academe

[Peter Kosenko]

Robert Cringely's "Accidental Empires" is an entertaining read about how accident (rather than "entrepreneurial vision") played a large role in the developement of the PC and software industry.  Isn't very good on large economic issue, but entertaining, and has some choice detail about the usual suspects.

Peter Kosenko

---------- Original Message ----------------------------------
From: Carrol Cox <cbcox at ilstu.edu>
Reply-To: lbo-talk at lists.panix.com
Date: Thu, 31 May 2001 11:56:51 -0500


>
>
>Doug Henwood wrote:
>> 
>>  You don't find that sort of rampant self-delusion in
>> R&D departments, 
>
>Hah -- some years ago the R&D department at Ameritech (actually, EDS was
>contracted to do the work) spent several hundred million dollars to
>create a new billing system, then scratched the whole thing as a
>complete loss.
>
>How do you measure the efficiency of an R&D department? By luck? Would
>there be any way to collect statistics on the number of R&D projects
>that failed in the last 50 years? 
>
>Luck was how post-it notes were 'invented,' an accidental by-blow of a
>failed research program.
>
>Carrol
>