Re:A Pentagon-funded contest spawned many of today’s self-dr...
by jacquesm on Tuesday October 31, 2017 @03:36PM
(#15595898)
Capitalism is a huge motivator by itself. Come out ahead of the competition and reap the benefits, it's a permanent contest. It's not without its downsides (externalization) but it definitely seems to move the needle.
Re:A Pentagon-funded contest spawned many of today’s self-dr...
by chiefalchemist on Tuesday October 31, 2017 @04:34PM
(#15596303)
I think some (e.g., Koch Bros) would argue that we don't really have capitalism. That (too often?) Uncle Sam steps in and unbalances the market, often in favor of current winners.
A contest, equally open to all, certainly feels like an appropriate proxy.
Re:A Pentagon-funded contest spawned many of today’s self-dr...
by melling on Tuesday October 31, 2017 @04:10PM
(#15596137)
yes, but that doesn’t mean it’s the best solution for all problems. Investors/founders want to have their exit strategy. We get a lot of “uber of”, etc, for example.
http://som.yale.edu/peter-thiel-yale-we-wanted-flying-cars-i...
The goal might not be a marketable solution but a step in the desired direction. I don’t know the limits of this type of prize but it’s worth pursuing:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longitude_(book)
The Spirit of St. Louis crossing the Atlantic was for a prize, and I believe an inspiration for the current X-Prize.
I don’t think we need “grand challenges” but simply challenges, to help get us to successive breakthroughs.
I’ve thrown this out before, but a Kickstarter for these “challenges“, with well-defined goals might help accelerate technological progress.