> No, ideas are worthless, anybody can come up an unlimited number of these ideas If you're trying to create a commercial device, the idea is such tiny part of

> No, ideas are worthless, anybody can come up an unlimited number of these ideas If you're trying to create a commercial device, the idea is such tiny part of what it takes to deliver a successful product that it is close to worthless on its own. But the context here is science fiction, where good ideas are a major part of it. (The other major parts are good characters and storytelling, but it's the ideas that distinguish science fiction from other kinds of fiction.) So give the guy his due. He looked ahead and tried to envision where technology was going, and, in this case anyway, pretty much nailed it 50 years out.