[hurin]

>They are not the inventors, and they don't make anything.

This is highly misleading if not down-right ignorant. Academic research is and has been absolutely necessary for most of the technologies we use today - patent's might not be the best way of financing said research, but we should be clear on the first part; before we roll the barrel on bad administrations and wasteful spending at universities. The toxic response to universities in general here on HN is rather astounding.

[totalrobe]

Agreed, and it sound like the type of comment made by a clever university student that hasn't experienced the typical soul crushing workplace.