Haunting" was a word someone used to describe the interview of Mr. Burt Rutan at the Wine Cellar.

Most people show up at the Innovation Collective Fireside Chats expecting to be inspired and challenged, but the man who has developed 46 different research aircraft types and is the godfather of commercial space travel thinks and lives in a way that most of us can't even comprehend. Needless to say, the challenge was deeper than most people expected.

His lack of fascination with novelty technology was refreshing and an appropriate slap in the face that our world needs. In today's pop culture, the new feature on a phone is the news that spreads like wildfire around the world.

"NASA had the same budget they have now when they put a man on the moon," Rutan said. His point: True innovation has stalled in many ways.

Kary Krieger, a student at University of Idaho who attends the Fireside Chats, was intrigued with Mr. Rutan's view of today's leading tech companies.