Archive for Semi Conductor
Blogs and Blurbs on BFBG
Bob Sproull’s “Focus and Leverage Blog”
Jack Vinson’s “Knowledge Jolt with Jack”
Kevin Rutherford’s “Silk and Spinach”
eCliniqua on Critical Chain in the Life Science Industry
eCliniqua covers the newest trends in clinical development with the focus on pharmaceutical companies. In the August 2009 issue they published an article on Critical Chain.
By Deb Borfitz
August 17, 2009 | With pharmaceutical companies today subject to many of the same market forces the semiconductor industry encountered a decade ago, including intense competition and a sluggish product pipeline, operational efficiency is imperative. Read more
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.
