Edison and "collaboration"

[jcarmody]

I just got this article in my inbox titled To Invent Like Edison, Learn to Collaborate.  It made me think of the reading I've done about Nikola Tesla and the suggestions that Edison was a thief less productive than history would have us believe.  This quote, in a book by his great-grandniece, made me smile:

 

He viewed collaboration as the beating heart of his laboratories, a sustaining resource that fueled the knowledge assets of his sprawling innovation empire

 

I'll be he did!

[jcarmody]

Here's an article that answers The Oatmeal's comic about Tesla & Edison.  They're both interesting reads, but the comic is funnier.

[hooovahh]

Here's an article that answers The Oatmeal's comic about Tesla & Edison.  They're both interesting reads, but the comic is funnier.

And then this answer to the article is also an interesting read.

[jcarmody]

And then this answer to the article is also an interesting read.

I wish I could "Like" this twice.  Thanks so much.

[Daklu]

And then this answer to the article is also an interesting read.

 

Huh.  I thought it was interesting too, but The Oatmeal's response came across to me as really defensive, full of straw men, and guilty of the very things (and to a greater extent) he is accusing the Forbes author of.  I fully agree with The Oatmeal's point that Tesla's contributions to modern technology are underappreciated.  However, he doesn't have to bend the truth glorifying Tesla or smearing Edison to raise the public's appreciation of Tesla's work.  Let his achievements stand on their own merits. 

 

After reading both I'm left feeling like The Oatmeal's comic (and response) is the work of someone with an axe to grind and the Forbes article is closer to the truth.  I hate it when people attempt to manipulate my opinion by bending the truth, and when I catch them doing it I tend to discount any information I might have obtained from them.  So thanks for taking the time to respond to that article The Oatmeal; it gave me a valuable glimpse into your motivations and provided me with the information I need to determine the value of your original comic.

[Wire Warrior]

When I look at the things like this I always prefer the quote of Einstein, "If I have seen farther than other men, it is because I have stood on the shoulder of giants."

 

Of course in reading the Oatmeal Comic and Forbes articles I kept drawing analogies to Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. 

 

I do find interesting that there are people out there who villify those who seek to profit from work.  Lord knows I don't show up everyday for the view.

[Yair]

When I look at the things like this I always prefer the quote of Einstein, "If I have seen farther than other men, it is because I have stood on the shoulder of giants."

 

Actually, it's attributed to Newton, who use a capital G in "Giants", supposedly to insult the person he sent the letter to, who was short, but that's apparently just a myth - http://www.isaacnewton.org.uk/essays/Giants . The actual idiom is older than that.

[Wire Warrior]

cool! Thanks for clarifying.