the fly" innovation during your career? Unforseen conditions arise, causing you too get creative, etc.? I'm sure you have.

In my line of work the ability to do this is key to successful employment. Anyone can bump along performing the routine tasks, or simply remember what was done "....the last time this happened.". Unless, of course it hasn't happened before or you are doing something to improve exisiting equipment/operations. That's where the men are separated from the boys.

Dave

[bobabode]

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...tSeD8pJcOMgnqw

Galluping Gertie for those who've never heard of this bridge over the Tacoma Narrows. The impetus for factoring wind loads into bridge building IIRC. Also a favorite on the "Engineering Disasters" TV show.

[finnbow]

Originally Posted by BlueStreak

I was just wondering if you've ever had to do any "on the fly" innovation during your career? Unforseen conditions arise, causing you too get creative, etc.? I'm sure you have.

All the time, either in the form of innovative engineering fixes or innovative use of contract boilerplate clauses to force my will upon contractors.

[BlueStreak]

Originally Posted by bhunter

I have a difficult time giving a study that includes the following much credence:



The subjective judgement of the researcher has far too much influence on the purported conclusion of the study. One could just as well consider the highlighted event as reckless and assert that conservatives are more careful or thoughtful. Come to think of it, I may not mind innovators in math and physics research, but I really don't want too much innovation in bridge building.

There's a bit of that going around this great country of ours. Probably why foreign bridge builders are getting so far out ahead of us.

(Heck, lately we refuse to even fix existing bridges, let alone build any new ones. Seems to me were "cost cutting" ourselves into oblivion in some regards.)

[wgrr]

Originally Posted by BlueStreak

There's a bit of that going around this great country of ours. Probably why foreign bridge builders are getting so far out ahead of us.

(Heck, lately we refuse to even fix existing bridges, let alone build any new ones. Seems to me were "cost cutting" ourselves into oblivion in some regards.)

They have no trouble building new bridges over the Mississippi river when they lead to casinos.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenville_Bridge

I have never been over it but saw it under construction in 2007. It looks incredible.

[BlueStreak]

Sounds about right.

[BlueStreak]

Is electricity still "...the work of the devil"?

How about flying? God obviously didn't want humans to fly, or he would've put wings on our backs....Right?

[bhunter]

Originally Posted by finnbow

Just a brain fart here. Considering that innovation in modern America is centered in liberal areas (Massachusetts, California, Washington State, Minnesota, Maryland ...), might it be that modern conservatism (resistance to change, anti-science proclivities, ...) inherently stifles innovation? How many drivers of our current technology were invented/developed in the Bible Belt as opposed to places like Palo Alto and Cambridge?

I think it has more to do with where major universities located and the strength of those universities in attracting talent. The technology companies spawned from those universities stayed close. The four biotech areas spring to mind as good examples: SF Bay Area, San Diego, Cambridge, and Raleigh-Durham. Perhaps, it also pays to have good weather and cultural depth to attract leading scientific innovators. There is also a bandwagon effect in attracting talent. Roger Revelle's baby, UCSD, is an excellent example of how to develop a major research institution IMO.