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As an academic (in areas of science) I have a very similar experience about research in universities - the people who hold the reins (grant providers) want guaranteed results, so everyone does the easier stuff. Still, things can progress slowly, step by step, in this manner. However, like you I find such approaches largely uninspiring and I wonder whether progress overall is being slowed, since historically leaps and bounds were very important. Money never drives innovation, though it is a necessary ingredient it often holds innovation back.
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J Julian wrote: trying to find a company to work for that was willing to take risks and shoot for the moon... there is no companies like this anymore
They exist. They're called startups.
Once people start depending on the company for a paycheck, that kind of risky behavior must stop.
You're looking for a company trying to invent a new technology.
We can program with only 1's, but if all you've got are zeros, you've got nothing.
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Your points are well taken. There's the other side to it too - when we say "companies", we shouldn't forget that that means "people". Every company starts with some individual person, or a partnership of persons. Some no doubt are interested in just a bottom line - and that's not such a bad thing itself - but many begin businesses because they have a passion to move an interest forward and see it take on its own life, and are willing to take personal & financial risks to do so.
When things fail in a business, those taking the risks must deal with the consequences. Sure, an employee of a company that fails may lose a job, and that's not something to dismiss. But that employee certainly can pursue another job with a different organization. The business owner though - that individual may very well have risked his or her life savings, a house, future retirement security, reasonable health care to establish the capital to create the company. Failure in the company means something entirely different for that individual that took the risk. This shouldn't be dismissed either. If a company is nervous about taking risks and shooting for the moon, understand it comes down to another person, such as yourself, who has to deal at a very different level with the consequences of potential failure.
I started a small business a couple of years ago. The experience so far has been fascinating to me, particularly in expanding my own perspective about what it means to accept financial risk in the pursuit of a passion.
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J Julian wrote: And I realized that the reason there is no companies like this anymore, is that they only worry about the bottom line. They no longer care to challenge or make a real difference. Only make more money.
Boy, you nailed that one on the head.
Companies like you describe do exist ... well, at least I know of one: Me. I have always just developed stuff because I thought it would be useful and I enjoy coding. Have several things developed but it just hasn't become about money yet. What's funny is that I've become SME (after many years of working with it) to a product that will eventually be phased out but, in the meantime is paying me pretty well. You might say I hit the "mother lode" with that one but as for products I've developed myself, maybe one will catch fire someday, or not. Still like making them, though.  If you want to see one of them: http://www.simplesoftwarebydesign.com
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I feel sure there are more companies like you are searching for than ever before. The thing is, companies like that are invariably young, small companies - companies that are just starting out with the dreams and aspirations that you seek. They don't all succeed at all, but those that do often eventually turn into those companies that you dislike, that only want to make more money.
The answer is to go and be that company that you seek. Do it yourself, you clearly have the desire.
Bill P.
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Yes, I'm with you on this. In the software industry there's nothing "new" for decades now. Always same-old-same-old dressed up in new clothes (at best). There's another issue here ... most of what we do now was "invented" prior to the 70s, new things are hard to even think about.
I'd give my left armpit to be the next John McCarthy! (Note not anything mundane like Gates/jobs) But I realise it's extremely difficult to think of a new WAY to instruct a computer to do what you want, much more difficult than inventing your own brand of syntax/semantics to do exactly the same thing as Fortran did ... only "different".
Partly the reason I like the job I have now ... Construction Architecture ... at least here the chance of doing some new design no-one's ever done before is greater than 0 (if you can find the right client).
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Battery powered pipe[^]
Features:
.New brand and high quality
.Tastes like real cigarette
.No tobacco, no burning, no tar and no real smoke
.No cancerous substances, no ashtrays, no cigarette butts and no horrible smells
.Powered by 1*CR18350 battery
.Health, security, no second-hand smoking
.Classical Pipe design, it will never out of today's fashion
.Aesthetic
Wanna look cool get one of these babies and the chicks will come a runnin? 
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If that's elegant I'm Lord Foofoo of Brackanar! THESE[^] are elegant, I'd almost start smoking again for one.
speramus in juniperus
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aha Lord Foofoo we meet at last, prepair to meet thy maker
You cant outrun the world, but there is no harm in getting a head start
Real stupidity beats artificial intelligence every time.
