Discovered: Jul 9, 2024 06:34 Andrew Odlyzko: The decline of unfettered research from Oct 1995 <- QUOTE: A much more persuasive case for research, including relatively unfettered one, can be made by citing extended research programs that have only recently started to have an impact in the marketplace, but are crucial today. The Computing Research Association has compiled an excellent report on just such developments [CRA]. It shows how a decades-long collaboration of universities, government, and private industry has provided the basic tools for the information society. Broad programs, directed at areas that appear to be especially promising or important, but ones that leave substantial freedom for individual investigators, may be the most promising approach. This may not be exactly "the free play of free intellect" advocated by Vannevar Bush, but it should be easier to justify to the public, promote technological change, and advance human knowledge. As Langmuir is supposed to have said, "You can't predict what you will find, but you can make sensible bets on where to look."

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