3 ms·

Likewise, In-Q-tel the reason Google Earth and hence Maps exist.

• ToucanLoucan 2y ago
  Almost every notable technology has it's roots in intelligence or defense, because government grants for projects as such has been the dominant way tech has been built. Corporations have their use, but predominantly, they're corner cutters[1]. Their function is to chase higher profits by reducing costs. This is not a skillset with no value; it's why you can now get an 85" television for less than the cost of a mid-range laptop; but it does mean that their capacity for innovation is inherently limited. The way this always worked was the government would sponsor research into new tech, get it and use it, and then the patents and licenses would be disseminated into the private sector and be re-packaged as products. Think of the first iPhone; the LCD screen was a result of DARPA projects looking to reduce the beefy CRT displays to something more usable in vehicles and aircraft; the multi-touch screen was developed by CERN; the GPS system was originally conceived to track deployed materiel in warzones, etc. That doesn't mean Apple did no work of course, combining all of these things is no trivial matter. I'm just saying that most tech has it's roots in defense/intel grants that fund the research, because building new technology is fucking expensive and most corporations won't do it because it's terrible ROI. Edit: I remembered the note I wanted to add for corner cutters: [1]: The primary exception being a corporation that does not yet need to make profits, which is where you find investor-funded startups and incubator arrangements like Google had during their early time.
  • handfuloflight 2y ago
    Are there books or resources that examine these connections for contemporary technology in depth?