When I read that a team of researchers from the University of Connecticut had developed a material that is five time lighter and four times stronger than steel, I couldn't help but think back to Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged," in which steel magnate Hank Rearden develops just such a compound. When the government demands he turn over the rights to the process for the good of the country, Hank refuses...setting up a storyline that pits inventors and entrepreneurs against politicians and bureaucrats.
I know a number of people believe liking this book (and the 3-part movie, which maddeningly swaps out actors for each episode) is akin to admitting that one is a Republican (though today's Republican Party looks nothing like what it used to when that "connection" was initially made). I see it as a story about a fiercely independent woman running a railroad in the face of overwhelming adversity. I really don't care what meaning others have ascribed to Dagney Taggert and Hank Rearden and the rest of those that walk away from a world gone awry.
Anyway, good on UConn to do what Hank did (fictionally) almost 70 years ago. Now, when will we get this beaming up thing figured out?
Recent Comments