Archive for November, 2008
Serendipity
Innovation and discovery are inherently random. When and where a discovery will be made is unpredictable. The true value of an innovation is often unclear, even to the inventors themselves. Thomas Edison, a great business man, was no exception. His discovery of the light bulb was a breakthrough in modern times. But it required the work of another inventor, Tesla, who invented the alternating current (AC), which made Edison’s discovery relevant to millions. Tesla’s work was key factor for the light bulb to become a household item. Very often the process leading up to a discovery is highly random. We are looking for one thing and find something else on the way. There are lots of examples and I have a few here to share that will make my point.
A number of discoveries and inventions in chemistry, pharmacology, medicine, biology, physics and many other areas happened serendipitously. I have my personal collection of the Top 10 discoveries made that way (BTW: I am always eager to find more of those, so please leave a comment or send a quick email if you have another good example). These examples could have been listed in any order, they are all remarkable achievements.
1. Teflon was invented by Roy J. Plunkett, who was trying to develop a new gas for refrigeration and instead came across a slick substance, which was first used for the lubrication of machine parts. I haven’t found out how it exactly ended up on our pans yet. I am sure it is a great story all in itself.
2. Cellophane, a thin, transparent sheet made of regenerated cellulose, was developed in 1908 by Swiss chemist Jacques Brandenberger, as a material to stain-proof tablecloth, which tells us a lot about how neat and clean the Swiss are.
3. Aspartame (NutraSweet) was accidentally found by chemist James Schlatter, who was trying to develop a test for an anti-ulcer drug. Apparently, the drug didn’t work, but the patients liked it anyways.
4. The next two examples I summarized. Viagra (sildenafil citrate), an anti-impotence drug. It was initially studied for use in hypertension and angina pectoris. Phase I clinical trials under the direction of Ian Osterloh suggested that the drug had little effect on angina, but that it could induce marked penile erections. The rest is history. Viagra became one of the greatest successes Pfizer ever had. Similarly, the libido-enhancing effect of l-dopa, a drug used for treating Parkinson’s disease was discovered. Older patients in a sanatorium had their long-lost interest in sex suddenly revived. The market impact of both drugs have been remarkable different however.
5. The first anti-psychotic drug, chlorpromazine, was discovered by French pharmacologist Henri Laborit. He wanted to add an anti-histaminic to a pharmacological combination to prevent surgical shock and noticed that patients treated with it were unusually calm before their operation.
6. The concept of vaccination was discovered by English physician Edward Jenner after he observed that milkmaids did not catch smallpox after exposure to benign cowpox.
7. The discovery of the planet Uranus by William Herschel. Herschel was looking for comets, and initially identified Uranus as a comet until he noticed the circularity of its orbit and its distance, all which suggested that it was a planet. Uranus is first planet discovered since antiquity. Another example from the field of astrology hat to do with Pluto. Pluto’s moon Charon was discovered by US astronomer James Christy in 1978. He was going to discard what he thought was a defective photographic plate of Pluto, when his Star Scan machine broke down. While it was being repaired he had time to study the plate again and discovered others in the archives with the same “defect”, a bulge in the planet’s image which was actually a large moon.
8. Radioactivity was found by Henri Becquerel. While trying to investigate phosphorescent materials using photographic plates, he stumbled upon uranium.
9. The microwave oven was invented by Percy Spencer. While testing a magnetron for radar sets at Raytheon, he noticed that the peanut candy bar in his pocket had melted when exposed to radar waves.
10. Corn flakes and wheat flakes (Wheaties), cornerstones of a nutritious breakfast, were accidentally discovered by the Kelloggs brothers in 1898, when they left cooked wheat untended for a day and tried to roll the mass, obtaining a flaky material instead of a sheet.
Researchers and inventors have known for a long time that serendipity plays an important part in the creative process of discovery. There are some great quotes from those who stress the efforts of getting on the journey and plowing through the data science is throwing at us. For example Louis Pasteur said: “In the field of observation, chance favors only the prepared mind.” Others are a bit more folksy. Pek van Andel said: ”Serendipity is looking in a haystack for a needle and discovering a farmer’s daughter.”
My favorite quote is from someone outside of the field of science and discovery. Franz Beckenbauer (everyone except the Brits knows that he is the best soccer player who ever played the greatest game on this planet) said once, “Sometimes it is better to be lucky than good.” Of course he was talking about how Germany won its last World Championship. As seen above his words have a much wider applicability.
Toastmasters Int Area 85: Fall 2008
When it comes to Toastmasters Int., the fall season is my favorite. We are coming together to find out who the wittiest table topic speaker is and put together the most humorous speech. By now the contests on the club, area and division level are over. This weekend the District contest will take place (www.d27tm.org). Afterwards, we will know who the best speakers in the whole District are. Now, why are these contests actually part of our organization? Well, here are 3 good reasons:
- To provide an opportunity for proficient speakers and those Toastmasters who are interested in competitive speaking to gain contest experience.
- To provide an interesting educational program for the members of Toastmasters and the general public
- To provide an opportunity for those members who are not participating in a contest to learn by observing proficient speakers.
But, most importantly: it is a lot of fun, and that is what it is all about. Please check out www.d27tm.org for more information.
A quick update on Area 85. On July 1st of this year Area 85 started out with 98 members. Since then we have added 26 new members for a grand total of 124 Toastmasters in Area 85. Area 85 had the highest number of additional members in Division H. Our friends from Oracle Orators contributed the most. Way to go! Three out of the four clubs managed to send not only 4 but all 7 club officers to training. Accenture, FreeSpirits and Sprint-Nextel were awarded with the “Golden Toaster”. This shows the exceptional commitment of our club officers to Toastmasters, to their clubs and to the members they represent. It is a great early indicator for the long term success of the clubs. There is a one-to-one between officers trained and the long term viability of a club. Great job. So far, the four club combined have accomplished a total of 12 DCP goals. So, overall we are definitely on track. If anything I’d say we had a great start. Because of the way the DCP works we expect a lot of the DCP relevant accomplishments coming in towards the 2nd half of this Toastmaster year. Finally, I have seen a lot of cooperation between the clubs. The most recent Area 85 Contest was a great example of this team spirit, but there is more. There are quite a few Toastmasters who belong to two clubs here in the area. I see us sharing ideas with one another. We share what works and what doesn’t. This speeds up the learning process and ultimately improves the Toastmaster experience for our members.
