Who's to say it doesn't bring anything new? If it's never been written before, it's new. I often see technology growing in a "staircase" fashion. Things platea

Who's to say it doesn't bring anything new? If it's never been written before, it's new. I often see technology growing in a "staircase" fashion. Things plateau, and then there's a period of many small 'chink in the armor' improvements... and then one of those ideas inspires something that floods into a whole new area. Sometimes it takes a lot of smart brains throwing time at 'useless' junk before that insane theory is found. Othertimes we just await an Einstein-like brain to come on the scene and activate new stuff.