Comments on: Innovation II http://www.johndcook.com/blog/2008/03/25/innovation-ii/ The blog of John D. Cook Sat, 11 Feb 2012 01:10:06 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Igor Carron http://www.johndcook.com/blog/2008/03/25/innovation-ii/comment-page-1/#comment-107886 Igor Carron Thu, 13 Oct 2011 19:23:07 +0000 http://www.johndcook.com/blog/2008/03/25/innovation-ii/#comment-107886 The story is a little more complex If I recall. Initially the navy seemed to have understood the connection between lemon and scurvy. As a result lemon were a common fare as they were brought from Sicily. As the Empire extended, lemon got replaced by West Indian lime as it looked the same. Except it is not the same, lime does not contain as much vitamin C. This information got lost because by the time the switch happened, ships were going faster and the issue of scurvy (because of long journeys) was no longer a concern, except ... in long research expeditions such that of Scott to the South Pole (1905). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scurvy The story is a little more complex If I recall. Initially the navy seemed to have understood the connection between lemon and scurvy. As a result lemon were a common fare as they were brought from Sicily. As the Empire extended, lemon got replaced by West Indian lime as it looked the same. Except it is not the same, lime does not contain as much vitamin C. This information got lost because by the time the switch happened, ships were going faster and the issue of scurvy (because of long journeys) was no longer a concern, except … in long research expeditions such that of Scott to the South Pole (1905).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scurvy

]]> By: Jan Galkowski http://www.johndcook.com/blog/2008/03/25/innovation-ii/comment-page-1/#comment-107858 Jan Galkowski Thu, 13 Oct 2011 15:21:57 +0000 http://www.johndcook.com/blog/2008/03/25/innovation-ii/#comment-107858 Another example is the <a href="http://www-03.ibm.com/ibm/history/exhibits/modelb/modelb_informal.html" rel="nofollow">history of the typewriter</a>. Even ignoring earlier developments, when the first American patent was made in 1829, it wasn't until the invention of touch-typing in 1878 and its teaching that typewriters took off. As the late Dr Harlan Mills observed, even Lincoln wrote to Stanton in long hand. Another example is the history of the typewriter. Even ignoring earlier developments, when the first American patent was made in 1829, it wasn’t until the invention of touch-typing in 1878 and its teaching that typewriters took off. As the late Dr Harlan Mills observed, even Lincoln wrote to Stanton in long hand.

]]> By: The most powerful people are right — The Endeavour http://www.johndcook.com/blog/2008/03/25/innovation-ii/comment-page-1/#comment-107849 The most powerful people are right — The Endeavour Thu, 13 Oct 2011 13:56:25 +0000 http://www.johndcook.com/blog/2008/03/25/innovation-ii/#comment-107849 [...] Science is far more political than I had imagined before starting a career in science. Data beats politics eventually, but it may take a long time. [...] [...] Science is far more political than I had imagined before starting a career in science. Data beats politics eventually, but it may take a long time. [...]

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