Monopoly’s Inventor: The Progressive Who Didn’t Pass ‘Go’

In effect, this means state ownership, which we've later learned to be very dangerous when taken to that level.

Interesting little snippet:

> Although both advocated worker's rights, Henry George and Karl Marx were antagonists. Marx saw the Single Tax platform as a step backwards from the transition to communism.[52] On his part, Henry George predicted that if Marx's ideas were tried, the likely result would be a dictatorship.[53]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_George

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hernando_de_Soto_Polar#Main_th...

In the 23rd century people will build statues of Miley Cyrus, inventor of the Internet.

So I dont see how can compare it to products released to costumers.

I mean, how many games do you, or anybody play where everybody wins or loses the same. I can't think of many video or boardgames where this is the premis. So people just dont seam to care about it.

The linked article strongly implies Elizabeth Magie Philips invented the source material for what later became Monopoly. That we've been playing a cut down version of her game is hardly important, recognition is the least we can offer inventors. It's clear that Parker Brothers did what they could to cut her out of the history of the game, I hope that we don't condone that behaviour.

I'm interested to try The Landlord's Game, I wonder what the situation with the patents are now.

A great business person, Steve Jobs for example, would have a very hard time with a crappy idea. Even he would have struggled if his product were something stupid, like a toaster that sings a song whenever the toast is done as opposed to something as revolutionary as personal computing. Ideas do matter, and having a unique and useful solution to a real problem is an important part of building a company.

Every business doesn't require a long slog that involves years of effort and personal financial risk. If an inventor creates something truly amazing, like a hoverboard, it will fly off the shelves despite his or her best efforts to screw it up. Great ideas tend to sell themselves and don't always need years of dedication and hard work once the product itself is finished. And fwiw, the majority of inventions require more than a few hours of thought in someone's spare time.

Both idea and execution have equal value, but they don't have to be present in equal proportion as a criteria for success. It's possible build a company with great execution on a mediocre idea or bad execution on a great idea. The best companies are usually balanced between both.