Today's Nerd Thing

"Basic Research' or "Pure Research" is when you think you may have a shot at doing something astounding, but you go about it in ways that could lead in a direction completely separate from what you had in mind - even if the notion is just a vague thing that keeps fading in and out of focus, or you're dead set on pushing the thing in one direction only, focused on the goal you started out with.

The point is: Research is good - fund the nerds.

In the 1800s, private companies and government institutions in the "industrialized nations" funded all kinds of research, one of which was the work of an English guy named JJ Thompson.

In 1897, Mr Thompson proved the existence of a little item called "the electron", using a gizmo called a cathode ray tube, put together by a guy named William Crookes, from a few ideas he got from other guys (and gals too, I think, tho they don't get much of a mention, but that's a different rant).

Anyway, so then we had this thing - this invisible thing - called the electron and nobody had a fucking clue what to do with it.

But, people being people, and naturally curious enough never to leave well enough alone, all kinds of folks kept at it and before long, bingo bango - Smart Phones.

And this - 2 megajoules in, and 3 megajoules out - this is a big fuckin' deal.

(starts at 18:50, after the politicians weigh in):

I fuckin' love me some nerds