[extropy-chat] Huygens: First visitor to Titan

[Stephen Van_Sickle]

> Is this because scientists doing pure research
> distain the idea of
> 'profit' and 'breaking even', and never have to
> entertain such silly
> concepts in grant applications?

No.

> Applied science has to demonstrate cost
> effectiveness by some metric:
> whether it is number of patentable discoveries,
> number of papers
> published, 

As do "pure" scientists.  Try getting your NIH grant
renewed without publishing.  Or your first one without
a publishing record.  It is an imperfect measure, but
far, far better than "minutes of science", which comes
perilously close to the labor theory of value.

And you would be amazed at how fast a "pure" scientist
becomes an "applied" one when results start suggesting
a profitable product.