OT - replying to this
and a lot of really neat stuff is coming out of the labs to spark a new tech rally. remember that the internet has compressed time and exaggerated social emotions/group instincts so everything is more turbulent because it happens faster
It seems to be a fairly common idea that people think that all science now moves at the speed of Moore's Law. I caution anyone who thinks so and acts upon that idea. Science is slow, painfully slow. Even with the fabulous instrumentation and theoretical knowledge we are blessed with today, innovation and invention can only be speeded up somewhat.
When I have an idea, let's say in a field/area I am already expert in, so I don't need to spend months on literature search and digestion, I have to have a plan to execute on it. The greater the potential commercial value, the longer the research project (let's call this tantal's correlary =P). You must get a team of people together, obtain funding, perhaps scope out, acquire capital for, and purchase, some equipment. The beaurocrats, of course, double or more the amount of time required for this portion.
Ok, then you can start the research. Research is a wonderful thing. The amount of time a project takes varies anywhere from unbeleivably little time (as you've had a brilliant insight, got lucky, or it simply wasn't as hard as you expected) to infinite time - it can't be done and the money you've spent has been wasted.
Well, then you somehow get this thing to work. Then you must apply for the patent. More time. You must catalog your work for others to follow. More writing. Then the project goes into the development phase. Technology transfer happens. God forbid you need to build a plant. More capital. Let's see that business plan you have, son.
The team grows at an exponential rate during this phase. More potential personality problems. More managers beefing up their resumes trying to get ahead fight to take credit for your work. You must fight political battles which takes time from your work.
It goes on. Did I mention that science is slow? The best inventions occur to you while you're working on something and you have a flash of brilliance. Really.
Einstein once said that the hard part of inventing was coming up with great ideas, and that all that was required after that is average technical skill to reduce it to practice. This is not too far from the mark, however average skill takes time to get things done.
Anyway, sorry for the lecture, but the pace of science has only apparently increased in the last three decades. The "least publishable unit" has gotten very small, and the "least hype-able unit" has become infinitesimally small, particularly with regard to nanotechnology. Awful term.
Small is small!
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