Innovator of the Week: Stanford R. Ovshinsky

Just when you think you think you've heard it all--there comes along a person who truly astonishes. This happened yesterday. I was reading Bob Herbert's column this week in the New York Times. The column relates in part to the collective soul-searching that America seems to be undergoing because of the current economic recession and the progressive slow erosion of its economic dominance. Herbert wanted to say that as Americans, they should be hopeful since they have innovators like Stan Ovshinsky. To Herbert's credit, he does point out:

What’s weird is that this man, with such a stellar track record of innovation on products and processes crucial to the economic and environmental health of the U.S., gets such little attention and so little support from American policy makers.

HELLOOOO. This is one of the biggest understatements of the last 100 years. Ovshinsky is the environmental equivalent to Thomas Edison or Albert Einstein. I'd ask everyone to now visit Wikipedia for a minute and see what this man has accomplished. They extoll the virtues of Al Gore who just gives a powerpoint presentation while Ovshinsky has been doing the actual cutting-edge innovation for decades. If someone deserves a Nobel, it's this guy.

400 Patents including:

• nickel-metal hybrid batteries found in laptops, cellphones, electric and hybrid cars
• hydrogen fuel cells (!)
• flexible thin-film solar energy laminates and panels
• flat screen liquid crystal displays
• rewritable CDs and DVDs
• PRAM

If Hollywood ever wanted to make a compelling movie about a true hero, this guy is it!

Stay inspired!

Cheers,
Maurice
www.voiceone.fi