[LINK] Alston backflips

[Ron Ipsen]

Hmmm..

Having a bit of a look at the Age article..

 >Mr Howard next Monday will reveal the entire innovation package,
 >representing the Coalition Government's most serious attempt to boost the
 >science and information technology sectors.
 >

Fair enough, lets what they've got for us this time..


 >The package is also likely to include more generous tax concessions for
 >research and development;

<skepticism>

Now that all our inventors are down to the seat of their pants, not much 
that  tax concessions can do for them ..

  increased funding for the Australian Research Council;

Ummm.. who?

 > and a further boost for the Co-operative Research Centre program.

Which does what for the small inventors.. who are inevitably the ones who 
come up with the stuff..

 >The national science and technology centre Questacon will co-ordinate the
 >information technology program for schools, which will include roadshows,

like we have in all states already,

 >teaching material

handouts and pamphlets and some career advice..

 >and a website promoting careers in science and information
 >technology.

Just what we need, another gov't funded info portal, that's bound to fix it 
all up. Maybe their current one http://www.ignite.net.au didn't cost enough.

Maybe its just the preliminary puff up for the announcements of the BITS 
Advanced Network Program, the $40m one off due soon.


Looks like its a lot of window dressing and throwing money at established 
research money pits.

I dont see anything (yet) encouraging the development of a culture of 
innovation within a populace, nothing that encourages the bloke in the shed 
to go and ask the local Uni "How do we work together to make this happen?".

I dont see any sign that the Uni's will be given the resources to assist.

Just some more money poured into peak bodies and absorbed into the 
bureaucracies.

</skepticism>

I really hope that this isn't the case but it sure looks like it will be 
from these reports.


IMHO.. real innovation comes from looking from a different perspective.

  You wont find it in the statistical norm in any  field - no matter how 
well educated they are, in fact often the reverse. If the "educated" are 
all taught similar thought processes then true innovation from that group 
would be rare.

The seeds of a totally new concept would have to come from outside of this 
bland pool.

I cant see that pouring more money into a few bland pools is going to help.

Perhaps that's because I havent met any inventors (yet) who have come from 
a mainstream uni background hmmm..

...perhaps "inventing 101" could be added to the computer science courses, 
covering lateral thinking, postulant deliberation, how to hock your house 
and dealing with patent attorneys :-)

Just IMHO of course Phil...

Ron.



"The core of leadership is vision. Vision is seeing the potential purpose 
hidden in the chaos of the moment, but which could bring to birth new 
possibilities for a person, a company or a nation."

William van Dusen Wishard