The role of personality may in fact be just as important in tech as
the arts; it's just not nearly as obvious in tech. In tech the
personality part is far enough removed or isolated from the final
solution it's untraceable. Even most of those in the field don't
really care or notice how it came about.

For example, the inventor of the Si nanowire battery was astounded
that his breakthrough was such a seemingly straightforward solution to
a decades old problem. To keep the Si from cracking as it swelled
while charging, he merely made the Si thinner, the same tactic that
has been used for centuries to make wire rope more supple. It's easy
to believe his personality played no role whatsoever. But still,
there was something about his personality that led him to that
"obvious" solution.

After "Graceland" Paul Simon was attacked for doing something that
"anyone could do." Rhymin' Simon answered, "but anyone didn't do it.
_I_ did it."

That might be the real similarity between tech IP and art IP.

Bret Cahill