Major technologies are born into a febrile world these days, with everyone wanting a piece of the action. Where projects are so large that the costs fall on wide sectors of society, the decision-makers are rarely technical experts. Giving an idea a sexy label attracts the attention of the powerful, irrespective of its technical merit or real promise. Consider the billions that were poured into the 'third generation' of intelligent computers, the space race and the search for a 'magic bullet' for cancer.
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