9.1. Lesson 79: Never Neglect Logistics
For Edison, there were no purely theoretical, technical, or creative problems. Invention was a continuous process, a spectrum, and no phase of invention could be walled off from another. Always working with an eye toward commercialization, he never neglected the logistical dimension of invention. When he concluded that platinum was one of the more technically promising materials for light bulb filaments, he did not close his eyes to the expense of the metal—he immediately set about searching for plentiful sources of it. Even as he searched, he continued to look for cheaper alternatives to platinum—eventually hitting on lampblack, or carbon, which could be produced cheaply and in great plenty.
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