"This is our generation's Sputnik moment."
That was probably the most-tweeted quote from President Obama's State of the Union Address last night, and it didn't take long for the Cold War reference to start trending on Twitter.
The President was referring to the fact that it took Russia beating the U.S. into space with its launch of the Sputnik satellite to spark the widespread innovation that led to America getting to the moon (or film studio to fake the moon landing if you buy into conspiracy theories). This comparison inspired the "Sputnik moment" quote.
But is this our Sputnik moment?
Yes, we are still suffering from a slow economy with widespread unemployment, so there is definitely the opening for much-needed innovation.
However, I think the drive and technological prowess that Obama is pushing for is already there. Just look at the slew of articles from CES 2011 a couple weeks ago. The technology scene has changed by leaps and bounds and continues to change exponentially, and we will continue to see more and more innovation in the coming years.
