Edison NOT an Innovator after all?!
December 11, 2008
BUY THE BOOK AND LEARN FOR YOURSELF!
Scott Kirsner brought his killer presentation on his new book chronicling the history of technology in the movies to Portsmouth last night. Interesting crowd consisting almost evenly of arts/film types and technology people so the goal of mixing the communities was accomplished out of the gate. Film players and technies alike enjoyed learning not just the history, but also the bigger lesson captured in the book - the preservationists versus the innovators.
Scott Kirsner - with Edison and Eastman
It was an evening filled with interesting facts, many of which support the premise that in every industry there preservationists - as Scott calls them - attempting to hold on to the status quo and stave off the innovators. This pic captures Thomas Edison along with his friend George Eastman alongiside some early film equipment. It was interesting to learn that Edison was one of those protectors of the status quo - he was manufacturing the individual kalidescopes where people could watch personal films and could not see any future for movies on a screen to crowd, especially when he was making so much money on the kalidescopes!
For the best recap of the evening though - capture Andy Beupre’s blog on last night’s event!
Hollywood, technology & innovation
Scott Kirsner, the popular columnist and contributing writer to Variety, Business Week, The Boston Globe, New York Times and Wired, was in town last night talking up his new book “Inventing the Movies: Hollywood’s Epic Battle Between Innovation and the Status Quo, from Thomas Edison to Steve Jobs” The packed event held at the Portsmouth Public Library was sponsored by Borealis Ventures.
