> Competing company DuPont had just invented cellophane
This is not true. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cellophane#History
The Man Who Invented Scotch Tape
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Re: The Man Who Invented Scotch Tape
#12As a Scot I was interested as to why it was called Scotch tape: The use of the term Scotch in the name was a pejorative meaning "stingy" in the 1920s and 1930s. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotch_Tape [NB In the UK the equivalent product is sellotape ].
Interesting. I always believed the name came from the 3M CEO at that time, William McKnight, who was of Scottish origin. There were other Scottish inspired product names as well. Today the 3M country club is still called Tartan Park.
Re: The Man Who Invented Scotch Tape
#13>>so he bought the machine in parts in a series ... then constructed it himself. When Drew’s boss later found out what Drew he’d been up to, he rewarded him This is more or less impossible in any organization I know of today. There might be a few exceptions, but by and large 'Im going to prove them wrong' strategy will only attract enemies from the political cartels in middle management these days. You will be marked…
Oddly, one place where innovation unquestionably happens is in sales, especially in the early days of a company. A young company trots out its cute new puppy, and the field people (CEO or otherwise as the case may be) and the customers collaborate in making it into a wolf or plowhorse or cheetah or something else very different from what it started out to be. See also the much-admired concept of "pivot".
Actually, the need for sales to be flexible and innovative is one of the reasons customizability is so important for CRM systems.
Re: The Man Who Invented Scotch Tape
#14Sellotape isn't perfected yet
1: the new start point after every dispensing should be easier to get hold of
2: when the tape starts to tear at an angle it can be really difficult to get back to a full width strip
I wish the skunkworks would focus on these scourges :-)
Re: The Man Who Invented Scotch Tape
#15> Competing company DuPont had just invented cellophane This is not true. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cellophane#History
The author may have, mistakenly, attributed a quote as fact from one of the interviewees.
Interestingly enough, from the same link, Dupont appears to have invented/optimized a moisture-proof cellulose, which may have been what the author was referring to?
Re: The Man Who Invented Scotch Tape
#16As a Scot I was interested as to why it was called Scotch tape: The use of the term Scotch in the name was a pejorative meaning "stingy" in the 1920s and 1930s. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotch_Tape [NB In the UK the equivalent product is sellotape ].
I was just discussing this odd stereotype with a friend after discovering a German price comparison website called schottenland.de ("Scots land"). It's definitely not one that exists in modern American consciousness.
Re: The Man Who Invented Scotch Tape
#17> Competing company DuPont had just invented cellophane This is not true. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cellophane#History
The author may have, mistakenly, attributed a quote as fact from one of the interviewees. Interestingly enough, from the same link, Dupont appears to have invented/optimized a moisture-proof cellulose, which may have been what the author was referring to?
It's probably fair to say Dupont introduced it into widespread use in the United States given that they were the first to manufacture it there.
Re: The Man Who Invented Scotch Tape
#18As a Scot I was interested as to why it was called Scotch tape: The use of the term Scotch in the name was a pejorative meaning "stingy" in the 1920s and 1930s. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotch_Tape [NB In the UK the equivalent product is sellotape ].
I was just discussing this odd stereotype with a friend after discovering a German price comparison website called schottenland.de ("Scots land"). It's definitely not one that exists in modern American consciousness.
No? Scrooge McDuck isn't Scottish for nothing.
Re: The Man Who Invented Scotch Tape
#19>>so he bought the machine in parts in a series ... then constructed it himself. When Drew’s boss later found out what Drew he’d been up to, he rewarded him This is more or less impossible in any organization I know of today. There might be a few exceptions, but by and large 'Im going to prove them wrong' strategy will only attract enemies from the political cartels in middle management these days. You will be marked…
I bet things haven't changed as much as you think. It was probably pretty rare back then to find the right person working for the right boss. And it's equally rare today.
And I would disagree with the second point. I've hired a few guys right out of school with no experience, but I recognized they had the right attitude. It's about 50% effective, but when it works out, it's great.
Re: The Man Who Invented Scotch Tape
#20Earlier quoted context omitted.
I was just discussing this odd stereotype with a friend after discovering a German price comparison website called schottenland.de ("Scots land"). It's definitely not one that exists in modern American consciousness.
No? Scrooge McDuck isn't Scottish for nothing.
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