Innovation and Invention with Michael Novak

Find Solutions To Problems

Meet theologian and winner of the Templeton Prize, Michael Novak.  He says that capitalism rewards visionaries.    More...

Strive for Perfection

Henry Chin told us that Ziba Design  is good at what they do because they all strive for perfection. They push themselves and the company.  More Ziba

Tap Into The Universal Power

Universals open the mind in powerful ways. Michael Novak examines the motivation of people like a thought-leader like Albert Black, an inventor like Glenn Walser, and risk-takers like Lupe Fraga and Jose Navarro. All are examples of people who were deeply motivated by their belief systems. Throughout the history of the USA, Judeo-Christian beliefs gave rise to rapid scientific and business breakthroughs.     More...

Find Courage to Act

Ken Duncan knew he could work for others and have a steady stream of business but his assignments would not be the ones he could get excited about.  He launched out on his own to take and sell the pictures that truly inspire him.

See Failure as a Normal Occurrence

This is a rubber part made of recycled materials.   It was invented in the laboratory at Diversified Chemical Technologies where scientists work through problems to come up with cheaper, faster ways to get things done for their customers.   More on innovation...   More on Diversified Chemicals...

Alleviate Pain And Suffering

Innovation and invention are the heart of the American dream. Bob Sakata is old enough to remember doing all of the back-breaking farm jobs by hand. Just one of his many inventions, his machine cleans and gently dehusks the corn. More about innovation...

Give Your Ideas Away

Give your ideas away to those who will extend them.     More...

Perfect Processes Incrementally

Innovation rarely happens with an explosion of an idea.  Typically it comes out of many tiny steps.

Protect Your Ideas

Before patent, trademark and copyright laws were put in place, the primary source of wealth was land. More than 5 million patents have been issued in the United Sates since the first patent law of 1790. The system is working.

Think Of Your Mind As A Mine

On April 10, 1790, President George Washington signed a bill that became the foundation for the American patent system. Host Hattie Bryant reminds us that it was Abraham Lincoln who one of the most strident advocates of the US patent office. More...

Form Your Own Think Tank

Todd Dickinson,former US commissioner of patents and trademarks, explains that Americans benefit from an organized system that protects inventors.  He says that it is pure democracy and "...the essence of capitalism."   For more...   All the key ideas and video for this episode...

Invent New Services

Companies that have plenty of happy customers increase profits by offering new services often requested by the customers themselves. 

Visit all the videos within entire episode  and visit the episode for each person (in order of appearance):  Sohrab Vossoughi (Ziba Designs, Portland, OR), Steve Hoffman (Modern Postcards, Carlsbad, CA), Pam McNair (Gadabout Spa, Tucson), Lupe Fraga, Tejas (Houston),Andy Wilson (Boston Duck Tours), Eric Rose (Builder, Connecticut), Dr. Neil Clark Warren (eHarmony, Pasadena), Gary Walls (Trailblazer Foods, Portland, OR),  research scientists at Urocor (Oklahoma) and Biosite (San Diego), Don Wilkes (AZ Tech, Huntsville, AL), Glenn Walser (Automated Foods, Duncan,TX), Ken Duncan (photographer, Australia), Bob Sakata (Sakata Farms, Colorado), and Albert Black (On Target, Dallas). Links open new windows.