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    This section features examples of, and discussions, on the topic of innovation and new products development. First, where does innovation really come from? Historically, it comes from creativity and from passion, out of times of hardship, a personal passion to invent, from needs created by war, or out of tremendous personal need. Who funds innovation and new inventions? Well, a multitude of sources, from federal and state government grants, venture capitalists, angel or private investors, partnering firms in related fields, and also through philanthropy. Philanthropy and private endowments make up a sizable portion of seed money in the U.S. and West.

    It's Orange County Innovation Month in October 2007 and Stephen Dolle, aka "MacGyver," has just launched his keynote speaking and new workshop training, entitled Drum Communications and Team Training (DCTT). DCTT focuses on innovative new methods of enhancing inter-personal communications, team communications and syncopation, sharpening the mind, health and wellness, and physical coordination through the use of drums and rhythm techniques.

    The links at left, and hyperlinks below (which open in a separate window), present key examples of innovation and inventiveness. Stephen Dolle enjoys speaking about innovation, featuring stories such as the invention of the CT scanner made possible with funding from "The Beatles" rock and roll record label, EMI Records, to how modern day CRT television and computer screens originated.

    The origin of the CT and MRI scanner is perhaps more compelling. In 1968, EMI Records and British engineer, Godfrey Hounsfield, embarked on a mission to adapt technology originally intended for scanning airport luggage to be capable of imaging a human brain. At that time only limited and rather archaic means of brain imaging were possible. When the EMI company introduced the EMI (CAT) brain scanner around 1971, it really caught the medical field by storm. It was without a doubt the most critical advancement in the treatment of neurological disorders of the 20th Century. A similar display architecture is used today in MRI and PET imaging. This technology later extended the life of Beatles' band member, George Harrison. We acknowledge this innovation by EMI and Godfrey Hounsfield, who was later awarded a Nobel prize. See this EMI Scanner Story on the web.

    In a retrospective look at technology and machine tool innovation of the late 19th Century, a yet unpublished book, William Lodge: A 19th Century Entrepreneur, by the late W. L. Dolle, Jr., examines the life and career of William Lodge, who led many key advances in machine tool building in the later 19th Century. Lodge helped the town of Cincinnati, Ohio, earn the title, "machine tool capital of the world." In a career spanning 40 years, he founded three companies, introduced the concept of mass production to the building of machine tools, and patented over 10 machine tooling inventions. In this new book, Lodge is presented as an "entrepreneur," and the author makes key comparisons of the machine tool industry at the end of the 19th Century, to that of Silicone Valley and the high tech sector of the late 20th Century. 

    The author writes how Lodge was admired not only for his skills in innovating, but also for steadfast and trusted leadership. Many employees followed him from one company to the next. The author cites the limited business infrastructure and resources not available to companies during those years. The Cincinnati Museum Center's Machine Tool Exhibit features an exhibit of the industry during that era. A PDF file containing this yet to be published book is provided (free of charge) on this web site for downloading and reading in PDF format. Copyright rules do NOT allow unauthorized printing or hosting of this book on other web sites. William Lodge is the great great grandfather to Stephen Dolle, the founder of this web site.

    Mr. Stephen Dolle's DiaCeph Device for CNS shunt monitoring has been described as innovative and pioneering. He conceived it as a patient user under extraordinary circumstances. See his story at DiaCeph Story. In 1997, it was all new technology. Today, it is categorized as artificial intelligence (AI) technology, and remains state of the art. AI technology in the future will help manage chronic illness, enhance our intellectual skills, and be used to detect early warning signs of illness and disease - ahead of many current conventional means.

    AI will also be able to interact with sub-conscious and super-conscious thought, and process this information into useful data. In the future, AI devices will help in everyday tasks, aid seniors and others with neuro-cognitive deficits, enhance mental performance in athletics, and enhance skills and training of firefighters, police, and military personnel. Read more under AI Research & Technology.

    A question that has confounded scientists for many years is whether "Spiritual sensation" is actually a "6th Sense." Books, movies, and Spiritual writings indicate its existence, yet science has yet to formally confirm it as a sensory function, perhaps as it tends to occur in certain individuals, and to varying degrees. Highly evolved reasoning skills, backed by studies in "quantum mechanics," form the foundation for extraordinary skills made possible through compensatory brain mechanisms, which we cover under AI Research. These abilities are fundamental to the creative and intuitive abilities of leading artists, scientists, businessmen, religious, and political leaders. This was touched upon in the 2004 movie, "What the Bleep do We Know."

    A more recent area in Innovation is in "hybrid powered" automobiles, with rapidly expanding developments in bio-fuels, and eventually, in hydrogen-powered engines. Increasing fuel costs and a greater demand for more eco-friendly vehicles is creating new opportunities in transportation. There is likely to be a great deal more political wrangling and attention to energy policy. In the end, this research will result in spin-off applications of the technology into other products and fields.

    In past years, Bell Labs and research facilities of fortune 100 companies were responsible for many technologies of the 1960s, 70s, and 80s. But in recent years, many of the labs have been closed, and a new era of infrastructure research is ushering in. Last year in Orange County, California, a group of local business executives got together with the University of California at Irvine, and formed a new outreach organization, known as "OCTANe," to help nurture new biotech and high technology companies in the county. OCTANe hopes to support the business and infrastructure needs of this sector of start-up companies in Orange County.

    A good example of a present era project in science and innovation is the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California. The facility is a cooperative effort between the U.S. Department of Energy and the University of California at Berkeley. They conduct advanced multi-disciplinary research in science and technology, with an emphasis in energy. It is an excellent example of the cooperative effort between the public and private sectors, and it appears to conduct a sizable amount of study in artificial intelligence technologies. It is one of perhaps 50 or so like it in the country. Visit the site from here at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

    On the fun side of things, a sling made of canvas and cord and very similar to that which David used to kill Goliath in Old Testament times, can be used to throw a baseball further and faster than the same human arm. It is based on the law of "centripetal acceleration," in which an object in motion at a further distance from its center or fulcrum point moves at a faster rate of speed than objects closer to its center. In other words, it explains why tall baseball pitchers can more easily throw faster - as their arc and length of arm moves the ball faster. The following Christian Sling Archeology Information describes how it works in more detail.

    As an experiment, Stephen Dolle fabricated a sling to through a baseball harder than he would ordinarily be capable of with an aging arm. As a former pitcher, and with a son pitching in college, he could still use a sling learned during his youth. His demonstration of a sling to throw a baseball is a thousands year old example of Innovation. It does require a high level of skill and practice. But a properly made sling, can hurl a baseball faster and further than the human arm alone. See more at discussion of Fun Science: Sling Hurls Baseball.

    These and other examples of Innovation make for great speaking topics at industry, corporate, and fundraising events. Mr. Stephen Dolle is a proven "innovator." For more information on our Communications services, Contact Us via email, our web form, or U.S. mail.