How did places like Bell Labs know how to ask the right questions?

freaktakes.substack.com · 7,257 words · saved by 1 readers

Alternative Title: Why all applied research organizations should hire a Bell-style systems engineer

Many new science orgs are looking to pursue research that has the positive aspects of both “applied” research and “basic” research. To me, this is a very reasonable approach. After all, the “applied vs. basic research” distinction has always been a rather arbitrary one. Some research projects feel like they are squarely in one bucket or the other, but it’s not always that clear. Applied research is meant to be research with immediate applications in mind. But, of course, applied research could stumble upon something that leads to a fundamental insight. Basic research is meant to be…

How did places like Bell Labs know how to ask the right questions?

related reading