[MacG]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('SoothSayer', '[')b]>> Noone is perfect - but a team.

Perfectly correct.

I didn't mention it earlier, but an effective, focussed, driven, highly capable team is essential.

This makes recruitment of staff for startups very difficult ... the applicant needs high IQ, excellent skills, extensive experience, much drive, stamina etc which can lead to arrogance.

However they also need to be able to deactivate/suspend their arrogance so that they can work in a multi-skill team.

Finding people with ALL these attributes WHEN you need them is VERY VERY difficult.

University academics are usually miles away from the required profile.

It becomes almost impossible to find suitable "hires" if you are short of cash, so I usually offered 2 -5 times a "typical" salary for the very rare suitable candidates. (They had to sign away their souls to the company for 2 - 5 years 'tho!)

[SoothSayer]

>> We got quasi-scientific methods to screen and compose teams

For top roles we simply tried to hire the "best" from other companies - and simply pay them whatever it took to come to us. We used a team of specialist headhunters for this.

Otherwise we checked incoming CVs /Resumes - we received 1000+ a month (without any advertising) but we only interviewed about 1%.

We then used a technical interview to check the core skills.

We then had a "cultural interview" (which I did) to check if they would fit happily into our team(s). About 70% of the candidates would leave of their accord during this interview. Very few of the survivors would be offered a job ... but if we wanted them they would get a VERY VERY good deal. Sadly the people we wanted were also wanted by everyone else, so we only managed to get 50% to take the offers despite the huge salaries being offered.

>> Nokia use these methods corporate-wide, and they got a pretty good hit-rate also.
I like Nokia staff ... good company.

[WebHubbleTelescope]

This is pretty rich of MIT to do this. It was a group of scientists and economists from MIT who wrote an open letter to the NY Times in 1979 saying that the energy crisis was blown out of proportion. This group included people such as M.Adelman, who later mentored current peak oil denier Michael Lynch, another graduate and former researcher at MIT.

No problem really, as the smart ones eventually come out of the woodwork.

[peaker_2005]

All that university does is teach you to think like an academic. Which is why I haven't bothered with university (well, there's also the fact I don't want a HECS debt). I can think enough. Most importantly, I'm learning how to read between the lines.

[Specop_007]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('peaker_2005', 'A')ll that university does is teach you to think like an academic. Which is why I haven't bothered with university (well, there's also the fact I don't want a HECS debt). I can think enough. Most importantly, I'm learning how to read between the lines.

[rushdy]

Jumping on the bandwagon for money.

[peaker_2005]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Specop_007', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('peaker_2005', 'A')ll that university does is teach you to think like an academic. Which is why I haven't bothered with university (well, there's also the fact I don't want a HECS debt). I can think enough. Most importantly, I'm learning how to read between the lines.

[Specop_007]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('peaker_2005', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Specop_007', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('peaker_2005', 'A')ll that university does is teach you to think like an academic. Which is why I haven't bothered with university (well, there's also the fact I don't want a HECS debt). I can think enough. Most importantly, I'm learning how to read between the lines.

[mmasters]

Yeah don't imagine they'll produce much.

Speaking of MIT, my father is the foremost nuclear engineer to ever graduate from MIT. His opinion, not surprising is after oil has run its course, nuclear will be the only real option of scale. He has been out of the nuclear industry for 30 years though - after 3 mile island almost all the industry funding disappeared, he was forced to switch careers.

[DigitalCubano]

Boy, judging from the majority of these responses, you'd think I was promoting Evolution to a bunch of Evangelicals! Doomerism really does borders on being a religion.

Who said academics alone solve problems? I certainly didn't. MIT certainly doesn't promote that view. Heck, the Institute was created as a place that doesn't simply dwell on interesting theoretical problems in isolation, but collaborates with industry and governments to solve real problems. Thus, like so much of the doom on here, your venemous rants are misinformed.

Does anyone find the wholesale discount of academia on here startling? I think it's telling: you people don't WANT a solution to the problem, which is quite different than believing that a solution doesn't exist. You folks are happy to stick your heads in the sand in order to rationalize your doomer fetish. Isn't it telling that the only person on here legitimately lending his efforts to finding a solution gets flamed? How's the view from the cheap seats working out for ya'?

Finally, I have to give a specific shout-out to my favorite girl, Cybil (i.e. Ludi). I think at least one of your personalities would be happy to know that a significant part of the Institute's funds these days are being "wasted" in Brain and Cognitive Sciences.

[DigitalCubano]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('mmasters', 'Y')eah don't imagine they'll produce much.

[grabby]

I get it! This is one of those Science and Technology will save us threads!

Thats been tried already.

[ThunderSnow]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('DigitalCubano', 'B')oy, judging from the majority of these responses, you'd think I was promoting Evolution to a bunch of Evangelicals! Doomerism really does borders on being a religion.

Who said academics alone solve problems? I certainly didn't. MIT certainly doesn't promote that view. Heck, the Institute was created as a place that doesn't simply dwell on interesting theoretical problems in isolation, but collaborates with industry and governments to solve real problems. Thus, like so much of the doom on here, your venemous rants are misinformed.

[grabby]

If you get a calculator out you will find that if you use up the most concentrated form of chemical energy on the planet, there is no replacement.