John, that's a great effort on ASA/AMA!
When the large majority of ASA/MA committee members are academics, as they are, the conference is dealing with things that are 5 - 10 years from commercialization. (ETH, home of some of the committee members, in case you do not know, is a technical university in Zurich.)
Dr. Markman, at one time a Bell Labs employee, is living in the R&D world that he grew up in. A close look at the 10Q indicates a research staff of not less than 40. This may not be reasonable given GMGC's financial condition. (It is interesting to note that the GMGC PR staff uses "Dr." Markman. That is somewhat unusual in Silicon valley, but not in academia.)
As an engineer with a bit of an R&D background, I admire their efforts. Does it fit into a business plan?
This type of effort makes them attractive to AT&T and other telcos. AOL does not go in for experimentation in technology, at least not in the pre-Netscape days. In 1994 when I sent several emails urging Steve Case to take a certain course, his office called me and said, "We are not a technology company." Pitman, AOL president, as you know, is the MTV founder; and Steve Case, chairman, was a P&G marketing type.
We've got a Mozart here, not Madonna. Oh well, in a hundred years we will be well regarded, and everyone will be playing our song. |
