A Debate for the New Year: Is the Next Great Invention Due to be Born in Northern Virginia? (Springfield: moving to, transportation)

[normie]

Seems to me it's just about time for another big invention to be born... and dontcha think the odds are pretty good that it'll be born (or at least developed) right here in Nova?

I mean, think about it. The pieces all seem to be in place.

1. We have all these highly educated people moving here, many of them with a diverse collection of degrees. And a diverse background of experiences.

2. A lot of these people will be working in govt. jobs where they'll be bored. And there will be a lot of other bored people at work to bounce ideas off of. Seems like a breeding ground for imaginations to wander... and that's how a lot of inventions are born.

3. Many people will be moving here with highly educated and imaginative spouses who may not necessarily have jobs and who might be interested in starting new businesses.

4. There's a lot of money here.

5. And, perhaps most important, Northern Virginia has challenges that could inspire interesting solutions. Just think how our traffic issues could inspire some truly great ideas. Or the challenge of heavy snow hitting an area that isn't used to a lot of snow. Last week's blizzard just might have been the spark for some brilliant idea.

So what do you think--are we likely to see some big new inventions here?

[Caladium]

LOL, sure, some scientist will come up with a brilliant idea. But he'll be too busy driving around the beltway to actually write it down.

[normie]

Originally Posted by Caladium

LOL, sure, some scientist will come up with a brilliant idea. But he'll be too busy driving around the beltway to actually write it down.

LOL--but you know, that's exactly what I'm getting at. When you're stuck in traffic, that's the time your mind wanders and you come up with all sorts of ideas. OK, some of the ideas are about murdering the driver next to you. But with thousands of drivers out there, it seems reasonable that gridlock might inspire a major invention.

A physicist stuck in traffic might start thinking "When will Star Trek come true because we need that beam-me-up-Scotty mode of transportation!" And then, while he's sitting there staring at the traffic in Springfield he suddenly sees how to make it work.

Or, a doctor stuck at Tysons Corner could start making comparisons to arteries and veins and suddenly be inspired to develop a new method for stenting.

Or, someone with a weak bladder who's stuck on the beltway could come up with an invention that would vaporize human waste. (Wouldn't that be a great invention! Just press a button on your underwear and urine evaporates--no need to ever wait in line for a rest room again.)

[Caladium]

Hmmmm, you have much more interesting ideas while driving than I do! Mostly I just think things like "what are the words to that song, because I could swear what that he sang sounded like don't allow dogs to eat your toothpaste."

But, to address the question I could see the next big invention having to do with solving security issues. And it seems like most of the people dealing with security issues are working in the DC metro area. So for that reason we very well could see a major invention developed here.

[Caladium]

Oh, and you know what, speaking about the snow we had last week gave me a brainstorm. And I'm not even stuck in traffic!

I think someone will invent a better way to handle snow than shoving it with a snow plow. One of the biggest problems in the world is a decreasing supply of potable fresh water. And yet here we have all this fresh water falling from the sky in the form of snow and all we do is shove it aside and get oil and sand in it. If an engineer or a scientist could create a way to reduce snowdrifts to the size of an ice cube, we could then easily move the snow to a better site where it could be expanded and used as drinking water. Now that's my idea of a good invention.

[Caladium]

Oh, and here's another one. All those Californians who are moving here and planting palm trees and banana trees. Surely one of them will come up with a horticultural breakthrough in an effort to save his bananas.

[Gottasay]

Originally Posted by Caladium

Oh, and here's another one. All those Californians who are moving here and planting palm trees and banana trees. Surely one of them will come up with a horticultural breakthrough in an effort to save his bananas.

You mean like moving to the 30th parallel?

[Gottasay]

I think the great inventions will come in government, like getting rid of so many draconian laws so that we can bring back jobs to the United States.

[normie]

Originally Posted by Gottasay

I think the great inventions will come in government, like getting rid of so many draconian laws so that we can bring back jobs to the United States.

Now that would be great! And hey, how about some sort of invention that forces different branches of the government to share information and work together. Not sure what sort of invention could do that, but it'd sure be a handy invention to have....

[normie]

Originally Posted by Caladium

Mostly I just think things like "what are the words to that song, because I could swear what that he sang sounded like don't allow dogs to eat your toothpaste."

LOL, hey maybe those are the right words. They make more sense than a lot of the stuff I hear on the radio...