There is a popular myth that Al Gore invented the Internet. Never to be out done, he went on to be the father of Green, won a noble prize, Emmy etc. The man is a genius, so he thinks.
The Reality is the Internet was developed over many years by many great entrepreneurs who toiled in the lab and the market place to develop real innovation. They did this with a passion for the technology they were developing, but great uncertainty with regard to how their technologies in the end would effect society. The true entrepreneurs of the bunch evolved with the market place, discovering new angles and views on how to be successful. They were beat up in the market place, and survived stronger for it.
First amongst these Entrepreneurs is Bob Metcalfe, the inventor of Ethernet (as in he has the patent, not a noble prize) which is a critical foundational technology for the Internet. His classmates at MIT were key players in Email, FTP, TCP/IP, etc. And no, Al gore was not in their graduating class at MIT.
Metcalfe went on to found 3Com corporation, a leader in the Internet. He has been around all the key innovations in information technology over the last 40 years. He is now a major investor in all forms of new start-ups, with a particular concentration on Energy.
Metcalfe's perspective on how to solve the energy problem is radically different than Gore. Metcalfe, based on his real and successful experience actually doing something that has changed our lives, believes that the pathway to climate salvation will be the development of Clean and Cheap energy. This notion of Cheap is critical to his perspective. Where Gore wants to limit and conserve, Metcalfe wants to expand and make efficient. Now think about this, computers use to be expensive, over time they became cheaper, new applications were developed, society shifted, the world operates in a different manner. I would argue in a better manner. Metcalfe suggests (again based on real practical experience) that the dire climate predictions will be swept away by entrepreneurs who blow our mind with market derived innovation. For a great summary of Metcalfe's views, you need to see this YouTube video:
If you listen to Metcalfe, you are compelled to think differently about how to solve the climate problem in a way that meets all our needs. Who but the most goofball extremist could be against clean cheap abundant energy? I guess Gore could. Or maybe Waxman. The Juxtaposition of Metcalfe (A guy who has "Done It") to Waxman, Gore, Pelosi, etc who know nothing about technology, entrepreneurship, business, innovation, etc is amazing.
We should put the Climate Bill in the trash and let Metcalfe lead us out of our despair. Give up on congress and lets here from the Metcalfe's of the world.
