The Usefulness of Useless Knowledge (1939) [pdf]

It would be better if I had abilities like Maxwell or Oersted, so I have to work harder to make up the difference. Some of that does include working alone, not trying exactly to "simulate" genius but for me it's just great when nobody bugs me for an extended period of time :)

>their useless theoretical work which was seized upon by a clever technician and which has created new means for communication, utility, and amusement by which men whose merits are relatively slight have obtained fame and earned millions.

They're talking about radio when it was still relatively new but spreading faster than ever, and this enhanced amplification of garbage is already recognized as some questionable collateral damage that can develop if you are not careful.

I was fortunate to reach this conclusion on my own when I was a young teenager, which was a lot closer to 1939 than it was to today.

After I got accustomed to building labs from the ground up for a couple decades, I finally built my own for the express purpose of full-time non-directed research. The possibilities are just endless compared to anything else, and if I didn't do it who would? The Edison approach had virtually fallen off the map already by the 1960's with places like Bell Labs and NASA reaching new heights in some of the most admirable ways as only such well-funded institutions can do. But there was still that growing vacuum with its very strong pull.

By the time I started my company Bell was already gone and NASA moonshots were a distant memory. That can happen to the best of them when you depend on other people's money for funding.

Anyway be cautious what you invent and even more cautious about who you disclose it to or "men whose merits are relatively slight" might just become more of a detriment than the scientific progress can overcome and yield as a net benefit.