Americans: Neither Ugly nor Dumb
I have enjoyed the plethora of Wisdom apropos contemporary mores and innovation from Friam correspondents: finally a reply is irresistible. But I can respond only with banal facts I have personally experienced and know to be true. On dumth: I have earned a living in Africa, New Zealand , England and USA . During my years in the US I have found people to be generous, open-minded, honorable and mainly smarter than me. And folks here are significantly more civilized and humane than those in any other continent that I have worked in. So I am surprised at Friam correspondents’ apparent contempt for our fellow citizens - mebbe they know whereof they prattle, mebbe not. On innovation: the sage advice is all correct - and all irrelevant. I have spent decades working professionally with DARPA, NASA, DOD, US Renewable Energy Institute, many aerospace corps, and as a consultant for patent applications . I continually witness a brilliant, humbling, kaleidoscope of new ideas. I reckon, before pontif icating, pundits should establish qualifications of their own creativity: patents issued, original papers and articles, senior managerial accomplishments. Perhaps they are too modest to list these. I love reading the Friam stuff as fiction. I think Joyceans call it S tream of C onsciousness. It would be very nic e if people provided specific support for their assertions. Peter Lissaman, Da Vinci Ventures Expertise is not knowing everything, but knowing what to look for. 1454 Miracerros Loop South, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505,USA tel:(505)983-7728
============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org
