On Dec 9, 2008, at 8:37 PM, Brent Hilpert wrote:
There was a blurb just now on the radio (CBC) about
Engelbart's
development of
the mouse, including an audio recording of his presentation of it at a
conference in 1968.
That was nice, but weird/annnoying is that the reporter referred to
it as a
"discovery". Is it not possible to invent anything anymore? Is
everything, and
everything that will ever be in the future, an already-existing
concept waiting
out there in some alternative universe of the imagination, just
waiting to be
"discovered" by the mind of somebody?
Or did I miss a debate about the semiotics of "discovery" vs.
"invention" in
the public discourse somewhere along the way?
It's nice to be humble about achievements and acknowledge that
developments are
built upon other developments and don't occur in isolation but
isn't this
taking it a bit far?
Abuse of terminology due to cluelessness is endemic in our
society. Witness all the people who have "broadband" connections to
their houses (they're almost always baseband, but have lots of
bandwidth), and the guy down the street from me who swears that he
"has a satellite" in his back yard.
It is really infuriating sometimes. I cope with it (to keep from
tearing peoples' heads off) by reminding myself that language is an
evolving thing, and that a few years from now, "broadband" really
will be officially synonymous with "high bandwidth". I think
"discovery" vs. "invention" is a similar thing.
People are clueless. That, in itself, is forgivable. What's NOT
forgivable is people being happy about the fact that they're
clueless, and lacking any particular desire to change.
-Dave
--
Dave McGuire
Port Charlotte, FL