The waves of innovation

The innovation files 7

Imagine standing on the beach with a board in your hand, staring at the sea, staring at the sand, zipped into a wetsuit, taking a deep breath and jumping on your board paddling away from the land. Flat on your board, the surf looks like intimidating, furious grinding waves determined to swallow you. But before they devour you, you dive under. After surfacing, the seawater’s salty taste triggers your brain to fire a strong, happy cocktail of endorphin, dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin. This is life; this is it. After some more duck dives, you end at the lineup where the slow cadence of the sea rules: slowly up and down, again and again. Sitting on your board, staring in the distance, you look for the perfect wave. They travel from far, ready to release their energy as soon as they hit the bank in front of the coast. You spot one, get ready, and go…

Someone, somewhere in summertime
Not only waves but also innovation travels from far. It starts with a soft wind. Someone, somewhere, in summertime, might come up with an idea, an invention, a breakthrough in basic science or maybe just a stupid mistake that triggers a set of events. Like Alexander Fleming, who accidentally discovered penicillin. Many of these winds aren’t strong enough to blow out a candle, like the boiled egg squarer. The what? Yep, didn’t make it. Others caught some momentum…