(2005-09-12) Brin Creative Class Flight

David Brin on Richard Florida's Flight of the Creative Class. The author and I agree that Freedom and cultural excitement (if they really do endure here) are helpful in generating creativity. But they are not the only requisites. China and India will keep attracting these brainy ones home, even despite lower levels of those two traits, for one simple reason. Because these countries are the new, wild economic frontier where it is possible to make a whole lot of money, especially if you are smart, well-connected, and don't offend anybody powerful. At a time when America has turned anti-science, anti-InnovatIon and anti-modernity, it may be altogether too blithe to expect brash freedom and cultural excitement - alone - to save our hash. Those traits certainly can stimulate certain types of of creativity all by themselves - but only in stylish arts, like advertising and entertainment. New technologies, goods and services? Sorry. You need to train and graduate enough nerds. And make them feel appraciated.