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Originally Posted by JesseK
Yet other than promoting FIRST I don't think I've ever seen Dean or an article about him praise any technologies or advances other than what he or his company has invented. Am I wrong here? I'm not attacking Dean, I'm simply trying to stir up some discussion about fundamental ideas that may speed things up.
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Dean himself deeply appreciates the technologies that have come before him, and has expressed this view in the media several times. His house is a veritable museum of technological history, from the giant antique steam engine in the foyer, which he refurbished himself, to the historic wheelchairs, and many other items. He realizes that he stands on the shoulders of giants. I hope he has arranged for his house to be left to posterity as a museum of technology. It won't be as influential as FIRST, but it is a wonderful place.
At FIRST events, he promotes others in the fields of science and technology. The Championship fields are named after great scientists. Speakers at the Championship have included the head of the U.S. Patent Office, the founders of Google, and others. Dave Lavery and other NASA personnel figure prominently in FIRST events. Some of the FIRST Board members are people who have mentored him; they are, or have been, executives in various technological companies. Without them, Dean would never have become what he is today.
Also, I recall seeing a news video about the Luke arm which included coverage of another company's work in the area; Dean's company is by no means the only one pursuing this technology. In the recent news about his island home being upgraded to all-LED lighting, the company that made the lights was mentioned. It's not all about Dean.
Yes, a casual glance at media coverage of Dean might raise the concerns you've expressed. But if you delve into past articles, FIRST history, Dean's life story, and the stories of those with whom he has worked, you get a sense of his interdependency on other companies and inventors.
As Dean himself has said, he's not really an inventor; rather, he takes existing, cutting-edge technologies others have invented and synthesizes them into something new and useful.