for three or even four – and this is considered an achievement. The last discovery was made by Peter Kapitza, in 1938, the superfluidity of helium. Further – the creation of a maser – millimeter wave amplifier N. Basov, O. Prokhorov and C. Townes. At the same time, Rutherford conducted a demonstration of stimulated emission, and T. Maiman constructed the first real laser.
Known to be a power-abused, almost foreigner, Zhores Alferov, but his version of a semiconductor laser is just an applied discovery.
Then – why scientific towns, meetings of the Russian Academy of Sciences, marble buildings Skolkovo?
What is the right thing to pray for, that the situation is straightened?
First of all, to erase from the Russian consciousness a stamp that in the modern era, discoveries are made exclusively in huge institutions, among tanks with nitrogen, colliders, synchrophasotrons and tokamaks, gray-haired academicians. This is not true. Discoveries are made by individuals and eccentrics, without prejudices and connections, forcing them to conduct research in a certain way. By some coincidence, a person, indeed, can be a part of a research institute – but this is not necessary.
As you know, the only individual winner of the Nobel Prize from Russia (USSR), Pyotr Kapitsa, had a long internship in England. What characterizes the Anglo-Saxon system of discoveries?
In countries formed by the UK respectful of odd people. Relatives and society do not consider themselves entitled to reproach the originals, that they spend money on unusual pursuits. So, for example, Lord Cavendish made discoveries that could be bragged by a big country, even if they were the only ones in its entire history.
Michael Faraday. The student of the bookbinder Michael, sends to the master of science the rewritten lectures, asks to take to work. There is communication between the laboratory assistant and the professor. The brain of Faraday, pure from university education, is ideally set up to produce discoveries. And they roll like a horn of plenty. The break for ten years comes when Michael receives the post of director of laboratories – obviously, managerial activity to the specialist is not always beneficial.
So, the Anglo-Saxon system, in which emphasis is placed on talented, or at least purposeful singles, unequivocally, taxis. What do we see in Russia at the time when epochal discoveries were made in England? Self-satisfied landowners – an analogue of the current oligarchs. They rebuild manors, bell-shaped bellies, compete as dishes, start dogs, hunt and fish, “spoil” village girls. Natural-philosophical activity – no, it’s not comme il faut, otherwise you become an outcast.
There are exceptions. Alexander Mozhaisky is building on his own funds an airplane with a steam engine. Now we can say for sure – the Russians are not parrots in invention. It’s not so important that a square plane fell on the wing, flying only a couple of dozen meters.
And without Tsiolkovsky we would be apprentices who copied Hitler’s “Fau”. Only he, self-taught, saved the prestige of the country – a teacher of physics, rather than cumbersome state institutions. The second most famous “our” person is Mendeleev. Although he reached the highest academic ranks, of course, when composing the table of elements, he did not need the help of any collective of professors.
Scientists should become independent. Have access to complex equipment – like medieval students, vagrants, moving from one research institute to another. Without all those lip movements and questions “Who are you and from whom?” The answer is “Here are my publications, I’m interested in this and that, you have the necessary equipment, let’s work”. The same applies to implementation in production. So beloved by the Russians Tesla was not connected for life with any research structure. I came to the director of the enterprise and offered to do something even better than good. I did my work, got my money, and went on. Tesla managed to work in Edison’s company.
…The Edison Company. The most powerful institute for the implementation of inventions. The American did not always conduct business honestly. But, this is still a practical activity, and not a stupid distribution of public funds. Not the marble halls of Skolkovo, but the workshops and laboratories, in the world of which any master “from the street” is free to plunge.
– You might think, you know, in the field of what science-intensive technologies Russia can stand out, it’s just ridiculous! In the field of microelectronics, we are hopelessly behind. But, without us, scientists can not! The state should support us, like lovely pets!
– I could invite you to pay attention to my experiences with mutually similar forms, the basis for creating new communication devices. But, back to earth. Master the release – not in Malaysia, Indonesia or China, but in the Moscow region or Novosibirsk, the simplest mobile phones. Understand how “iron” works. Make mobile for the Army. Exactly, your own, without other people’s computer “bookmarks”. Let the large, but reliable, strong, like AK-47! Large buttons – to dial the number in a stressful siteration, when even your name can not remember!
– The communication device is included in a set of new protective equipment!
– Again, on someone else’s base? A bunch of screens, a muddy interface, mandatory attachment to body armor? Weight five kilograms? People have become accustomed to the mobile for a long time! Even in the context of the battle, soldiers and officers are drawn to the familiar “cellular”, so to speak, on the machine.
I’ll tell you that many, quite respectable people love old mobile phones, in principle, without bloat, “androids” and other things. Stupid – to call! You can also add the possibility of transferring the mobile to the mode of an autonomous radio station – say, up to three kilometers.
We let the phone into the civil networks.
Advanced version – the phone has a powerful flashlight, camera, and, pay attention, the bar for “Selfie”, stand-mount. Have you ever suffered with a smartphone, building it somewhere on a tree branch, or a window sill? He falls down, and does not want to photograph you? Now any oblong object can become a stick for selfie, at least this ruler, or branch; attach the cellular – and take pictures!
Next, connecting two phones with a cord, you get a camera and a TV. Why is it in the Army? The first mobile phone is reinforced on the barrel of the machine gun, the second one – inspect the neighborhood. You can revive and “blues”, activation of the pair – a simple triple touch of active zones of phones, without all these strange passwords. Is it useful? Important? I think that there will be application in civilian areas, most importantly, everything is simple!
So, we Broadcast that in the country a society of scientists, capable of promptly conducting their ideas into production, developed. It is also necessary that they overcome the pride that arises today, as soon as the experimenter achieves at least the slightest success. Throughout the country, hundreds of mono-cities, now almost deserted – but with a developed infrastructure. Simply, you need a cry, a law, a movement: inventors, come, do whatever you want. Empty workshops and laboratories are at your disposal. Here, electricity, water, a bathroom. Pay only for utilities. Want to invent a new car? You are welcome! Next – a field, a whole area where traffic police and Avtodor are banned, try! Aircraft? Dare! Interested in cold fusion? Try it! There are many experimenters like you – talk!
There was an idea, on a wave of success, to open experimental production? You are welcome. You can sell your products – no complicated for understanding things, entanglement in the web of the FIU and other social organizations, the simplest sales tax, in fact. Come to the world markets, show your honored brethren on state support, how to create Science and History. People in Central Russia know little about independent business management, trade, taxes, you need to explain gradually, try, like in a kindergarten!
Here we are reconstructing military equipment. TB-3, Il-2, Po-2, airplanes, tanks, of all countries and times. We create cars of a personal brand, in small series, and under the order. Experiment with the creation of new models of military products.