Sherden's "Fortune Sellers" - An Eye Opener

"Welcome to reality!" is what I felt someone telling me while reading this book.

Considering that it took a century for the steam engine to be contemplated as a viable alternative to power mills, ships and carriages, it’s a wonder what paradigm shift took place to bolster so much technical evolution in the past 60 years. Human imagination certainly has flourished at an astounding rate in the 20th century. I was surprised to discover that the first sci-fi novel dated back to 1770. Another century would go by before Jules Verne’s “Around the World in 80 Days” sparked the interest and curiosity of the public.

WOW! We had a slow start but we sure have been making up for it.

Of interest to me is the rapid life-cycle turn around time now needed for companies to keep up with the Jones. The pressure to remain competitive certainly places the traditional business model in a state of flux. I’m no MBA but, I wonder how much of the development process had to be modified since paperwork and processes are usually in the way of creativity and effectiveness. I’d like to know what parameters are used today to make decisions such as what to dismiss when, how much time should be invested on any given idea, etc.

I found is amusing to discover that, sometimes, science fiction creators were able to spark innovations out of sheer originality, common knowledge and wishful thinking.
Even funnier is the dismissal of new technology ideas as mere toys by those qualified as experts. The discovery of radio waves was itself dismissed as being “of little use” by such experts, when first announced.
This is a lesson in history we don’t seem to be able to assimilate, among others of course. *grin*
The craziest of ideas seem to have somehow materialized in one form or another.

From a 1260 medieval monk’s prediction of fast moving machines, through da Vinci’s helicopter, I recall a movie from the late 1960’s where a small team of expert physicians are miniaturized as part of a submarine crew. In this early version of “Honey I shrunk the kids”, this was a “Fantastic Voyage” inside the human anatomy. The mission: navigate the blood stream to treat the patient. He would soon die if no one intervened. This journey was a last resort solution to save ingenuity. If you’re Raquel Welsh fan, this movie is for you. With today’s graphical capabilities, a remake of this movie could be quite educational!

Today, nanotechnology holds promises of doing exactly what some fantasized about 50 years ago. I was not even 10 years old when I watched a translated version of this movie but, the impression has been long lasting. *smile* Further, exploration and treatment of the human body is currently possible via optical instruments better known as laparoscopic surgery. So what if we can’t be navigating blood vessels ourselves!

But, stay tuned!
Please visit the following link for a status on the status of nanotechnology in the medical field.
*** Medical News Today ***
I was amazed to see the very same movie I remember being referenced today. Nano-GPS systems will soon be of this world. The forecast on this one? Only three years away they say.