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I remember back when smoking was cool, a long long time ago college types would take up the pipe just to impress women.
This instrument would not attract the ugliest woman on campus.
My brother was a pipe smoker for many years and had quite a collection and when he passed I got one of his more elegant pipes. I've almost got it out a few times but I know if I do then I'll be back at it regular.
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I did smoke one for years, well smoke is probably an exaggeration, it was more prodding and lighting than actually smoking, however it was wonderful for making your point in the pub, nothing quite like it for emphasizing a point, adds so much stature even when your p1ssed and wrong
You cant outrun the world, but there is no harm in getting a head start
Real stupidity beats artificial intelligence every time.
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Mike Hankey wrote: ...a long long time ago college types would take up the pipe just to impress women...
Yeah, I remember those days. The pipe owners were all in the computer science department, had long hair, wore sandals and their main computers of interest ran unix.
Takes me back. Sniff.
Never moon a werewolf.
- Harvey
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Ah those were the daze.
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Looking at that site, it won't be long until electronic cigarettes are cheaper than real ones
Thank god I don't smoke, I couldn't afford it.
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It's an expensive, filthy habit that is very hard to break. I wish I would have never started but had sense enough about 4 years ago to quit.
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what next a EBong?
and I dont mean this lady
ebong[^]
You cant outrun the world, but there is no harm in getting a head start
Real stupidity beats artificial intelligence every time.
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Bergholt Stuttley Johnson wrote: what next a EBong?
*** Cough cough ***[^]
The missus says that the ever safety-concious Arabs actually have compact versions of these intended for use when driving. Apparently having hot coals at the top of an unstable bottle/pipe combination isn't conducive to fast cornering.
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its official, the world has gone gaga
You cant outrun the world, but there is no harm in getting a head start
Real stupidity beats artificial intelligence every time.
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Does it come in cannabis flavor?
Will Rogers never met me.
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I believe that option is available in Washington and Colorado?
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http://vapeitnow.com/products/ego-starter-kit/blue-ego-ce4-starter-kit.html[^]
This is more common. I have been using one like this for about a month or so.
Stage smoke infused with nicotine, costs me about $3 a day to use it, was spending about $8 a day on cigarettes. I doesn't stink, I can smell again, don't wake up hacking up a lung...
Not a perfect solution as nicotine is still bad but at least I'm getting it without most of the effects of smoking. (Oh... and it comes in any flavor you can imagine. Puffing stuff that tastes like Vanilla Latte at the moment.)
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I know a few people that use them, didn't know they had flavors though. Cool!
It's such a hard habit to break, I smoked off and on for nearly 45 years.
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Yeah, sure, like any woman would fine an orally-fixated guy interesting.
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Some say a dev's made out of coffee
Mountain Dew, Amp and Monster Energy
Turning caffeine and pizza into code
That's bug free, defect free and supportable
You code sixteen classes and what do you get
another day older and deeper in debt
Saint Isidore don't you call me cause I can't go
I sold my soul to a mobile app store
Woke up one mornin' when the sun didn't shine
Opened up Xcode and feelin' just fine
Wrote sixteen classes in Objective-C
Apple store said "you're app's just too niche for me"
You code sixteen classes and what do you get
another day older and deeper in debt
Saint Isidore don't you call me cause I can't go
I sold my soul to the Apple App Store
I woke up one mornin' in the drizzling rain
Eclipse and ADT are my middle name
Coded sixteen classes using the Java API
Uploaded to the Google store but the app didn't fly
You code sixteen classes and what do you get
another day older and deeper in debt
Saint Isidore don't you call me cause I can't go
I sold my soul to the Andriod App Store
I woke up one mornin' with snow on the ground
Fired up Visual Studio and started messin' around
Coded sixteen classes using C++
Left Metro in the title and Ballmer made a fuss
You code sixteen classes and what do you get
another day older and deeper in debt
Saint Isidore don't you call me cause I can't go
I sold my soul to the Windows App Store
apologies to Tennessee Ford
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