Cost of research

As a researcher interested in experimentation, I set aside funds to use for exploration.  So, when I buy some hokey product and it turns out to be cheap trash, I put the loss down to "research and development efforts".  If there is one thing you find out in trying out new ideas, it is that there is going to be more failure than success. 
Think of the 'secret decoder' ring.  You remember, it was that yellow plastic ring found in the box of cereal.  It has been touted on the text on the box and in the weekly radio program.  It seemed that it would be super-great, opening the door to all sorts of new powers and magic abilities.  It took about 7 and a half minutes fooling with it to realize that the whole thing was a complete flop.  So it is with many toys and inventions.  We have dreams and hopes in our head, strong ones but both outlandish and vague.  So, a dose of reality and what is feasible quickly shows the limits of actual applications of fantasy.

Just as with every other person and organization, I have limited funds.  So, it saves me money and disappointment to view new possibilities with several grains of salt.  Do I have room in what I want to do for this new thing that may be so valuable, so satisfying, so exciting?  Don't waste money on it if the answer is 'probably not'.

But then, as Edison said, he had not failed to find a suitable filament for his electric bulb.  He had discovered 10,000 ways not to make it.

A little loss, much like saving a little money, shows that I am trying, I am alert, I am able to handle the disappointment and the loss for the sake of a better life and new thrills.