modern innovation

in a time magazine article about how 'twitter' is going to change our lives, i found a very interesting and enlightening and gratifying few sentences. sure, i'll probably learn to twitter like i've learned to (at least an old man attempt at) facebook. i may not use it like i do my texting skills, and not to the degree professionally that i use email, but i'll probably learn to twitter. but, the article contains some of the best news for america that i've seen in a long time.

the author is discussing the innovations that have happened to twitter after it was released and how amazing they are, and just sort of throws in this part: " ...Since the mid-'80's, a long progression of doomsayers have warned that our (the U.S.) declining market share in the patents and Ph.D.'s business augurs dark times for American innovation. The specific threats have changed. It was the Japanese who would destroy us in the '80's; now it's China and India.

"But what actually happened to American innovation during that period? We came up with America Online, Netscape, Amazon, Google, Blogger, Wikipedia, Craigslist, TiVo, Netflix, eBay, the iPod and iPhone, Xbox, Facebook, and Twitter itself. Sure, we didn't build the Prius or the Wii, but if you measure global innovation in terms of actual lifestyle-changing hit products and not just grad students, the U.S. has been lapping the field for the past 20 years."

i'm encouraged. the kids i encounter regularly are quite brilliant and are good thinkers. they may learn a little differently. they may need a little pharmaceutical help occasionally to turn their D battery flashlight/not so focused brains into the laser beams they were capable of, but dadgummit, we're still the good ol US of A and we kick butt, and don't let the ninnies at npr tell you otherwise!