XPost: sci.electronics.design, comp.dsp   
   From: invalid@invalid.invalid   
      
   Phil Hobbs wrote:   
   > Tim Wescott wrote:   
   >> On Sun, 28 Jun 2009 14:47:59 -0700, Le Chaud Lapin wrote:   
   >>   
   >>> Hi All,   
   >>>   
   >>> I am on the downslope of disillusionment regarding the truth of US-   
   >>> Government-funded research. I could pick any from a broad array of such   
   >>> insitutions and tell you of utterly-perplexing interactions I have had   
   >>> with them, but I decided to focus on DARPA, since, as we know, they were   
   >>> the original financial supporters of the Internet, it is claimed, and I   
   >>> do research with Internet protocols.   
   >>>   
   >> -- snip -->   
   >>> -Le Chaud Lapin-   
   >>   
   >> Because any government program is, perforce, run by bureaucrats, and   
   >> bureaucrats (a) never get fired for saying "no", and (b) often get   
   >> fired for saying "yes".   
   >>   
   >> The advantage (and I think it's there, and I think it's worth it) to   
   >> government-sponsored research isn't what they say it is, but it is   
   >> none the less manifold: it provides a pool of frustrated talent ready   
   >> to jump ship to productive private projects, it provides a pool of   
   >> mediocre researchers to teach university classes, it occasionally   
   >> actually results in some real advance that would never happen ever   
   >> with funding from the steam-engine companies, it indirectly funds   
   >> companies like The Math Works and efforts like open-source   
   >> development, and more.   
   >>   
   >> But as you so admirably point out, it doesn't meet it's _stated_ goal.   
   >>   
   >   
   > DARPA is actually a pretty good outfit.  I've worked on DARPA projects   
   > at various times over the years, and the following have always been true:   
   >   
   > (1) The program managers are good technical people who Get It.   
   > (2) The goals are insanely ambitious, but some reasonable fraction of   
   > them actually get met.   
   >   
   > I've never had an engineering manager who was able to get the same level   
   > of commitment out of his people that DARPA gets from its grantees.   
   >   
      
   Most other countries on this planet don't have anything that comes even   
   close to DARPA but they wish they had.   
      
   --   
   Regards, Joerg   
      
   http://www.analogconsultants.com/   
      
   "gmail" domain blocked because of excessive spam.   
   Use another domain or send PM.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)