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My father spent every night of his 30 year career researching semiconductors with a deep belief he would be fired next week if he couldn't bring in enough grant
by rm_-rf_slash 11y ago
My father spent every night of his 30 year career researching semiconductors with a deep belief he would be fired next week if he couldn't bring in enough grant money. He is an amazing scientist and you wouldn't be on the internet today without his spadework but he couldn't give a rat's ass about funding.
One day a former grad student showed him some pictures.
"That's my lab!" He said.
"No, that's the replica I built of your lab in China for 1/100 of the cost."
Science is such a noble pursuit. If only it were separable from humanity's endless supply of greedy pricks.
- ddorian43 11y agoWhat's the problem with the lab in China? I don't get it.
- rm_-rf_slash 11y agoThe Chinese steal everything they can and reproduce it for cheap. No respect for intellectual property at all. We are being robbed.
- ddorian43 11y agoYeah you're right. I've read sometimes(maybe spacex?) companies just keep things secret and don't even patent them cause the chinese will just copy. Do they actually produce anything new/research and can/do we steal it from them too ?
- Blahah 11y agoReproducing semiconductors more cost effectively is a very good thing. Intellectual property deserves very little respect, and using an idea is not stealing.
- gozur88 11y agoSure... the same way we robbed the UK of its mechanical looms in the 19th century. The US economy was based on IP theft. It's perfectly normal if you're behind to copy the frontrunner and add your own improvements.
- api 11y agoWe stole movable type and gunpowder from the Chinese. It's payback time.
- GFK_of_xmaspast 11y agoIf your goal is the advancement of human knowledge, is it not a good thing that those following behind the pioneers can catch up so easily.