Journalist and author, Evan Schwartz (gotjuice.org(1)) said invention is one of the oldest forces of mankind and he discussed both the creative process and the suppression behind current and past inventions. There is an old saying that it is "safer to invent the future than predict it," and inventors may feel that their concepts give them power over the future, he noted. Different creative strategies have been employed, he detailed, such asDa Vinci using analogy to formulate his flying designs(2) and Edison combining many inventions together into a system.
Schwartz commented that inventors such as Edison and Alexander Graham Bell were the heroes of their day but today's inventors are perceived more as "kooky" outcasts working in their basements. This transition took place partially because corporations began taking control of more and more patents, as well as working to suppress technology they viewed as being bad for their business, he explained.
Governments can seize inventions, said Schwartz, if they perceive something to be a threat to national security. Further, sometimes companies conspire to delay the full development of a project, and he cited the case of Jeffrey Ballard's hydrogen fuel cell technology, in which investing auto companies diverted funds from research to manufacturing.

1. http://www.gotjuice.org/
2. http://www.angelfire.com/electronic/awakening101/leonardo.html

The Future of Sound

Evan Schwartz has written about the battle shaping up between two competing technologies that both employ directional sound, in an article(1) for Technology Review. This new type of audio delivery is able to beam sound into a narrow path, and eventually it is envisioned that a family of four "could be sitting in a car enjoying four different musical selections or radio broadcasts-with no headphones," he writes.
Inventor Elwood "Woody" Norris has created the Hypersonic Sound system for American Technology Corporation(2), while entrepreneur F. Joseph Pompei has introduced his acoustical product via Holosonic Research Labs(3). Both hope their systems will in time replace traditional loudspeakers.
--L.L.

1. http://www.woodynorris.com/Articles/TechnologyReview.htm
2. http://www.atcsd.com
3. http://www.holosonics.com

Bumper Music

Bumper music from Monday September 13, 2004