Inspiration

We were ordering lunch for a meeting today. A visitor asked me what we were having. She went on to explain that she wasn’t picky, she just needed to prepare. I told her I understood.

She was wearing a device that looked something like a pager. I recognized it as an insulin pump.

I’m not extremely knowledgeable of diabetes, but am a fan of Dean Kamen, who invented the AutoSyringe, from which this device was derived. He’s better known for the Segway, a human mobilizer.

Kamen belongs to that minute segment of the population who actually does something about challenges to society. And, his approaches reflect true genius.

By coincidence, I was contacted by someone today who asked if I had any old photographs of Levittown (PA). This evoked thoughts of William Levitt, another innovator who is widely regarded as the father of the modern suburb.

Levittown is one of the larger, if not largest suburbs of Philadelphia, yet does not have a traditional street grid in it. That is, in its entire expanse, virtually all the roads are curvilinear and there are no four-way intersections within the subdivisions. This produces a safer traffic flow. That's just a small sample of his intricate design. Levitt was far ahead of his time and I’m not sure we’ve caught up, yet.

Dwelling upon our capacity for genius and productivity is invigorating and inspirational. Now, I feel like I have to do something.